Pure Michigan Campaign Wins Top Awards

LANSING, Mich. -- And the winner is…Pure Michigan, the state of Michigan's official travel and tourism campaign. The Pure Michigan campaign brings home a record four Mercury Awards, Best State Tourism Television Commercials, Best State Tourism Radio Commercials, Best State Tourism Co-op (Partnership) Program, and Best State Tourism Welcome Center Program, from the recent ESTO Conference.

"We are absolutely thrilled and honored to receive four Mercury Awards, in recognition of the Pure Michigan campaign, from our colleagues and competitors within the tourism industry," said George Zimmermann, Vice President of Travel Michigan, a business unit of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

These four awards join the other Mercury Awards the campaign has already received including Best State Tourism Advertising Campaign (2007), Best State Tourism Television Commercials (2007), and Best State Tourism Radio Campaign (2008), Best State Tourism Radio Advertising (2009) and Best State Tourism Niche Marketing (2009).

The Pure Michigan tourism campaign ran national for the second year on cable channels including: Golf Channel, Travel Channel, A&E, Bravo, Style, Fine Living, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, E!, DIY Network, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and Fox News. Due to reduced funds adjustments were made to the regional and in-state campaigns.

"There are millions of Americans who know little or nothing about the vibrancy, heritage, culture, arts and entertainment in our great cities, our sandy beaches and stunning overlooks along America's longest fresh-water coastline, or the majesty and recreation in our 19 million acres of magnificent forests," Zimmermann said. "The Pure Michigan campaign is designed to introduce to the nation the attributes that make Michigan such a popular and unique destination."

The inaugural Pure Michigan national advertising campaign in 2009 motivated 680,000 new trips to Michigan from outside the Great Lakes region and resulted in more than $250 million being spent at Michigan businesses. For every dollar spent on the Pure Michigan national campaign, new visits to Michigan stimulated by that advertising generated $ 2.23 in new state tax collections.

The Mercury Awards is a program created by the National Council of State Tourism Directors to recognize its members for excellence and creative accomplishment in state tourism marketing and promotion, and to inspire the continued development of truly imaginative and exciting destination marketing and promotion programs.

The Birmingham, Michigan office of McCann Erickson developed the strategy and creative for the Pure Michigan campaign. The campaign is intended to entice out-of-state travelers about one place that still feels magic, mythic, authentic, untamed, unspoiled, uncompromised, timeless and true. The Pure Michigan campaign can be viewed/listened to online at michigan.org/travelads.

Travel Michigan, a division of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is the State of Michigan's official agency for the promotion of tourism. Travel Michigan markets the state's tourism industry and provides valuable visitor information services. For Michigan travel news and updates, go to michigan.org.

McCann's midwest office in Birmingham, Michigan creates advertising and integrated marketing communications for Travel Michigan; Saab Automobile USA; General Motors Corporation (Corporate Advertising); Chevrolet Global; Colonial Williamsburg; Michigan Credit Union League; and a variety of other clients. McCann Worldgroup is the world's largest multinational advertising agency system, with operations in 131 countries. It is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE: IPG). To find out more about McCann Erickson, visit its Web site at www.mccann.com.