by The award-winning Pure Michigan Spring Campaign “Keep It Fresh” highlights slow travel, new trails, local flavors, and city escapes across Michigan’s two peninsulas.
Spring has arrived, and with it a bold new invitation from the state’s celebrated tourism campaign. Pure Michigan launched its 2025 spring and summer “Keep It Fresh” effort, encouraging travelers to slow down and savor both Michigan’s vibrant cities and vast wilderness.
The campaign, which officially began on February 3 and will run through July 31, taps into the state’s stunning coastline, growing culinary scene, historic towns, and more than 13,000 miles of trails. Funded by $14 million in state and partner contributions, Pure Michigan aims to re-energize travel both within the state and among key out-of-state markets.
Fresh Spots Highlight Michigan’s Lakes, Cities, and Outdoor Wonders
Five new ad spots — “Fresh Chapter,” “Your Speed,” “Fresh Sets Sail,” “Fresh Catch,” and “Fresh Waves” — spotlight adventures from Detroit’s riverfront to the cliffs of Pictured Rocks. Featured destinations include Traverse City, Marquette, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer said the campaign captures the excitement of a Michigan summer: “Whether you’re enjoying the Detroit riverwalk, a Lake Michigan sunset, or some Mackinac Island fudge, I hope you will join us in Pure Michigan.”
Pure Michigan Slow Travel Trend Encourages Relaxed, Deeper Connections
New this year is a major focus on slow travel, a growing movement that prioritizes meaningful, unhurried experiences over packed itineraries.
Kelly Wolgamott, Vice President of Pure Michigan, noted, “Michigan’s outdoor, cultural, and agricultural resources make it an ideal destination for visitors to slow down and discover experiences they can see, hear, taste, touch, and feel.”
The campaign integrates slow travel across media placements in Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, and Midwest Living, even offering a special “Pure Michigan” scent in print editions to evoke the feeling of being outdoors in Michigan.
Massive Out-of-Home Push Targets Chicago, Nashville, and Atlanta
Travelers in nearby cities will find Michigan hard to miss this spring and summer. A wrapped double-decker bus will cruise through Chicago starting April 21, with a fleet of Michigan-branded cars hitting the streets by May 12. Vinyl billboards will also appear in Nashville, Atlanta, and Chicago beginning May 5.
Pure Michigan’s digital strategy includes placements across Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, Peacock, and Disney+, reaching audiences nationally and regionally.
NBC Partnership Ties Michigan to Top Chef’s Mei Lin
As part of a new partnership with NBC Universal, Pure Michigan ads will air during Top Chef Season 22 on the Peacock streaming platform. Custom social-first videos will feature Season 12 winner Mei Lin, who learned to cook at her family’s restaurant on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn.
This collaboration aims to tie Michigan’s culinary reputation to national food trends, inspiring viewers to seek out fresh dining experiences across the state.
Fresh Trails, Flavors, and Adventures In Pure Michigan Spring Campaign
Outdoor enthusiasts can look forward to Michigan’s vast trail network offering everything from leisurely bike rides along the Detroit Riverwalk to rugged backpacking along the North Country National Scenic Trail. Trail maps and planning tools are available at michigan.org/trails.
Meanwhile, food lovers can enjoy new seasonal flavors: Pure Michigan Hazy beer from Short’s Brewing Company launches March 21, and the Fruits of Summer Pie from Grand Traverse Pie Company hits bakeries starting April 7.
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