There are a few key things that scream summer to me â baseball games, the smell of boat gas, constantly crowded beer gardens and the sound of Tim Allenâs voice.
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For the past few years, every time one of his radio spots or TV commercials for the âPure Michiganâ campaign comes on, I donât change the station or fast forward â I listen and fight the urge to jump in the car and head to the â19 million acre playgroundâ heâs inviting me to (a magical place where I can realize waterâs true potential, find out what pure feels like and smooth out the ripples of the day).
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A few friends and I followed Timâs advice and headed up to Michigan for a weekend last year, and we had an awesome time there. So now I know heâs not lying, and it makes the commercials even harder to resist.
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Obviously Iâm not the only fan â the campaign has received numerous awards and attracted millions of visitors. Kudos to the Birmingham, Michigan office of McCann Erickson for developing the strategy and creative on the Pure Michigan campaign.
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Keep âem coming, Tim the Tool Man.Â
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It’s hard to pick, but hereâs one of my favorites:
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This post is dedicated to Ashley Wood, born and raised in Pure Michigan.
Tags: emily towey, Mixed Nuts, msi










Truly an amazing campaign. Great blog Emily — wondering if we could do a little market research up there soon!
Great post Emily, everytime I hear these commercials I want to be at my cottage in Michigan too! Tim Allen’s voice draws you in everytime and I totally agree, for some reason I never change the station. Great campaign.
I can’t help but (try to) compare other states’ tourism advertising campaigns with Michigan’s “Pure Michigan” campaign. It’s tough though. Here are some others that stick out:
California: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md69zCJKD1c&feature=related
And our friends to the North:
British Columbia, Canada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT01Gi-bI9o&feature=related
Really, celebrities endorsing their “homes” seems to have an effect on me. I love celebrities…
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