Save Michigan.

• Position: Chemical Bank - Brief article

Institution: Chemical Bank, Midland, Mich.

Agency: Gravity Six, Grand Rapids, Mich.

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This brand campaign, "Save Michigan/Made in Michigan" was developed to increase awareness of the bank and also to stake a claim as "Michigan's Bank."

At the time of the campaign in July 2008, Michigan had been in a one-state recession. The bank wanted to get people talking about the positive things going on across the state.

Before launch of the campaign, the bank took great lengths to educate employees about the campaign's objectives. The campaign started with billboards that read, "Save Michigan." The bank later used the same billboards to direct people to the Web site, http://savingmi.com, where Chemical Bank claimed ownership of the campaign, promoted its MI Savings Account and offered a series of Free Financial Literacy workshops. This phase also...