Future Midwest Looks to Rebuild Detroit

Change is happening in Detroit, are you a part of it?

That was the theme of the first annual Future Midwest conference, held this past weekend in Royal Oak, Mich. Headlined by former Digg CEO and native Detroiter Jay Adelson, the conference focused on growing businesses and spurring local entrepreneurs by bringing together the best and brightest digital minds from across the country.

From digital marketing to PR and social media, Future Midwest addressed how technology can be used to lift Detroit and pave the way for its future. As the conference’s keynote speaker, Adelson framed a positive vision for Detroit and urged young creatives to seize their opportunity.

“If you want to make a difference in Detroit, I would say think about those limits that have been set for you — anything you’ve been told is impossible — find one and break it, because there’s no people better qualified to do that than the people in this room,” he says.

Marred by economic woes and a poor public image, Detroit needs to overcome many negative stereotypes. Overcoming these challenges starts with every conversation and interaction that Detroiters have with those outside the city. Whether it’s with friends, investors, or business leaders, it’s our job to be the change that Detroit needs.

“This is the right pool from which to build business, there’s just no question about it,” says Adelson. “What’s missing is that leap of faith.”

Taking that leap will ultimately be the difference between Detroit floating in economic obscurity or cementing its name into the future of the country.

So ask yourself - Are you making the difference? Are you taking that leap?

Is the Tiger Woods Brand in Danger?

No athlete has experienced such a drastic fall from grace as Tiger Woods. From being on top of the sports world to becoming a punch line on late shows everywhere, Tiger finds himself in a public image nightmare. A notoriously private personal life is now under the spotlight of the tabloid circus, which flips and shapes the story to fit every new claim made by a Hollywood waitress.

No doubt this is a trying time for the superstar athlete. But does he deserve such intense media scrutiny? And is the multi-million dollar brand that is Tiger Woods threatened?

As much as Tiger says this is a “private” matter, it is not. While he himself didn’t open the doors to his private life, his position as an immense public figure warrants the attention. Unfair as it may be, his golf skills made him a superstar; his private affairs will bring him back down to reality.

Tiger himself never asked to be framed as such a squeaky-clean persona. The media and his endorsements painted him as such. Consequently, in the age of the 24-hour news cycle, perception = reality. With millions made from selling that flawless public image, he now has to defend it against the same people who just weeks ago did nothing but sing his laurels. That’s just how it is.

The chance of Tiger losing his corporate sponsorships is still unlikely. However, the volatility of this continuing saga may be beginning to catch up with him. Bloomberg reports advertisements featuring Tiger Woods have disappeared from prime-time broadcast television and many cable channels following reports of his extramarital affairs, according to data from Nielsen Co.

The longer the tabloid-driven story continues to gain momentum, the greater the danger it has of permanently tarnishing the Tiger Woods brand. As many PR gurus have suggested (who I won’t even pretend to be in the same league as), Tiger needs to get ahead of the story and come clean. The devil is in the details, and right now the tabloids are filling in the details. Staying silent will only continue to fuel the fire.

In the end, Tiger can take a page from Kobe Bryant and Michael Phelps – by putting as much as possible out in the open, apologizing, and then immediately begin rebuilding himself and his family.

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Net Neutrality: Both Sides of the Issue

Net neutrality is a hot-button issue on the web and in the media, pitting the FCC and companies such as Google against Internet service providers like Comcast and Time Warner. But what does net neutrality mean?

The debate centers over whether an ISP’s ability to “discriminate against” certain data on its network should be regulated by the government. This debate reached my Electronic Media Operations class (by me arguing with my professor) after the TA showed the following video and proclaimed, “All corporations care about is money.” Check it out...and beware the evil corporation spaceships.



The video makes some very legitimate points, but blatantly expresses an ideological point of view. (Did you catch it?) If you missed it, here’s some knowledge…

Free Press, a so-called non-partisan media advocacy organization founded by Robert McChesney, sponsors “Save the Internet.” McChesney is a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the former editor of the socialist Monthly Review. Here is an example of what McChesney believes, taken from his article, “The New New Deal Under Obama.”

"These gains will only be made through an enormous class struggle from below. If won, they will not, we underscore, eliminate the evils of capitalism, or the dangers it poses for the world and its people. In the end, there is no real answer but to remove brick by brick the capitalist system itself, rebuilding the entire society on socialist principles."

A radical far-left statement, if I could say so myself. And I can. While it is perfectly understandable to support net neutrality, the previous comment does not help the cause, and is extremely concerning.

Regardless of personal opinion, I only ask of my professor to show all sides of the issue, not just the one he or she deems correct. So I’m going to do something my teacher didn’t, and allow people to make their own decisions about the issue. Take a look.

The Social Media Bandwagon

Do you remember life before Facebook? Life before you could share your thoughts and pictures with the rest of the world?

The social media revolution, while good for keeping up on what your favorite celebrity is having for lunch or for stalking a ex-girlfriend, is also having a profound affect on important issues in our lives. Australia’s Griffith University has made Twitter a required class for journalism students, citing an increase in demand from employers for new hires who are well-versed in social media. Still yet, dissemination of info on Twitter and the Internet helped drive the momentum of the recent green revolution in Iran.

So what’s this mean for you?

It’s time to start taking Twitter and other interactive media seriously, especially if you’re looking to get into PR or business.

From reputation management to branding, social media is getting its sticky fingers into all aspects of the business honey jar. Social media is being used to increase brand awareness, influence a consumer’s decision-making process, and to help position companies as leaders in their respective industries.

For PR people, knowing what the public is saying in the blogosphere about your company or client is something that needs to be dealt with head on. Social media is a word-of-mouth campaign on crack, where the message is traveling through numerous media in a matter of minutes.

Where ever your focus, knowing how to properly utilize social media will give you a leg-up on the competition. So get on LinkedIn, open that Twitter account, write a blog, and start sharing (preferably not the picture of you taking that keg stand like a champ.)