Michigan Central
“Reclaiming Detroit’s future as a global center of mobility innovation”
Context & Challenge. For decades, Detroit had been struggling with a faltering economy and chronic talent drain — impacting the City’s prosperity and Ford’s capacity to innovate. The abandoned Michigan Central Station became a national symbol of the city’s decline. Ford purchased the Station and surrounding 30 acres and Civic worked with them to envision what the area could become. Michigan Central wanted to establish its brand positioning, value proposition and go-to- market to attract the world’s best mobility startups, investment capital and the jobs that come with it.
Our Approach. Together with the Michigan Central team, we developed a brand strategy focused on what innovation means in Detroit, in Michigan and the heartland — that truly differentiates it from other tech capitals that pride themselves on disruption, closed-door labs and a move-fast-and-break-things ethos. Michigan Central is about building.
Results. We launched “Where big ideas get built” and in just 3 years, more than 240 companies in 60 industries are part of Michigan Central’s ecosystem; the district has attracted $2B+ in VC funding; created 5,800 jobs; and catalyzed $5.2B+ in cumulative economic impact to date. The brand positioning and GTM strategy also increased national awareness of Michigan Central as a national hub of mobility innovation from near zero in 2022 to 34% nationwide.
