Last year's promotion budget for Pure Michigan was $30 million. This provided sufficient funding for the first-ever year long and nationwide Pure Michigan campaign. Unfortunately, the budget for 2010 fiscal year was reduced by almost 50% to justy over $17 million. This resulted in cancellation of almost all in-state marketing, a reduction in the amount of marketing efforts in key markets, and the reduction of the national cable TV buy from three to just two months.
Unfortunately, most of the ads being aired this year are unchanged from the 2009 campaign. Effective marketing dictate the airing of fresh ads, otherwise "ad fatique" sets in reducing the overall effectiveness of the campaign.
In her February budget message in which she outlined plans for the 2011 fiscal year, Governor Granholm proposed a $15M budget for Pure Michigan, but indicated that $13M of that amount would have to come from a $2.50 per day car rental assessment. Unfortunately, with the election rapidly approaching, neither the House nor the Senate have taken votes on that proposal so far this year.
Sometime in mid-August Travel Michigan will be forced to issue a press release announcing the cancellation of this autumn's color season campaign. Approximately two months later, Travel Michigan is expected to announce the cancellation of the 2010-11 winter marketing campaign. If sufficient funding is not provided for Pure Michigan, sometime in the spring of 2011, the Pure Michigan campaign for all practical purposes will cease to exist.
All this will happen unless our industry joins forces and successfully advocates for consistent annual funding of Pure Michigan of $30 million.