PPB January 2016

Pure Michigan (2006)

The state of Michigan’s tourism

was, well, pitiful when state tourism leaders went look-

ing for a way to reposition Michigan as a great place

to visit. Collaborative sessions between ad agency

McCann North and the Travel Michigan leadership

helped foster the development of a campaign that

focused on the state’s travel assets, including its natural

beauty. The end result? Pure success. Now, 45 travel

groups across Michigan partner with the state travel

office to produce co-op advertising for the campaign.

America’s Best Travel Campaigns

New York (1978)

Logo designer Milton Glaser’s first

sketch was already approved by the New York Department

of Commerce when, while riding in a taxi, he had the idea

to replace the word ‘love’ with an image of a heart. Glaser

pushed the new idea despite the previous agreement, and in

the end the client accepted the revised logo. He says the

popularity of the logo comes from the juxtaposition of the

lettering and the heart emblem, making it an iconic image.

FORBES

MAGAZINE LAST YEAR EXPLORED the inspiration behind three memorable travel campaigns:

“I

New York”, “Las Vegas: What Happens Here, Stays Here” and “Pure Michigan.”

Las Vegas: What Happens Here, Stays Here (2003)

Extensive research led advertising executives to the reality

that gambling wasn’t the only draw for Las Vegas. The

idea of “ultimate adult freedom” inspired ad agency copy-

writers Jeff Candido and Jason Hoff to come up with the

tagline, and though it met initial resistance from the city’s

convention and visitors authority, early testing proved the

slogan was an easy sell. When the National Football

League rejected the agency’s $2 million commercial, news

of the incident generated free publicity for the spot above

and beyond the original cost of the ad.

MARKET TO MARKET

48 •

PPB

• JANUARY 2016

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® EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

® MICHIGAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION