Detroit's new ad campaign: 'It's Go Time'

A new ad campaign for Detroit with the tagline “It’s Go Time” seems to be aimed as much at enticing tourists as rallying residents, especially after the city's unsuccessful bid to be Amazon.com's second headquarters.

This year's campaign, which the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau debuted this week, plays off Detroit’s association with automobiles, or to use the latest parlance, mobility; and the city's enthusiasm for professional sports.

“The new campaign is action-oriented and speaks to the region today and in the future,” said Larry Alexander, the CEO of the bureau. “The region is retooled, revved and ready to show off.”

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Go Time suggests that Detroit would be a great place to visit and that it's time for the city's fans and key players to get ready for the next big game.

One of the video ads, which is 1:45 in length, starts with the statement: "They say history repeats itself." It features Detroit's skyline, classic cars, the Motown Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts museum, Cobo Center, the QLINE, Detroit Zoo, the riverfront, restaurants, professional sports highlights and quotes about the city from national media.

The bureau said it was not directly involved in the Amazon headquarters bid, but acknowledged that timing of the new campaign may help give Detroiters an emotional boost.

The bureau did not have an estimate for how much the campaign costs, but said it will come out of its annual marketing budget, which is about $3 million.

The campaign was unveiled at its annual meeting at the MotorCity Casino Hotel, and is set to appear online and targeted at Midwest markets including Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Indianapolis.

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Sports have a prominent role in the ads and the bureau's marketing strategy, with four professional teams — Tigers, Lions, Pistons, Red Wings — now playing in downtown Detroit, and an ownership group seeking to eventually add a fifth, a Major League Soccer team, to that list.

The city also is pitching to host the NFL draft in 2019 or 2020, which, if Detroit is picked, is estimated to bring in about $100 million to the area, and aims to attract more Olympic and college sporting events.

Alexander said the area will host 40 groups of at least 1,000 visitors this year, including preliminary-round NCAA men's basketball tournament games, and touted last year as "one for the record books."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.