Pure Michigan Earns Four 2025 HSMAI Adrian Awards for Innovative Destination Marketing

Iconic tourism brand recognized for impactful media strategies and travel marketing innovation

LANSING, Mich. – February 19, 2026 – Pure Michigan, the state’s award-winning travel brand, has been honored with four Adrian Awards from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI). Additionally, “You Can in Michigan,” the state’s talent attraction campaign managed by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), was recognized for influential, trendy partnerships. Now in its 69th year, The Adrian Awards stands as one of the most prestigious award ceremonies in global travel marketing. The 2025 theme, “The Exceptional Experience," pays homage to the personal impact travel marketing has on audiences. 

This year’s accolades come at an important milestone for the brand as Pure Michigan prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary. These wins highlight how the state has evolved its storytelling through diverse channels, ranging from innovative printed mailers to modern, trendy social campaigns and high-impact paid media strategies.

"Receiving these awards as we approach the 20th anniversary of Pure Michigan is a testament to the brand’s enduring impact and its ability to constantly evolve," said Kelly Wolgamott, Vice President of Pure Michigan at the MEDC. "Whether we’re creating high-impact digital media campaigns or inviting travelers to embrace a slower pace, our goal is to deliver the exceptional authentic experience that has defined our state for two decades and ensure the magic of Michigan is as captivating today as it was when we first began."

Pure Michigan received 2025 HSMAI Adrian Award recognition for the following:

Inspiring Audiences with Memes of Slow (Silver)
Social Media 

Pure Michigan cut through the fast-paced nature of social media to promote its slow travel initiative through its “Memes of Slow” series. By pairing serene Michigan landscapes with relatable, trendy copy, the brand reimagined the scroll-stopping moment as an invitation to unplug and visit Michigan, turning the concept of slow travel into a viral conversation. The series reached over 900K people and generated over 66K likes and 9K shares, proving that even in an always-on digital world, the desire to trade screen time for Michigan's Great Lakes landscapes resonates deeply with modern travelers.

Delivering a Slow Pure Michigan Travel Experience (Bronze)
Print Collateral

To bring Michigan’s tranquil environment to life for out-of-state media, Pure Michigan developed a multisensory Slow Mailer designed to transport recipients to the state before they ever booked a flight. Sent during the winter, these packages included tulip bulbs from Holland and a hand-glazed pot to watch it grow, alongside samples from the Pure Michigan x Aroma Labs custom fragrance, FIRST SNOW. Artful springtime postcards were lightly spritzed with the AWAKENING fragrance to immerse recipients in the sensory magic of a Michigan spring. This approach earned praise from national outlets like USA TODAY and Well + Good, and boosted Michigan’s position as a premier destination for mindful, intentional travel.

Keep It Fresh (Bronze)
Consumer Brand Campaign

Pure Michigan’s “Keep It Fresh” campaign broke through the digital clutter by meeting travelers in unexpected, high-impact places – from a national “Top Chef” sponsorship and disruptive Chicago out-of-home placements to Amazon Prime Day activations. Paired with sensory touches like scented influencer mailers, the strategy and media buy got people to stop scrolling and connect with the brand. Overall, the campaign drove extraordinary results that included a strong return on ad spend of $178 for every $1 invested, $99.3M in hotel revenue and 13.2M visitors. 

Fresh Lives Here (Bronze)
Video

Pure Michigan’s “Fresh Lives Here” campaign transformed perceptions with a video-first paid media strategy. It highlighted authentic local stories coupled with the breathtaking natural beauty of Michigan and its incredibly diverse experiences – from mountain bikers in the Upper Peninsula to young soccer fans in the stadium. The campaign achieved 349.5M impressions and 181.5M video completions – triple the previous year’s. But most importantly – with 260K hotel bookings, 68K flights, $43.5M in hotel revenue and a return on ad spend of $7 for every $1 invested – the campaign brought people to Michigan.

You Can in Michigan was honored with the following 2025 HSMAI Adrian Award:

How Creative Partnerships Showcased ‘Michigan Cool,’ Built Brand Interest (Silver)
Social Media

To continue attracting premier talent to the state, the MEDC created the “You Can in Michigan” campaign and used high-impact partnerships to spotlight the state’s identity as a top destination to visit and eventually call home. Highlights included a massive presence at SXSW with the brand Sunday Scaries, which produced the most-shared Instagram post in brand history, and a collaboration with NBA legend Richard "Rip" Hamilton that saw video views soar to 12x above benchmarks. These creator-led strategies grew the brand’s social following by nearly 200%, using authentic storytelling to inspire a new generation of travelers to explore and invest their future in Michigan’s vibrant culture.

Pure Michigan partners, FINN Partners and MMGY Global, oversee tourism public relations and social media, and travel marketing and advertising efforts respectively and aid in uplifting the brand nationally.

Pure Michigan and the MEDC have been honored with 43 Adrian Awards since 2013. Visit michigan.org and follow @puremichigan across social media to stay up to date on the latest Michigan travel news, plus sign up for one of three different Pure Michigan e-newsletters at michigan.org/enews. For more information on the “You Can in Michigan” talent attraction campaign, visit www.themichiganlife.org.

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation 

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy.  For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Follow along or join the conversation on: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube.

About Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners and is the industry’s leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals and their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as the Commercial Strategy Conference, Sales Leader Forum, and Adrian Awards. Founded in 1927, HSMAI is a membership organization comprising more than 5,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. Connect with HSMAI at hsmai.org.