Three PR Learnings from the Station at Michigan Central Opening
Posted on May. 8, 2025 / Subscribe 0
Recently, our Chapter and communication professionals gathered in the newly renovated Michigan Central Station to learn more about the massive reopening campaign. Stephen Henderson, Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist, Project Executive at BridgeDetroit and Detroit PBS Host, moderated the panel discussion. Panelists Marisa Bradley, Head of Innovation Marketing, and Catherine Kelly, Head of Brand and Strategic Communication at Michigan Central, shared some interesting insights into the campaign.
The first question on everyone’s mind was surrounding the emotions and beliefs of this project as a reality. After sitting abandoned for nearly 30 years, it almost seemed unbelievable that anyone could bring it back to life. Bradley used a straightforward word to describe the concept: disbelief.
With so much doubt and disbelief surrounding the project, Ford had to assemble a strong group of professional communicators to make the public believe. Between the Ford communication team and national agencies, the team made the impossible possible.
Here are my three key takeaways from the conversation:
1. Crafting the Perfect Narrative
Creating a narrative from scratch would become the base of the campaign—and it had to be perfectly authentic to the city.
Bradley explained that Detroit and its story had always been the heart of the narrative. The city is known for its automotive strength, but it has become a tired story. The Michigan Central team advanced the automotive narrative, ensuring the world knew Detroit would remain the automotive tech leader.
Kelly also mentioned that making sure the culture and community of Detroit shined through was a pillar in all of their work.
2. Measuring Success
Such an enormous undertaking can make it easy to lose sight of the end goals and whether they’ve been met.
Kelly explained that having billions in a global audience was a sure sign of success, but there was more to it than a number. On a deeper level, the measure of success for the team was seeing if they could successfully turn the narrative of Detroit around. They made it a goal to show the world that Detroit never left - and Detroit is taking the automotive industry into the next generation.
An additional goal the team had was to include the community every step of the way, even past the grand reopening. For example, hosting local musicians through the Fridays at the Station series provides a place for the community to be involved, even beyond tech.
Keeping the team’s goals centralized was critical to keeping the end goals in line. Throughout the entire campaign, every conversation, decision, and action led back to four core objectives. From budgets to media relations, Bradley explained the team would always return to their physical vision board to make sure those core four objectives were being met.
3. Where does it end?
While technically, Michigan Central Station is open, the communication efforts are endless. With over 30 acres of land, Michigan Central has no plans to slow down community development.
In the near future, the team continues to build up the ground floor with local shops, restaurants and experiences—all with Detroit's culture in mind. Additionally, there are talks of opening a hotel, further cementing Michigan Central as a Detroit landmark.
On the tech side, Bradley explained that the team is remaining flexible in its storytelling, wanting to capitalize on every opportunity properly. For example, Newlab is a venture capital platform based in Michigan Central focused on supporting critical tech start-ups. For the communication team, trying to attract new talent to Newlab has been a top priority. The team is furthering its storytelling through every aspect of the project, down to the parking garage.
With so many stories to tell, Bradley reminded the audience that this is an ever-changing landscape, so they must be slow and thoughtful on purpose.
Final Thoughts
While the launch of Michigan Central was a resounding success, every project will have its challenges. With a short timeline to create a narrative masterpiece, it took collaboration and understanding to get it done.
This is to say that even with a massive project, understanding the core narrative a
nd goals will always be the most important part of a successful campaign. Leaning on team members' strengths, collaborating, and understanding will always be the key to success.
Many thanks to everyone who attended this program. Thank you to the moderator and panelists for taking the time to tell this fantastic story and to Michigan Central for hosting us. Finally, thank you to our sponsors who make our programs possible.
Stay tuned for more great programs soon!
Liz Popovich is an Account Coordinator at FINN Partners and volunteers on the PRSA Detroit social media committee, new pros group and annual meeting committee.
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