Detroit has swagger, a new Pure Michigan commercial will show next year.
Lindsay VanHulle reports from Lansing on the campaign in Crain's Detroit Business:
The city will be the star of a 30-second national television commercial, expected to hit screens next spring. Actor and Michigan native Tim Allen again will provide the narration.
While many Pure Michigan TV spots feature sweeping rural vistas and picturesque landscapes, Detroit’s ad will be more visually edgy, with close-up cuts and a faster pace meant to mimic Detroit’s urban vibe, said Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan, which manages the branding campaign.
In the past, Lorenz said, much of the messaging surrounding Detroit was that the city was a cool place to visit despite its challenges.
Now, “we don’t have to lead with the, ‘Gee, I’m sorry,’ message first,” Lorenz said, citing spurts of new development in and near downtown. “It provides an opportunity for us to lead with, ‘Hey, we’re the comeback city. Detroit is a good place to visit, for these reasons.’
Detroit’s commercial, produced by McCann Erickson in Birmingham, will be part of a roughly $12 million national TV ad buy, Lorenz tells Crain's new correspondent in the state capital.
-- Alan Stamm
