Remember those great Pure Michigan ads that captured the airwaves the past couple years?
Here’s a reminder…
You can still watch these great ads online, but not many other places.
…
The Freep explained in a pointed editorial this week
Coming off a yearlong cycle that pushed “Pure Michigan” scenes deeply into the national consciousness, the state needs to sustain that investment. Travel promotion is one of the few sure bets in economic stimulus: Each tax dollar spent on advertising returns $2.86 in new taxes, according to a study of 2004-08 spending, in effect nearly tripling the original outlay and ensuring the growth of tourism-related jobs.
The success of last year’s campaign showed up in many telling anecdotes, chief among them that Michiganders noticed far more out-of-state license plates than usual in almost every corner of the state.
But the Pure Michigan campaign can’t succeed with only a Brigadoon-like emergence from the mists every few years. Last year’s $30-million allocation for nationwide exposure dwindled to $5.4 million in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. It is imperative that the Legislature figure out promptly how to fund Travel Michigan’s budget for its summer and fall advertising campaign — which needs to start in March, when people begin planning their summer trips in earnest.
There is an answer to this problem…
The Michigan House has passed a package of bills that would provide a sustainable, long-term funding stream for Michigan tourism promotion.
The package passed the House on a 96 to 9 vote in December.
Those bills are now collecting dust in the Senate Finance Committee as out of state tourists begin to think about their summer vacation plans.
If this bothers you, call or email the Senate Finance Committee and demand they pass the House’s tourism promotion package. Or, if senators have a better idea on how to get great return on investment while boosting Michigan tourism, urge them to negotiate a solution with the House.
Here are the names, numbers, and emails for the members of the Senate Finance Committee…
Chairwoman Nancy Cassis, (517) 373-1758, SenNCassis@senate.michigan.gov
Vice Chairman Jud Gilbert, (517) 373-7708, SenJGilbert@senate.michigan.gov
Minority Vice Chairwoman Gilda Jacobs, (517) 373-7888, SenGJacobs@senate.michigan.gov
John Pappageorge, (517) 373-2523, SenJPappageorge@senate.michigan.gov
Mark Jansen, (517) 373-0797, SenMJansen@senate.michigan.gov
Deb Cherry, (517) 373-1636, SenDCherry@senate.michigan.gov
Gretchen Whitmer, (517) 373-1734, SenGWhitmer@senate.michigan.gov
Clerk: Traci Gorman, (517) 373-1758
6 Comments
“Penny wise, pound foolish” fits, though I usually shun cliches.
Hello, senators: This is Marketing 101 — spend to earn.
Just this week, in fact, a veteran marketing exec posted this on a business e-newsletter called Online Metrics Insider:
“It’s a simple forumla: Recession requires more tactical spending. But when saving money becomes the goal . . . something big always suffers — and it’s usually the brand. . . .
“Remember, there are always two options: DO something or NOT DO something. Both are definitive choices requiring their own payback analysis.”
Brand Michigan can’t cut its way to prosperity.
[Closer to home, respected business journalist Rick Haglund voices outrage about 'Pure Cowardice in Lansing' at his MichEconomy.com blog.]
Well done John. I can’t even imagine cannibalizing what is arguably the best vehicle for casting Michigan in a positive national light that has come along for quite some time.
The Pure Michigan campaign is great for tourism, no doubt. But I believe that since the ads are so brilliantly written and beautifully done, they have an emotional impact that goes far beyond developing tourism. They will probably help the rest of the nation understand why protecting our Great Lakes is so important. They also stir the pride and heartstrings of this long-time Michigan resident. Please make the calls, send the emails and letters, and talk to your friends. This campaign could be important in many ways, long into the future.
I agree with Merilee – not only does the Pure Michigan campaign promote tourism, but it shows the rest of the nation that Michigan can offer a stellar quality of life – and makes a weary Michigan public proud. Continued funding of this campaign makes economic sense – dollars and cents. We are worth the investment.
This is simply bad public policy to pass this legislation. So we should allocate the sales tax revenue from restaurants to promoting eating out. Sales tax revenue from retail stores to promoting shop locally. It is the legislatures responsibility to allocate tax dollars to critical needs. I do believe we need to increase our dollars going into promotion but putting it into law is not the right thing to do.
It’s working so why break it ? This campaign did work very well and needs a more reliable source of funding. If a private company has dropping sales does it end its advertising/marketing program first ? We have a great product at a given and fair price, it’s Michigan, and people are buying it, increasingly. Over the years our Legislature has let many good industries slip away, right before our eyes. We are known for auto, agriculture and tourism. These are our core industries. Must we witness the unravelling of yet another job creator in this State, just because our Legislature cannot punch their way out of a wet paper sack ?