Milwaukee is a vibrant city that has experienced a modern renaissance in recent years, yet the city’s perception among people who haven’t visited often defaulted to dusty images of cheese, lederhosen or Happy Days. VISIT Milwaukee’s mission is to attract visitors to the city. Our challenge was to define and spread a distinct, meaningful brand story to enhance perception and ultimately attract both leisure travelers and convention business.

People who visit Milwaukee consistently leave with their image of the city transformed, surprised by the seemingly endless list of one-of-a-kind, unexpected and “Instagrammable” experiences they find. We bottled this reaction and expressed it with the simple idea that Milwaukee is, truly, wonderfully random. The creative approach was inspired by classic city nicknames. Milwaukee has been called “The Cream City” and “The City of Festivals,” but why stop there? Over 100 playful new nicknames for Milwaukee were introduced—from “Home of the Flying Art Museum on the Water” to “The Bloody Mary Metropolis,” all rooted in unique truths about the city that are waiting to be experienced by visitors.

VISIT Milwaukee's relentless efforts to promote Milwaukee as a leading destination has consistently driven year-over-year growth in tourism revenue, including a 7.9% increase in 2019. HD is a proud contributor to this success and is proud to partner with the destination marketing organization in our own hometown.