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Michigan - The Helping Hand State.
Find out how your business can apply for recovery money!
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About Eiler
Eiler Communications is a public relations and marketing communications firm in Ann Arbor, MI. We specialize in new and traditional media marketing, serving established and emerging companies in the communications
technology, financial services, biotechnology and healthcare industries.
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 Holy Cross Wellness Center Dedication
On Sunday, May 22, the Samaritan Center in Detroit dedicated its new Ford Wellness Center and Dick and Betsy DeVos Dental Clinic. The new on-campus addition stands at the site of the Samaritan Center at 5555 Conner Ave. near I-94 in Detroit.
The Samaritan Center is a multi-faceted community resource center committed to the redevelopment of Detroit's East Side by servicing the disadvantaged. These services include education, job training and placement, health care, youth and family development services, elder care and community development.
The day kicked off at 11 AM with the dedication ceremony and a Mass in the new gymnasium, followed by a reception, lunch and tours of the new Samaritan campus. This community resource center is home to a charter school, 80 boutique businesses, psychiatric unit, dialysis center, restaurant, clothing store, counseling services for unemployed mothers and now, 10 new dental clinics. Brother Francis Boylan, executive director of Holy Cross Children's Services, says that these clinics will be staffed by students from the University of Detroit's Dental School.
Funding for this $6 million project was graciously provided by the Ford Motor Company, Dick and Betsy DeVos, the Raymond Weingartz family and additional support from Comerica Bank.
Andrew Farley
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Venture Capitalists Show Promise for Michigan
| Venture capitalists typically invest in early-stage companies that tend to be high-risk, but also carry a high potential for return. And according to a recent report released by Michigan Venture Capital Association, the Michigan-based venture capital firms have more than $200 million that is ready to be invested in startup countries.
Local companies that have already benefited from venture capital include Accuri Cytometers, Lycera, ForeSee Results and HealthMedia. According to the MVCA, Michigan has 80 companies that are backed by venture capital.
Those companies employ more than 1,200 workers -- a statistic that supports venture capital as an important economic tool. Venture capital is generally associated with job creation and often used as a proxy measure of innovation within an economic sector or geographic area.
Therefore venture capital has the potential to revitalize Michigan's economy. Michigan-based venture capital firms have a reported $206 million available to invest in startup companies, an increase from $168 million in 2009.
However, the state's venture capital firms are much smaller than those in other areas of the country. Michigan's average fund size is only a third of the national average, according to MCVA. So, there remains a substantial amount of room available for further investment and growth.
Caitlin Smith |
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The Facebook-Google Relationship Heats Up Over PR Controversy
A recent controversy, which highlighted the ethics and morality of business behavior, surfaced this month between Facebook and Google.
Facebook, a company that has struggled to  maintain an honest image since its foundation, hired a prominent public relations firm in an attempt to plant negative stories surrounding Google's privacy practices.
The firm that Facebook hired for its smear campaign was Burson-Marseller, a global public relations and communications company. Burson-Marseller kept the identity of its client a secret while conducting business, per the request of Facebook.
However, the effort backfired when the firm contacted blogger Christopher Soghoian. Burson-Marseller asked Soghoian to write an article blasting Google for its violation of user privacy. Soghoian, suspicious because of the client secrecy, posted his email exchange online, exposing the foul play.
Facebook may arguably have a legitimate claim against Google's privacy practices. The company provides a street-view mapping services and the ability to track personal locations; as well as collects and stores user information without knowledge or consent.
But now Facebook is expending all of its efforts to backtrack against its actions and regain a positive public image. This fiasco shows the power of PR and how the word of one person can affect the image of an entire company, either positively or negatively.
Caitlin Smith |
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Larry's Lesson #1 - Audience & Message
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Needless to say, in order for a company to become successful, products and services must be directed or targeted to a specific consumer base; there is no need to attempt to reach everyone. A good public relations campaign will not send a few messages to a lot of people. Rather, it will send a lot of messages to a few people. Those that receive these frequent messages are known as influencers of your business. In other words, they make up the "infrastructure" of a company. They are the thought leaders in a particular market - analysts, journalists, company officials, investors, bankers, lawyers, accountants, industry gurus, suppliers, advisors and even friends. These people have some say in the way your business, products or services are perceived, providing instant feedback for your company. They will help you organize and finalize your target audience, so that your message can be specific to your chosen consumer base. In addition to consumer specificity, your message should be descriptive, but concise. Take out redundancies, avoid paraphrasing and stick to solid, crisp English. Your verbs and adjectives should be unique, just like your product or service. Also, be sure to present your points in a logical order. Consumers should be able to have an image of your company and product after reading your message. Andrew Farley |
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