There are a few key things that scream summer to me – baseball games, the smell of boat gas, constantly crowded beer gardens and the sound of Tim Allen’s voice.

For the past few years, every time one of his radio spots or TV commercials for the “Pure Michigan” campaign comes on, I don’t change the station or fast forward – I listen and fight the urge to jump in the car and head to the “19 million acre playground” he’s inviting me to (a magical place where I can realize water’s true potential, find out what pure feels like and smooth out the ripples of the day).

A few friends and I followed Tim’s advice and headed up to Michigan for a weekend last year, and we had an awesome time there.  So now I know he’s not lying, and it makes the commercials even harder to resist.

Obviously I’m not the only fan – 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.

Keep ‘em coming, Tim the Tool Man. 

It’s hard to pick, but here’s one of my favorites:

This post is dedicated to Ashley Wood, born and raised in Pure Michigan.