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West Michigan couple featured in new Pure Michigan commercial focused on diversity

It's part of a national advertising campaign from the tourism agency, with funding from their biggest budget.

SAUGATUCK, Mich. — A couple from West Michigan is featured in a new commercial from Pure Michigan. It just rolled out on TV nationally, part of the travel agency's biggest budget for boosting tourism. 

Sharon and Tammy McBash are getting a lot of love after appearing in the commercial.

"Every time we see it on TV, we have to like stop and pause. And we get excited again," Sharon says. "Since then, we've had family in Indiana, Florida, Illinois, that have all seen it on TV. So, that's been that's been pretty awesome."

The couple shot it last September, cruising in a retro boat along the Kalamazoo River for hours with a video crew following them. It's one piece of a three-part ad campaign from the tourism agency, focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion.

"I think it's excellent. I think it shows that families can be anything," Tammy says.

"We've always tried to welcome everyone. What we're trying to do with the advertising this year is be a little more direct, not as subtle," Dave Lorenz, Vice President of Travel Michigan, says.

He says Pure Michigan is focused in sharing the diversity of the state, in its people and experiences.

"Unfortunately, we tend to live in pockets. But when you come here, you really should go to a place where people appear to be different than you to experience that culture, what that lifestyle is all about. That's why people travel," he says.

The ad campaign is part of their biggest budget, and that funding has allowed the commercials to go national again.

"I think the important aspect is representation," Graci Harkema, DEI expert and author, says. "We are drawn to people that are like us, and also we feel like we can achieve what we can see." 

She says she appreciates the tourism agency not just showing off the state's nature and landscapes, but other things like nightlife and restaurants. She hopes to see more in the future.

"I'd like to see more spaces of inclusivity and belonging for all. We have certainly come such a far way, but we also have a long way to go. I would like to be able to see more places that are accessible, more places where we have more representation," Harkema says. 

"I would just like the spaces that we're continuing to highlight to continue to be more inclusive in the way that they're attracting folks, not just from a commercial perspective, but what is that experience that the person has from the time that they arrive to they leave? Do they feel like they fit in? Do they feel like we can call this our home?" she said.

Another new thing you might notice in these ads is a new voice. Detroit-area voice performer and poet Jessica Care Moore is narrating these commercials alongside Tim Allen.

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