PETERMAYER's "It's Kinda Unreal" Campaign Turns Petoskey's Winter Season into a Story

Nov. 11, 2026

The award-winning creative-led marketing and advertising agency PETERMAYER announces the next iteration of its successful “It’s Kinda Unreal” campaign for the Petoskey Area, Michigan.

PETERMAYER created an entirely new brand identity for the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau back in April, alongside the launch of the destination’s “It’s Kinda Unreal” campaign. Rather than sell a checklist of things to do, “It’s Kinda Unreal” sought to leave audiences with the feeling of inspiration and renewal the area provides. Over the summer, the campaign was responsible for an additional $51 million in direct spending from 27,000 trips attributed to the work. 

 Now, the effort shifts to winter, but the promise remains the same: the Petoskey Area is where you come to recalibrate your inner compass. It’s where the snow paints the area in shades of wonder, blanketing the region’s vast backdrop of Northern Michigan. “It’s Kinda Unreal” emphasizes the one core idea: that the Petoskey Area is a place you have to see to believe, and the winter campaign invites people to visit more than once, with new experiences that are unique to the area and season.

Jim Powell, Executive Director of the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau said:

"The campaign conjures the sense of wonder and scenic adventure that surrounds us. We’re glad to see that our new brand identity has truly captured the Petoskey Area, and that a growing number of visitors are becoming familiar with what this beautiful destination has to offer."

 

Michelle Edelman, CEO & CSO of PETERMAYER added:

“Our approach was never about what visitors could do for the Petoskey Area; it’s about what the Petoskey Area could do for visitors. We leaned into the region’s ethereal beauty, grounding all of our work in the idea that the Petoskey Area’s undeniable beauty and sense of serenity had to be seen to be believed. Everything else followed naturally.”

 

 

For “It’s Kinda Unreal,” PETERMAYER partnered with full-service production house Picture North and Director Martin Rodahl. Alongside producer Joe Grundhoefer, the team channeled the raw beauty of the area into a campaign enticing visitors to see the Petoskey Area during all four seasons.

Director Martin Rodahl added:

“I was thrilled to return to Petoskey and witness the seasonal transformation. The winter is as full of wonder and magic as the summer. Northern Michigan got some of the best snow in the United States this past year, so it made for an incredibly cinematic and varied landscape. It’s hard to believe all of this is in just one small part of the state—it feels like a national park. After the launch of the successful summer campaign, we wanted to showcase the same sense of awe in the cold and dark months, which also brings about a lot of coziness or “hygge,” as we say in Norway.”

 

The winter campaign was a natural follow up to the initial rebrand that took place earlier this year. The work serves as a reminder that the Petoskey Area is a top tier destination for travelers to consider at any time of year, not just peak summer months