State Launches $1.5M Winter Advertising Tourism Campaign

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The state this week began airing its $1.5 million Pure Michigan winter advertising campaign highlighting Michigan’s cold-weather recreation opportunities to travelers and visitors throughout the Great Lakes region.

“Winter is a fantastic time to be in Michigan and this campaign inspires travelers across the region to make memories with their family and friends in our winter wonderland,” says David West, vice president of Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. “We have a strong winter tourism industry in Michigan, generating $3.6 billion for the economy last year, and we are looking to build on this heading into this year’s season.”

West says Manistee and The Henry Ford are new winter partners for this year’s advertising campaign and are joined by returning partners Gaylord, Frankenmuth, Muskegon, Mount Pleasant, St. Ignace, and the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association. The national partners are Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, and Great Lakes Bay Region. The partners pitched in more than $250,000 for the campaign.

The Pure Michigan television ads Snow Days and Chance of Snow will make their return this season, and will air in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Milwaukee, and Green Bay. Radio ads Snow Day and Snow will also return, airing in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Green Bay, and southern Ontario.

Two new radio spots — Here’s to the Curious and Soul — will also make their debut during the winter advertising campaign and will highlight Michigan’s craft beer scene and the spirit of the state’s cities and towns.

In addition to the advertising campaign, West says Pure Michigan will be encouraging people across the Great Lakes region to take a “Snow Day” this winter. He says each year countless of vacation days go unused, and there is no better way to take advantage of one or two of those unused days than to get out and enjoy the thrill of a snow day.

The 2014 Pure Michigan Winter Travel Guide is also available, offering ideas for winter travel activities for visitors and residents alike. For a free copy, visit michigan.org or call toll-free 888-784-7328. The guide will also be available at the 14 Michigan Welcome Centers across the state as well as in a free, universally accessible digital edition, which will allow users to access the guide from their desktop and laptop computers, smartphones, and tablets.

The publication also includes a guide to Michigan state parks and trails and a winter events calendar. This year, 100,000 copies of the winter guide have been printed at Quad Graphics in Midland.

IN OTHER MICHIGAN NEWS: The Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division has completed its fall stocking of nearly 500,000 fish to more than 120 sites throughout the state.

The number and type of fish stocked varies by hatchery, as each facility’s ability to rear fish differs because of water supplies and temperature. In Michigan, there are six state and three cooperative hatcheries that work together to produce the species, strain, and size of fish needed by fisheries managers. These fish are then delivered at a specific time and location for stocking to ensure their success.

The fall fish stockings consisted of brook trout, lake trout, rainbow trout, steelhead, Atlantic salmon, walleye, and muskellunge.

The DNR welcomes visitors to its state fish hatcheries and interpretative centers to witness first-hand the fish-rearing process and to learn about the state’s waters. For more information, visit michigan.gov/hatcheries.

To find out where the fish were stocked, visit the DNR’s database at michigandnr.com/fishstock/.

As a reminder, fishing licenses do not expire at the end of the calendar year; they are valid through March 31.