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New $1M 'Pure Michigan' ad to feature Ann Arbor as business destination

Michigan Radio

2012 is shaping up to be a busy year for the people who produce the Pure Michigan ads.

Harbor Springs, Gaylord, Charlevoix and Jackson are the latest cities to pony up $20,000 each to be part of the popular tourism campaign. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation matches the money, bringing the total to $40,000, which gets each city its own radio ad and a spot on the Pure Michigan website. 

Ken Yarsevich helps develop the tourism ads. He says before they create a radio spot, they visit the city first and ask people about their community.

"What makes your community special?" asks Yarsevich. "Why would I come here as opposed to go someplace else? What are some of the top 5 to 7 things that you must do when you come into town?"

Yarsevich says some of their answers may find their way into the radio ads. In addition to the cities, Yarsevich says the Michigan Wine Council, the Kalamazoo Air Zoo, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture also recently paid $20,000 each to have their own Pure Michigan radio ads.

Meanwhile the Ann Arbor area will be at the center of a new million dollar national Pure Michigan ad campaign.

City and business leaders in Washtenaw County will pay $500,000 for the new TV ads, with matching funds from the MEDC.

Pure Michigan's Ken Yarsevich says this is a new kind of tourism campaign, one that focuses not only on Ann Arbor as a place to visit, but also a place to do business:

"New business, expanding your business, and bringing employees, entrepreneurs  into Ann Arbor area because of the fact that our ads give a good sense of place."

In addition to the national spots, the Ann Arbor area will also be heavily featured on Pure Michigan’s website.

Jennifer is a reporter for Michigan Radio's State of Opportunity project, which looks at kids from low-income families and what it takes to get them ahead. She previously covered arts and culture for the station, and was one of the lead reporters on the award-winning education series Rebuilding Detroit Schools. Prior to working at Michigan Radio, Jennifer lived in New York where she was a producer at WFUV, an NPR station in the Bronx.
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