Below is the first entry in the “5 Questions” series, featuring Christine Cowan, VP Account Director for the Pure Michigan campaign. Enjoy!
The award-winning Pure Michigan campaign has received much deserved attention over the past few years. It was also recently published as one of the all-time best tourism campaigns by Forbes. Christine Cowan, VP Account Director on the account at McCann Erickson Detroit, shares some of her ideas and experiences about the account. Please visit the Pure Michigan campaign Web site, where you can listen to and view many of the award-winning segments.
1. How did they come up with the idea of Pure Michigan – what were the iterations and how has the campaign grown since 2006? Where do you see it heading in the future?
Christine Cowan: Coincidentally, the campaign we have come to know (and love) called Pure Michigan began as something else. Our original response to the RFP back in 2006 presented a campaign idea entitled, “True North”. And we were awarded the business with one tiny caveat: we had to come up with a new campaign title, as the proposed “True North” idea could be interpreted as forgetting the southern part of our great state. Funny how things work out though – as the team pondered and brainstormed with our clients, the idea of water kept coming up, which lead to the notion of “pure”, which lead to Pure Michigan. And it kind of took off from there.
The future of the campaign is bright, as we plan to continue to showcase our current creative work, plus embark and investigate newer technologies to the tourism industry, like mobile marketing, rich digital media, and even merchandising. But the growing success can only continue if the campaign maintains or grows the support from the state that it has seen over the last 2 years. Not only is the amount of funding an indicator of how much visibility our state will have with tourists throughout Michigan, surrounding states, and the nation, but we have also proven that for every $1 spent on the campaign, another $2.86 is returned to the state in taxes – so it is tough to argue a dedicated funding source. In fact, at this exact moment we are awaiting the state budget allocations, and hoping there is a nice line item for Tourism.
2. What component do you feel made the Pure Michigan campaign so successful?
Christine Cowan: There are three components that I think anyone working on the campaign would offer up as differentiators: the music, the voice, and the writing. The music is the theme music from the movie, “Cider House Rules” and creates this sensation that overtakes you, but for some reason, does not overwhelm you or the other key elements. The voice, is none other than native son, Tim Allen. Having Tim as our guy was the vision of our Chief Creative Officer at the time of launch, Dave Moore. And there was no Plan B. What his voice brings to the campaign is indescribable. Tim was supportive of the campaign from day one, but over the years has grown quite fond of both it, and his involvement with it – the best part is, he really is from Michigan, comes back here often, and visits family still living here – so he knows what he’s talking about. He offers up his thoughts and opinions as he reads for us, sometimes we debate pronunciations, and every once in a while even throws in a little Buzz Lightyear! And finally, the writing. It is really the cornerstone of the campaign. Almost all of the things you can do in Michigan (note “almost”), you can do anywhere, so instead of talking about all of those things, we wanted to paint a picture about how it feels. Create a story for the listener or viewer that can only be heard in Michigan. That’s why the creative is so engaging and emotional – we aren’t talking about golf, we’re talking about how playing golf in Michigan makes you feel. Very different than most tourism campaigns, and certainly a defining approach for Pure Michigan.
3. In this economy, why did Michigan invest so much in their tourism budget for the past year, and how did Pure Michigan play a role in that decision?
Christine Cowan: [also from Question 1]…Not only is the amount of funding an indicator of how much visibility our state will have with tourists throughout Michigan, surrounding states, and the nation, but we have also proven that for every $1 spent on the campaign, another $2.86 is returned to the state in taxes – so it is tough to argue a dedicated funding source. In fact, at this exact moment we are awaiting the state budget allocations, and hoping there is a nice line item for Tourism.
4. How are you able to monitor the campaign to make sure it’s doing what it was intended for?
Christine Cowan: The State has third party vendors they work with to evaluate the campaign from both a messaging and an R-O-I standpoint. We are constantly revisiting our topics and messages to ensure that they are consistent with those that the consumer is seeking. Also worth noting, is some very non-scientific data we get constantly – feedback and insights from our partner destinations and the private sector that let us know it’s working. Like license plates in parking lots, and what they’re hearing from their own guests. Another non-scientific, but fun measure of the campaign’s success, has been the use of the phrase “Pure Michigan” – it now has millions of Google searches and shows up in even non-contextual places, like an article headline about an NCAA basketball game last year, “Pure Michigan State”. We love that!
5. Can you share any of your favorite campaigns that have been influential/inspiring to you?
Christine Cowan: Campaigns that have been inspirational or influential to me are few, and both of them PSA campaigns. One is the “TV Boss” which is an Ad Council campaign created by McCann NY (I swear I don’t like it just because it’s from McCann). But it’s a great example of how a boring topic can be translated into humor that viewers connect with, want to watch, and even activate what they are asking you to do (which by the way, is why many agencies love working on Ad Council projects). The other is actually an outdoor campaign called “Pass it On” [featured below]. Reminding you of the finer qualities in people and life. Clean, simple, and powerful. Words like, “Unity”, “Courage” “Preparation” and the imagery to go with it. Certainly makes you think…
Christine Cowan is the VP Account Director for the Pure Michigan campaign at McCann Erickson Detroit. A special thanks to her for sharing her experiences and thoughts about the campaign. Please visit the Pure Michigan campaign Web site, where you can listen and view many of the award-winning segments.
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This is terrific Jeff! Very insightful!