"Pure Michigan" Campaign - Inside the Client's Strategy

Have you seen the Pure Michigan campaign that's sweeping the Midwest with its iconic imagery and emotionally-moving creative? The campaign is winning awards across the nation. Find out from the client what makes the campaign so successful and why Forbes called Pure Michigan one of the best tourism campaigns ever.

The Ann Arbor Ad Club welcomes David Lorenz as our guest speaker on Thursday, October 8. Lorenz is the Manager of Public and Industry Relations for Travel Michigan, the state bureau responsible for one of the most popular advertising campaigns in the state of Michigan. The award-winning “Pure Michigan” campaign received national attention last year when Governor Granholm approved $45 million in additional funding for the campaign – an unprecedented tourism budget for the state.

David Lorenz will provide client insight into what makes the campaign so successful, including Forbes ranking it as one of the all-time best tourism campaigns. Lorenz will speak on the creative strategy, research, objectives, and brand statement for the campaign including their effective use of integrating TV, radio, outdoor, print, interactive and social media. Its website has been named the nation’s best for the second straight year, particularly for its effective use of social media including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and others.

Tourism is Michigan’s third largest industry, bringing in an estimated $18 billion a year to the state and employing approximately 200,000 people. Lorenz says, "Michigan is a special place because of the unique combination of experiences travelers can enjoy, from awesome views from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to the world class collection at the Detroit Institute of Art. In the past, we relied on the in-state traveler to support the industry. Today, it is critical that we make "out of state" travelers aware of our world-class attractions and destinations.”

The event will be held at Ann Arbor Spark, 330 East Liberty Street, Ann Arbor, beginning with active networking and refreshments at 5:30 p.m. The program runs from 6-7 p.m. Members attend for free, while non–members pay $35, and students pay $10 to attend. Register and buy tickets at www.a2ac.org (pre-registration will begin Monday, September 28th).

Special thanks to DesignHub, a creative services and marketing firm headquartered in Saline, Michigan, for sponsoring this event. DesignHub proudly celebrates their 10th year in business.