The Byline: PR and Marketing Insights from Eiler Communications

Don’t turn on the news tonight. Take a night off. I’ll spare you the suspense… Unemployment is high, the markets are down, and the Red Wings (probably) won.

The negative economic circumstance dominates newscasts these days, but we rarely hear about the financial aid available. President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) on February 17th thereby generating thousands of dollars for business owners seeking aid in the tough economy. The ARRA is designed to stimulate many different industries around the country, with unique investments here in Michigan. In efforts to accelerate the economic recovery, Governor Jennifer Granholm’s administration has created a website filled with helpful hints on obtaining grants and tax aid for state businesses. Granholm and her staff should be commended on the launch of this site, for Michigan is one of only 17 in the nation to offer ARRA information with such ease. Sites assisting the search for recovery financing:

www.Grants.com
www.Recovery.gov
www.Michigan.gov/recovery

Governor Granholm can be seen here, outlining the state’s use of ARRA funds.

Work is being done to fuel the local economy as well. Ann Arbor SPARK is focused on continuously supporting regional businesses and entrepreneurs throughout these tough economic times offering programs, resources, and proactive backing. Many businesses have heard about and benefited from SPARK’s commitment to Ann Arbor innovation.

Hopefully your business has stood up to the downward sloping economy, but if you’re having trouble, make sure you apply for grants and financial assistance soon. Many grants have a “90 Day Window” for applications. The economy can’t wait, and neither should you.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming….

Case Ernsting

Last week I wrote about including “Going Green” in business plans of the future, not only to help the environment, but also to sustain company coffers. This strategy is readily apparent following General Motors (GM), Chrysler and Ford’s visit to Congress last month and their subsequent unveilings at last week’s North American International Auto-show (NAIA).

In December, the CEOs of Detroit’s Big Three trekked out to Congress on the wheels of their newest hybrid vehicles in search of a Bailout. Although the CEOs were successful in acquiring a $17.4 Billion loan, the trip cost the automakers a great deal of credibility and public perception. GM CEO Richard Wagoner defended the decisions of the last few years as “right for the time”. GM’s resolute decision-making resulted in sluggish development of fuel-efficient vehicles; a disparaging trend given the nimble (and successful) movements of Toyota and Honda. The U.S. auto leaders needed to become relevant and responsible once again. Like many businesses both in Michigan and around the world, they turned their focus to environmental issues.

The Big Three were able to secure the congressional loan on the merits of their plan to go green and produce hybrid vehicles; an act that will benefit all three companies financially and in the public’s eye. A report in the Michigan Business Review identifies the mission ahead:
“[Chrysler, Ford and GM] face the challenge of introducing new products while convincing the public that they’ll be around to build those products.”

These new products include a more fuel-efficient, direct-inject turbocharged engine called Ecoboost from Ford…which sounds cool enough to be in a Batman movie. GM is looking for big returns on their E-Flex platform in which vehicles are battery dominant and plug-in capable. Chrysler is making the most of its new bailout bounty by promising three electric vehicles by 2010, shocking to some. Until these new innovations reach the market, PR opportunities such as the NAIA and news reports must be considered deftly. Going Green isn’t enough anymore to sway the American consumer. Companies now must to show purpose with environmental measures, especially when they are receiving our tax dollars.

Case Ernsting

Are you going green? Do you know how to go green? At the Micro level, you might walk to the corner store instead of driving…or perhaps you turn off the lights when you leave the room. But at the Macro level, many companies have gone green in a big way. Earlier Eiler blogs have highlighted the benefits of “Green-ifying” your company and working with green organizations. I will point out the crucial role public relations plays after your company goes green.

Companies that go green are preserving the environment, but also preserving their revenues. New television commercials (IBM, Wal-Mart, etc.) are highlighting the economics of going green, but what about the beneficial public perception that goes along with these actions? As Larry as been pointing out in recent blogs, the concept of branding is evolving, but the reasons to brand remain the same.

Companies and corporations need to differentiate themselves from competitors now more than ever, and the opportunity to go green appears to be the newest source of market differentiation and corporate social responsibility. For instance, Wal-Mart is trying to wash away its less than stellar public perception by instituting long-term green alternatives. McDonald’s, in the throes of a brand shift towards healthier meal options, promote a healthy, green relationship with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Additional globally-renowned brands going green can be found here.
The public knows the value of going green due to an increase in media attention. In today’s economy, that awareness and concern can be leveraged and turned into sales through savvy public relations practices.

So if I say, Coca-Cola is going green by focusing on energy protection…do you know what they’re actually doing? Inherently, we agree with this practice even if it’s not obvious what “energy protection” means. This is where your friendly Public Relations (PR) firm steps in. PR can bridge the gap between great ideas and the customer, especially now that the economy has stifled consumer spending. Companies are investing millions of dollars in creating new technologies and innovative ideas to protect the environment, but much of these success stories are not relayed to the public effectively With PR, brand messages are recognized instantly.

In an upcoming blog, I’ll look at how General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler are using forward-thinking green innovations to save their companies, as well as how the Big Three will benefit from involving knowledgeable PR methods.

Case Ernsting

I was recently reading an article in Fast Company magazine about the most influential women in technology. The article was the second in a series that was originally called,
“ The Most Influential Women in Web 2.0.” The first article became a heated debate on many social media networks, including Digg because some readers felt the article was sexist. Sexist? Come on.

This lead me to think about what a disadvantage that women have had in the technology department by any metric: average salary, top-management representation, board memberships and many geographic areas like Silicon Valley are still just a boys club. In fact, most of technology seems to be a “boys club.”

The fact of the matter is now that social media has taken off with such rapid fire, women are becoming very influential and making a dent in the technology world. For instance, look at some of the executives of large social media and technology firms. Susan Decker, President of Yahoo, Sheryl Sandberg COO of Facebook, Megan Smith VP, New Business Development of Google.

What about some of the fastest growing social networking sites? Caterina Fake
Co-founded the photo-sharing elephant Flickr and then sold it to Yahoo for a reported $35 million. Everyone is buzzing about her highly anticipated project called Hunch, which is in development.

Women Bloggers? Look at the site http://www.blogher.com/ and you will find over
2,200 women bloggers and counting. This site has become its own community that even has its own blogging conference. Anyone can sign up and have your blog posted. There are even large advertisers on the site such as Cover Girl and Oil of Olay. Wonder what Eilsa, Jory and Lisa (the founders of Blogher.com) made on that contract?

It’s not just about money, although that is a great perk. Blogging allows us the freedom to write and discuss things that are relevant to us and to have them published. Anyone can blog and anyone can use blogging to drive traffic to his or her site, develop their own company or just have an opinion. It has become the way of communicating these days and it would be a shame to not take advantage of this great tool in marketing and PR.

Jennifer L Peak

A few weeks ago on our blog, the question was asked why is public relations important, especially in our poor economy today? Jenny was dead on when she rhetorically asked how are you supposed to attract new business if you get rid of the people that are in charge of bringing it in? Her first point in having a public relations company was to target in on the marketing position. Agreed, no doubt. Unpaid advertising and marketing is extremely important to companies nowadays. Many cannot afford to spend the money when it is needed elsewhere to make a successful business run smoothly. That is where the PR firm plays its role.

I think there is something else however that it can do to enable its market positioning strategy further for success and that is position the company to be an expert in its respective field. Eiler Communications is a case in point. It specializes in high tech PR and has the experience and track record to prove that.

Proving to an audience that the company is an expert in hi tech is a type of brand equity. An organization with strong brand equity will enjoy visibility and a reputation that makes them stand out from their competitors. It also becomes relevant when people believe the organization, or its services, add value to their life. Therefore, by strategically placing the company through a public relations agency that specializes in market positioning (especially in high tech areas), they can relax knowing that clients will become interested based on their expert services with little money spent on paid advertising.

Christian

Public relations is the art and science of establishing relationships between an organization and its key audiences. In today’s business world and economy who doesn’t need to establish long lasting loyal relationships?

It is always amazing to me that in times of hardship in a company or small business the first thing to get “cut” is public relations and marketing. When business is slow, isn’t the objective to attract more business? The pieces don’t seem to fit in the logic of cutting what drives consumers to your business.

There are many different forms of marketing to reach your audience, but the first thing that should come to mind is positioning your company. Marketing positioning strategy is when marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. In other words, try to say something that is so profound or shocking (but true) that you clear enough space in the brain of your consumer to make them forget about all of the other competition.
Sounds pretty simple right?

In most cases, it is not that simple.

That is why it is so important to use a mix of marketing methods, one of them being public relations. PR reaches your audience in a much different way because it is not a paid advertisement. It also helps you to reach an audience that you might not have been able to reach or afford to reach with traditional marketing methods. Public relations also uses diverse techniques such as opinion polling and focus groups to evaluate public opinion, combined with a variety of high-tech techniques for distributing information on behalf of their clients to the target audience.

What if you wanted to reach the audience that reads the Wall Street Journal, but your marketing budget wouldn’t allow you to spend 40k on a small black and white ad? PR will help you to reach an editor at the WSJ with a compelling story and get it published. Wouldn’t you be much more likely to read an article written by a third party rather than a paid advertisement and find more value in that?

Think about the different forms of social media these days! Blogging, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook! If you are not staying with the changes in technology then you will be left behind. All of these groups of social media are forms of PR and a good way to reach your audience or at the very least, hear what they are saying about your product directly.

Here is one more thing to think about. What if you had a major public relations crisis in your company and no one on your staff knew how to talk to the media? Wouldn’t you regret not having a PR firm?

Jenny

When I first started with Eiler communications as a Senior Account Manager I had most of my marketing/pr experience in high-end real estate, sales and restaurants. Since my tenure with the company I have been exposed to clients such as; VPSI, Inc, Genetics Squared, NSF International, Google, Silver Anti-Bac, Linux Box and many more in various fields. It has been an incredible experience for me to learn about so many diverse corporations and how they are contributing to the health and well being of our country.

For instance, Genetics Squared is in the process of developing a test that can help doctors determine how to treat certain types of cancers. By using personalized medicine we can possibly save the health care economy over 200,000 million dollars by being able to target the right procedures and treatments for different cancers. Imagine that?

VPSI, Inc is another client of ours that is helping all of us reduce our carbon footprint by providing alternate forms of sustainable transportation in the form of Vanpooling. To find out more about Vanpooling and VPSI go to http://www.pooling-resources.com, which is a blog that Eiler writes and maintains on behalf of VPSI, Inc.

NSF International helps protect all of us from the recent food scare(s) we have been trying to overcome the past six months. Recently, NSF provided a $1 million grant to a Virginia Tech professor of weed science to study the pathogen that causes bacterial speck disease of tomatoes. NSF is another example of a Michigan-based international business that is in the center of international issues. NSF International is an independent, not-for-profit organization.

Not only are the companies that we represent making a difference in the health and
well being of our nation, but I feel as if I can help make a difference by using the resources of a PR agency to spread the word. By using the correct forms of a market positioning strategy, we have found that we are able to get great marketing and public relations results for our clients and I am proud of that!

Walking by my counter a few days ago, I saw this headline on the front page of the Ann Arbor Newspaper and I thought to myself… this is just icing on top of the cake.

AARP Names Ann Arbor “Healthiest City”
http://www.mlive.com/businessreview/annarbor/index.ssf/2008/07/ann_arbor_named_healthiest_cit.html

The next morning, I opened up the CNN money section to find this article,
“100 Best Places to Live and Launch”, I wondered if Ann Arbor was in there, and sure enough! Ann Arbor was no. 42 on the list.
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fsb/0803/gallery.best_places_to_launch.fsb/42.html

So what goes on top of icing, sprinkles? – I’m an Ann Arbor fanatic.

Claimed by MSNBC to be the 3rd smartest city in the United States, repeatedly ranked as one of the top 10 cities to live in the U.S, no. 42 on CNN’s 100 best places to live and launch, and according to the magazine AARP the number one healthiest city in the U.S! Can anyone blame me for wanting to live here my whole life?

The first article points out that health and good economy go hand in hand.
“There is a strong link between the health and vibrancy of a community and the health of its economy,” Michigan Economic Development Corp. President and CEO James C. Epolito.

The second article points out Ann Arbor’s strong suit in the high-tech industry, which receives significant support from a private public partnership called Ann Arbor Spark. Ann Arbor Spark supports a statewide Pre-Seed Capital Fund that targets tech companies and provides access to early-stage capital to accelerate company developments. Their mission is to advance the economic development of innovation-based businesses in the Ann Arbor region by offering programs, resources, and proactive support to businesses at every stage. Ann Arbor Spark has awarded $5.4 million to 25 emerging companies to date.

Ann Arbor is a great city for both your personal and your work life. It is an excellent place to raise a family in a healthy environment. With support from Ann Arbor Spark, it proves time and time again that Ann Arbor is an attractive place of noted worth for innovative businesses and companies to grow.

These articles offer another confirmation to me that Ann Arbors business and economy are strong and serves as a healthy reminder of why I believe this city is so great.

Connie

Finding a job in Michigan may be challenging, but it’s not impossible.

Matt Roush, editor of the Great Lakes IT report and technology editor at WWJ News Radio 950, gave a presentation July 17 to Automation Alley and the Entrepreneurial Institute of Southeastern Michigan highlighting some of the positives in the Michigan economy today.

Although large companies and manufacturing industries are consistently losing jobs, small entrepreneurial companies are slowly gaining jobs. The challenge is to know how to encourage more of this kind of growth. Some of the things Michigan has going for it in this area include: engineering talent, great research universities such as the University of Michigan, Wayne State University and Michigan State University and a welcoming environment for business.

There are some steps that can be taken in order to create a healthy environment for these businesses to survive. They include: increasing entrepreneurial K-12 education, increased acceptance and understanding of the risks associated with entrepreneurial businesses and a better understanding of the role of public relations in these ventures.

Many companies in the high-tech, healthcare and problem solving industries are growing and hiring. NSF International, a public health and safety company, is one of those companies. In 2007, NSF hired 117 people in the United States. So far 68 people have been hired in 2008. The company is averaging 31 open positions per month. NSF employees also have opportunities for internal moves – 46 employees were promoted or transferred through the month of June.

High-tech players in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Linux Box and Genetics Squared have also grown and hired this year.

“It’s simply not true that tech jobs are moving to India and China,” Roush said. He went on to say this is what some high school students are hearing from their counselors, despite the inaccuracy of the statement.

The companies who are experiencing growth are often the ones who are able and willing to adapt to the changing economy.

Plexus Systems, a company that provides business software solutions, added 30 jobs in Michigan in 2007. In 2008, the company will create more than 100 more positions.

Want another example? Meditrina Pharmaceuticals Inc., Velcura Therapeutics, NanoBio Corporation and ProNAi Therapeutics have all moved some of their business to Michigan. These pharmaceutical companies have also been adding jobs.

Creativity, high-tech skills and willingness to take an entrepreneurial risk may be one path to success for Michigan.

Beth

Ann Arbor, Michigan

I was born here, grew up here, go to college here, plan on staying here for at least another 7 years to finish graduate school here and I’ve never had the desire to leave for three main reasons.

First of all, this city’s 27.7 square miles with a population of 114,000 residents is just the perfect size for me. Its clean streets are lined with trees and one can easily tell from living here that it’s always thinking green. It’s not over crowded nor over polluted, you can easily walk all over downtown, ride a bike, or take the Michivan as an easy and eco-friendly means of transportation.

Secondly, I love the diversity here. I’ve never been bored by living here because I meet people of different cultures every day. Downtown offers a wide range of restaurants, shops, and performance venues as well as a wide range of people.

Last of all, I am highly optimistic for the future of this city.

Although Michigan’s economy was declining, (but because of Michigander’s positive attitudes is now back on the rise), Ann Arbor has always been the city that thrives. Ann Arbor’s economy is shaped mainly by the University of Michigan but it is also influenced by high technology, health services and biotechnology. When the Pfizer plant closed down in 2007, everyone thought the city was doomed. While many of the ex-employees relocated to different states, many like my father, stayed. And Ann Arbor keeps on thriving. It attracts all sorts of companies and businesses such as Genetics Squared, Mich Bio, and Ensure Technologies.

There are plenty of opportunities for businesses to bloom here. Why? Because there is a ton of highly educated people that live here. One of the main reasons why high tech firms such as Google decided to locate here is because of the high quality employees that make up a successful business. According to MSNBC, Ann Arbor ranks as the 3rd smartest city in the nation based on the percentage of the population age over 25 with at least a bachelor’s degree. This is no doubt due to the excellent education system that we have here in Ann Arbor. Not only is this city lined with trees, it’s filled with smart people and smart people lead to better businesses which leads to a better economy!

So, will I live here my whole life? No one knows the future for certain, but I wouldn’t be surprised if 20 years down the road I found myself living here with a secure job in this beautiful tree-lined city that is booming with opportunities and just perfect for me.

Connie