New $200,000 radio ad on tourism in Flint and Michigan
features comedian Tim Allen as narrator

By Joe Lawlor | The Flint Journal
April 17, 2008

FLINT, Michigan -- New radio ads are hitting the airwaves today with poetic lines recited by comedian Tim Allen promoting a tourist destination: Flint, Michigan.

The radio ads and accompanying billboard campaign will hit key Michigan, Ohio and Indiana cities and air for three months as part of the statewide Pure Michigan campaign promoting tourism.

The $200,000 tab is being split by the state and Flint Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Bureau President Jerry Preston said the advertising agency talked about changing Genesee County's image from the state's "most distressed community" to a "vibrant getaway."

"We're trying to move the needle a little bit, from rock bottom to something above that," Preston said.

Swelling piano music accompanies Allen in the commercial, in which he says: "So let's spend a few days enjoying the wonders of Flint and Genesee County, where the joy of discovery is Pure Michigan."

It was all a bit much for Flint resident Monica Snyder, who said Allen "must be delusional," but she acknowledged something needs to be done to help the area.

"Anything to help improve the economy would be great. We need all the help we can get," Snyder said.
The radio ads will air in Grand Rapids, Traverse City, South Bend, Ind., and Toledo starting in May, while the billboards will go up in Grand Rapids, South Bend and Toledo.

Genesee County parks and the Flint Cultural Center are pitching in a combined $10,000 for the ads to air locally, too.

Preston said many people don't realize Flint has many attractions, including the Cultural Center, Back to the Bricks auto rally, Crim Festival of Races, Crossroads Village and the Huckleberry Railroad, and county parks.

Preston said he's working to bring more conferences to Flint, especially for state associations based in Lansing but with great numbers of members in the Detroit metropolitan area. He said Flint is a natural meeting point for those groups.

Ben Motter, Snyder's friend, said while he's impressed with the recent improvements to downtown, Flint still has a long way to go.

"In order to become a tourist destination, we need to have tourist attractions," Motter said. "So much is in the theoretical and development stages that we would be better off to keep a low profile right now."

County parks Director Amy McMillan said she believes the ads will "help people feel better about the place they live in."

"So many people think of Genesee County as a place of manufacturing and industry, and while that's very important to this area, that's not the whole story," said McMillan, noting that Crossroads Village has seen increased attendance during the past three years.

Several people visiting For-Mar Nature Preserve & Arboretum in Burton on Wednesday told The Flint Journal that the parks system is top-notch, and they were happy to hear that it would be promoted as part of the Pure Michigan campaign.

Alicia Knickerbocker of Flint, who was visiting For-Mar, said she is happy to hear about the new ads because people often are surprised to hear about museums and parks in the Flint area.

"Even people in Flint don't know what is in Flint," said Knickerbocker.

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