DETROIT — The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has shifted its PR and social media business from Current Global to Finn Partners as part of a sweeping effort to market the state to business and travelers.

Finn Partners was one of four agencies awarded pieces of MEDC’s marketing business following a competitive review. Grand Rapids PR firm Lambert & Co., along with partner agency 9thWonder, were hired to handle business marketing and advertising. They are replacing incumbent McCann.

MEDC has also tapped tourism specialist MMGY for travel marketing and advertising and Meredith Travel Marketing to produce the Michigan travel guide.

As MEDC’s PR and social media agency of record, Finn Partners will be managing economic development and travel communications to promote Michigan’s image as a world-class business location; generating new business prospects for the state; increasing awareness of the full suite of services MEDC offers to Michigan businesses and communities; and increasing the visibility and selection of Michigan as a regional and national four-season travel destination.

The multi-year relationship spans media relations, special events, promotional activities, partnerships, thought leadership and social media to drive economic growth and attract leisure travelers to the state.  The account will be led by Andy Schueneman, a senior partner in Finn’s Detroit office.

Lambert/9thWonder, meantime, will focus on generating new business prospects for the state and to increase awareness of the services offered by MEDC, the state’s marketing arm that advocates for tourism, business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy.

“Whether our audience is leisure travelers, entrepreneurs or business owners looking to expand or grow in the state, we have a compelling story to tell about the opportunities Michigan has to offer,” said Doug Kuiper, MEDC’s senior VP of marketing and communications. “Working alongside our talented team here at MEDC, Finn Partners will play a critical role in getting our Michigan story into market and building a pipeline of new visitors and new business leads that will help drive long-term economic growth in Michigan.”

 In 2019, tourism, one of Michigan’s biggest industries, contributed $26.3 billion in visitor spending to the state’s economy. This spending also generated $2.9 billion in state and local taxes and supported 230,792 jobs in Michigan, according to MEDC. During the same year, the agency’s Pure Michigan campaign drove 1.9 million trips to Michigan.

In 2020, MEDC’s business marketing efforts contributed toward $6.9 billion in private investment generated throughout the state, in the midst of a global pandemic, the creation of more than 14,000 new jobs, it said.