Pure Michigan Ad Promoting Business In Michigan Anger's Some

By now it’s no secret that many people are riled up about an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal that tied the Pure Michigan logo to a message about the controversial right to work law.

The move angered some Pure Michigan fans who said it wrongly politicized what has been a very popular tourism campaign. And marketing experts questioned whether the move hurt Pure Michigan’s brand image.

But there are others who are sticking up for the move, pointing out that Pure Michigan has been used to promote economic development in the state, and right to work is just another business attraction tool.

Michigan Economic Development Corp. President and CEO Michael Finney posted a blog about the issue on Friday. He discusses the background behind using the Pure Michigan brand for economic development marketing, and provides this explanation:

The campaign is being paid for with Michigan Economic Development Corporation corporate funds. No general fund tax dollars appropriated to the Michigan Strategic Fund are being used for the campaign.

Our state policymakers enacted Freedom-to-Work legislation, and it’s our job as the state’s economic development organization to do all we can to communicate with site selection professionals about every single factor in doing business here, including Freedom to Work. As our newest tool, it is the logical launching pad for a larger business attraction campaign.

We are listening to the feedback we are receiving and will continue to roll out the campaign in a way we think is most effective in reaching our target audiences. Please share any additional feedback in the comments section below or on the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Facebook page at www.facebook.com/miadvantage.

Many people have sounded off on Twitter, and Facebook  in the past few days. Here’s what some of them are saying:

Shannon Nobles of Lansing wrote on Pure Michigan’s Facebook page:

You have lost a fan, Pure Michigan. And a "like". Shame on your for bringing politics (and especially such terrible and divisive politics!) into what WAS such a lovely campaign. SeriouslyJohn Rupp Sr. of West Bloomfield Township also was among the fans that left angry comments on Facebook:

Is nothing sacred? I have lived in Michigan for 78 years and was proud of our "Pure Michigan" as the best tourism slogan ever. If you want to politize something, get your own slogan and leave ours alone.

The Pure Michigan Facebook page had more than 473,000 fans as of Friday afternoon. That figure was at more than 420,000 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to The Detroit Free Press.