Pure Michigan Celebrates the Soul and Story of Detroit

Release Date

April 10, 2016

LANSING – Bad weather may have thwarted the premiere of a new Detroit Pure Michigan commercial, titled Soul, in front of fans at Comerica Park tonight, but it won’t stop America’s great comeback story or the launch of a new Pure Michigan marketing campaign highlighting the city.

A 30-second version of the commercial, titled Story of Detroit, begins airing as part of the Pure Michigan national advertising campaign rotation on Monday, April 11 and the same spot will run on YouTube’s in-steam, non-skippable ads nationwide that same day, generating an estimated 7.9 million impressions.

A new Detroit landing page michigan.org/detroitcomeback, featuring the 60-second Soul spot as well as other stories and content, is now live, and a digital campaign will run with TIME to highlight the stories of the Detroit Comeback. This will include original long-form content and photography that will live on TIME.com, premium print placement for a Detroit-focused message and Facebook and Twitter promotion on TIME social channels. In total, the TIME campaign is expected to reach 11 million people.

“This is more than a leisure travel campaign – this is really about challenging and shifting people’s perceptions of Detroit and celebrating America’s great comeback story,” said Dave Lorenz, Vice President of Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “We want people across the state, the nation and around the world to see Detroit for what it really is – a vibrant city with hard working, passionate people; a place where old and new are uniting in unexpected ways; and, a place where creative minds meet an industrial spirit to forge a new chapter for the city.”

Representatives from organizations across Detroit had been slated to be on hand tonight to celebrate the campaign launch – including Larry Alexander, President and CEO of Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“Detroit is the gateway city to the entire state and it is important that travelers know its potential as a visitor destination,” said Alexander said. “Our city is experiencing an unprecedented comeback and there is no better time for travelers to visit. Travel Michigan’s new advertising campaign is the perfect opportunity to tell our comeback story to the world.”

The Detroit Tigers have partnered with Travel Michigan on a variety of promotions over the years. Travel Michigan and the Tigers will celebrate Pure Michigan Day at Comerica Park on Monday, June 6. Fans who come to see the Tigers take on the Toronto Blue Jays will have the opportunity to showcase their Michigan pride and the first 10,000 fans will receive a Pure Michigan coaster set. A special Pure Michigan ticket package will include Lower Baseline Box, Upper Box Infield or Upper Reserved tickets and an exclusive Detroit Tigers/Pure Michigan shirt.

Pure Michigan Day at Comerica Park is part of a partnership with the Detroit Tigers that also includes Pure Michigan branding on the dugout railings and benches, as well as advertising on TigerVision and the Scoreboard throughout the regular season.

“The Detroit Tigers have been a terrific in finding creative ways to support our efforts to showcase Detroit and help spread awareness of the Pure Michigan brand,” Lorenz said. “The home games, and other events at Comerica, motivate people to travel to metro Detroit; our goal with this new campaign is to inspire those visitors to stay for a meal, to visit a museum or even make it a weekend getaway.”

More than 2.7 million fans are expected to be in attendance at Comerica Park this year, with more than 25 million television viewers expected to watch Detroit Tigers baseball in 2016. Additionally, close to 2,000 visiting media – local, national and international – come to Comerica Park each year to cover teams competing against the Tigers

Pure Michigan is a brand representing business, talent and tourism initiatives across Michigan. These efforts are driven by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which serves as the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business growth, jobs and opportunity with a focus on helping grow Michigan’s economy.

For more on the MEDC and its initiatives, visit: michiganbusiness.org. For Michigan travel news, updates and information, visit michigan.org.

# # #

Media Contacts:
Michelle Grinnell Ron Colangelo
Travel Michigan Detroit Tigers
[email protected] [email protected]
(517) 241-0251 (office) (313) 471-2024 (office)
(517) 763-6078 (cell) (516) 642-9189 (cell)