If you grew up in Michigan, you certainly remember the iconic early Pure Michigan ad campaigns. The commercials featured 30-second clips of piano music and the voice of Michigan native Tim Allen describing snowy days, summer nights, bonfires, beaches, and precious moments with families.
In July 2022, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation quietly announced the award of $9.3 million to “Michigan-based” MMGY Global for “Travel Marketing and Advertising.” Although MMGY rents an office on Woodward in Detroit, they are clearly a global marketing firm with offices in Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Paris, and New Delhi.
Six years into Gretchen Whitmer’s Michigan, Pure Michigan has evolved, with the help of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, into an advertisement for what appears to be America’s first adult-only tourism destination, rather than a family-friendly scenic wonderland built on generations of grit and innovation.
The 2024 Pure Michigan plan features a strong commitment to DEI, immigration, EV charging stations, and making Michigan look a lot more like California.
In a 2025 Pure Michigan video, Detroit, the birthplace of the automotive industry, is advertised as a “greenspace” filled with free outdoor yoga, trails, and bike paths; the Great Lakes are depicted as a surfing destination; childless couples sip on wine during sunset cruises; and a gay couple enjoys a retro boat cruise in the Kalamazoo river.
While occasionally present, children are few and far between.
A review of the website features an extensive guide to LGBTQ+ friendly destinations in Michigan, but just a graphic of a lesbian couple with a child and a tent on the “Bring the Kids” link.
“If you are traveling with kids, there is no shortage of fun and adventure” reinforces the impression that Michigan has become an adults-only destination where children are an afterthought.
In the 2024 Michigan Travel plan, one tactic is to “inform the travel industry of H2B work visa and J1 work visa opportunities and assist the travel industry to advocate for improved temporary visitor/worker policy.”
Does this mean staffing tourism jobs with foreign workers like they do on Mackinac Island? It certainly sounds that way.
The new version of Pure Michigan is mostly voiced over by Detroit native Jessica Care Moore, a self-described activist, literacy advocate, children’s book author, and Detroit poet laureate appointed by Mayor Mike Duggan.
Moore’s Instagram account reveals her far-left views, promoting a No King’s Protest, supporting the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, and espousing anti-Israel views.
Perhaps the most ironic new tourism pitch is for “dark sky parks”—considering Michigan experiences the third-most power outages in the entire U.S. Good thing Pure Michigan is committed to helping you find EV charging stations, though, right?
Will it work for MEDC and MMGY to rebrand Michigan as California with Canadian weather? Michigan taxpayers are footing the bill for an expensive international PR firm to tell the rest of the world about our state.
I bet Michiganders could tell their story better.
Anna Hoffman is a hockey mom of three living in Ann Arbor. Follow her on X @shoesonplease.
