News Release: And the Ganders Have It

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2011
Contact: Matt Resch  517.862.2075

And the Ganders Have It
Poll:  Michigan residents overwhelmingly consider selves “Michiganders” over “Michiganians”

LANSING, MI – It’s a question that has been debated for years and even became a side issue in last fall’s campaign for Governor:  Do residents of Michigan consider themselves to be “Michiganders” or “Michiganians?”

Well, a new survey released today and commissioned by Resch Strategies, a Lansing-based public relations and communications consulting firm, provides an answer.  The survey contacted 600 Michigan voters between Jan. 24-27 and asked:

Do you consider yourself a (ROTATE:  Michigander or a Michiganian)?
 
The result: 58 percent said Michigander with only 12 percent answering Michiganian.  7 percent said both, 11 percent said neither and 12 percent didn’t know.

“So much for a debate.  From the U.P. to the D, the Ganders seem to have it,” said Matt Resch, President of Resch Strategies.

While the Michigan Historical Center uses Michiganian on its website, it acknowledges there is no “official” right answer to this question.  Recent Governors Jennifer Granholm and John Engler bucked the public sentiment illustrated in this survey and used Michiganian.  Governor Rick Snyder, as shown in the results on Election Day, is more in step with current voters and considers himself a Michigander.

“Governor Snyder apparently knew what his predecessor and opponent didn’t,” said Nick
De Leeuw, Resch Strategies’ Director of Communications.  “The “reinvention of Michigan” apparently encompasses the way we describe ourselves, too.”

In addition, poll results show that Michigander is preferred consistently over all regions of the state.  The Flint/Saginaw/Bay City region showed the greatest margins for the Michiganders, registering 69 percent to 4 percent.  The Lansing/Mid-Michigan region had the highest percentage of Michiganians, 19, with 46 percent identifying themselves as Michiganders.

The poll was conducted by Marketing Resource Group and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.

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News Release: A State Divided

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2011
Contact: Matt Resch  517.862.2075

A State Divided
Poll:  Michigan evenly split in allegiance to MSU and U of M

LANSING, MI – A poll released today shows that when it comes to rooting for green and white or the maize and blue, Michigan’s college sports fan base is a solid shade of gray.  The new survey was commissioned by Resch Strategies, a Lansing-based public relations and communications consulting firm, and contacted 600 Michigan voters between Jan. 24-27.

Voters were asked:

Thinking about college rivalries for a moment … generally speaking, do you consider yourself a fan of (ROTATE: the University of Michigan Wolverines or the Michigan State University Spartans)?
 
The result: 34 percent identified themselves as fans of the Michigan Wolverines, 33 percent said they were Spartan fans, 21 percent said neither and 9 percent answered they were fans of both schools.

“When it comes to major college sports, Michigan is a state divided,” said Matt Resch, President of Resch Strategies.  “But that’s what makes rivalries great.”

81 percent of those surveyed said they have never been enrolled at either school.  Among these non-alums, Michigan fans outnumbered Michigan State fans 35 to 32 percent.

“Little Brother has been eating his Wheaties,” said Nick De Leeuw, Resch Strategies’ Director of Communications.  “The Maize and Blue may have more wins on the football field than any other college program in the nation, but the battle for fans’ allegiance is suddenly too close to call.”

The poll was conducted by Marketing Resource Group and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.

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Status update: FIRE!

Experienced a bit of a first this weekend.

More and more, social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are beating the traditional media in the "breaking news" game.  Granted, pesky hold-ups like fact checking, sourcing and talking to witnesses sometimes keep newspapers and TV news websites from being the very first with the news, but yesterday, I felt first-hand the frustration of not being able to get news from the newspaper, only to find the breaking information I was looking for on Facebook.

About 11 a.m. yesterday, a long-time local discount furniture store went up in flames.  The store is just a half mile from my house.  I was out and about when I first saw the huge plume of smoke.  As I drove closer and closer, I realized it was VERY close to where my house was.  I got about three blocks from the fire before the police turned gawkers away.  Clearly, I knew there was a big fire, but couldn't tell WHAT was burning.

I went back out to finish errands and returned home a few hours later.  Right away, I went to websites of the local newspaper and TV stations to find out what was burning.  Nothing.  No information.

More than a little surprised, because massive fires don't happen all that often where I live, I jumped over to Facebook to check on things.  There, I found three status updates with pictures and comments on what was burning, when it started and what was happening at the scene.

I know that the work that goes into an actual news report has to answer the who, what, where, when and why.  And, it has to be right.  Yesterday, all I needed was the "what" and I got it from social media.