'Pure Michigan' campaign kicks off $13M effort

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state's "Pure Michigan" tourism campaign kicked off a $13 million national cable television advertising effort on Monday that is partly funded by several communities and the Henry Ford historical attraction in Dearborn.

The campaign runs through the end of June, and includes plans to run TV ads more than 5,000 times nationally. The state's five partners contributed a total of $3 million each: Ann Arbor contributed $1 million and The Henry Ford, Grand Rapids, Mackinac Island and Traverse City each kicked in $500,000.

"Our partnership program has allowed us to maximize our national exposure and tell a compelling story about the unique destinations Michigan has to offer," George Zimmermann, vice president of Travel Michigan, which is part of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., said in a statement.

The contributions were made through the Travel Michigan Partnership Advertising Program, which matches contributions of those partners, doubling the size of the advertising buys, the state said.

TV spots featuring the five partner sites will be included in the national advertising rotation.

The Pure Michigan campaign has been running for years. According to the state, the current campaign is the largest dedicated to promoting tourism nationally in Michigan. There's also Pure Michigan summer video series that features six warm weather activities and attractions.