A Small Magazine Reaching New Heights

The Ann, an Ann Arbor based magazine that focuses on the people and culture of the town, has recently expanded its distribution. Not only has The Ann begun to collaborate with The New York Times, but recently it has also added The Wall Street Journal to its growing list of partners for circulation. Not only will this increase the readership of the magazine, but it will also attract additional businesses as The Ann develops into a great way to reach more potential customers.  

Run by Kyle and Myra Poplin, The Ann has made great strides since its introduction in the Fall of 2010. The magazine attempts to encompass and vocalize the wide variety of residents within Ann Arbor, in hopes to represent the unique people, opinions and ideas that the town has to offer. It is due to this mentality that The Ann strives for an interactive and responsive environment within its pages. Unlike traditional journalism, which permits controlled audience feedback and a list of staff writers, The Ann is embedded in the community. Audience contribution and opinion, as well as guest articles about local news and ideas are what fuel the magazine and are actively sought out in order to accurately represent the diversity that Ann Arbor is known for.

With growing readership and an energetic, enthusiastic authorship, The Ann is succeeding despite the growing decline of journalism. By interacting the community, the magazine continues to thrive and attract the attention of larger publications. Through its partnership with both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, the future is bright for The Ann and for the community that fills its pages.

Unmeasured Events Grow Rapidly as Firms

Turn Ad Dollars to Services for Consumers

More examples of how companies are using the Internet to reach consumers directly came in a recent New York Times article, "The New Advertising Outlet: Your Life."

Several large companies were cited as creating new web sites to appeal directly to their consumers, chief among them Nike with its Nike+ site.

The idea is to use events, contests, internet search ads - all long considered unmeasured, to reach consumers directly.

In Nike's case, it increased traditional advertising with media by three percent to $220.5 million while growing non-media ad spending 33 percent to $458 million in the period 2003-2006.

This is a fundamental change in the way Nike views advertising and non-media activities such as contests, in-store ads and product placement.

Ads are no longer aimed primarily at seeking to get people's attention while they are doing something else. Rather, they are taking the form of reaching people while they are participating in workouts, participating in online communities or active in sports competitions.

And such events, like running clubs, races and online communities, provide a home to trade information for those people interested in a specific subject.

This movement bodes well for PR because it includes using all forms of media to reach consumers - or specific audiences targets - and engender their participation directly.   That is what the Internet means for PR today: new ways to reach consumers directly using the new forms of delivery it makes available.

Larry Eiler

The Small Business Bonus

Finding a summer internship can seem daunting to even the most organized, efficient, well-qualified and eager university student. You have to start early, as in submitting resumes and applications as soon as school begins again in September. It's akin to finding a decent priced apartment in Ann Arbor: start early, look often, and don't be frustrated with the initial results.

For me, when submitting my resumes I had big ideas. I wanted to work a big city, like New York or L.A. I wanted to be in a larger-than-most firm, in which I could (I thought) really get a feel for what the business of public relations was all about.

Fortunately, I researched the pros and cons of summer internships thoroughly before I made any concrete decisions. What I found was that starting in a smaller business or firm was actually more beneficial to someone like me, a student who is eager to learn all the different aspects of a particular trade. The benefits of starting off working at a small business far outweighed the benefits of packing myself up and flying off to a big city, only to find myself stuffing envelopes all summer.

August is my last month at Eiler Communications, and I'm pleasantly surprised to discover that the benefits of working at a small business are actually true. I've had the ability to learn all kinds of different aspects of PR - from regular intern assignments, to drafting press releases and attending meetings. I worked directly with the head people - Larry and Sandy Eiler, who were able to impart important business ideologies and facts directly. A resource that would be lacking in a larger firm, in which I may never see the president or CEO, much less talk to him or her.

Here at Eiler, I've held more responsibility than a traditional summer intern probably wields, and I'm immensely grateful. I've also learned that small business is just as beneficial and perhaps even more important to young students looking for a way into a certain business. I couldn't have been happier with my summer internship this year, and I'm already excited about what opportunities it will afford me in the years to come.  

With the experience I gathered in just a short four months, I feel prepared to walk into large and small firms alike, with the correct knowledge of the business and the ability to jump right in. I would encourage students to accept more opportunities with small business, as well as small business leaders accepting more summer or year-round internships. It's a great way to learn the business, network with business leaders, and find future employees who are brimming with new ideas.

I myself can attest, uniquely rewarding summer internships are just one of the many benefits of small business.