Ad campaign aims to draw visitors, new residents to Kalamazoo area

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Visitors bureau Discover Kalamazoo on Wednesday launched a new ad campaign, promising visitors that “fun awaits you in Kalamazoo.”

Spanning Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, the multiplatform campaign will hit TV, billboards and social media to promote the region’s amenities and attractions.

“Some people say we’re a well-kept secret. We don’t want that to be the case,” Southwest Michigan First CEO Jonas Peterson said at a launch new conference at the Kalamazoo State Theatre.

The campaign marks the first time that Discover Kalamazoo has worked collaboratively with both the city and county of Kalamazoo, Southwest Michigan First and Western Michigan University to develop a concept intending to appeal to both locals and visitors.

Discover Kalamazoo CEO Jane Ghosh said bringing visitors to the region has big benefits for its stability and vitality.

“It helps people discover our community and they might think, ‘Wait, this might be a great place to live. This might be a great place to work. This might be a great place to raise a family. This would be a great place to advance my career,'” Ghosh said. “It all begins with a visit and we bring that population. It just has all those exponential benefits. Many companies when they’re looking to where are they going to expand, their no. 1 question is: Will the talent be there that I need? And a vibrant community is a community where I want to live.”

Also at the news conference, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation kicked off a regional talent pilot program called Make MI Home . It will award $500,000 to communities statewide to attract and retain talent.

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