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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Are you ready for The Sports Page?!

A couple months ago, we introduced HeSheTheySaid.com.  The response was great!

Today, with college football starting, the Lions two weeks away and the baseball playoffs approaching, we are introducing a new feature of HSTS dedicated to the sports fans among us.  Watch this.

HINT:  Click the full screen view in the bottom right hand corner for the best look.

As we explained when rolling out HeSheTheySaid.com, it doesn't matter if you love Twitter or hate it, there is information on it that you want to know.  And, when it comes to your sports teams, it's information you NEED to know.

Check out The Sports Page.  Join our page on Facebook and share the site with you friends.  And of course, for you political junkies, HeSheTheySaid.com remains the one site to bring all the latest on Michigan politics, news and commentary to you in real time.

Introducing He/She/They Said.com

It's been a while since my last post here on the Message Board, but I'm back with something new.  Watch this.

Hint: Click on the "full screen" button in the bottom right hand corner for the best view.

So, what's the point of He/She/They Said.com?  Well, a couple things.  First, while Twitter is growing, there are still Twitter-phobes out there who, while not anxious to tweet or be tweeted at, still have an interest in the news and campaign chatter.  For them, the site is a place to stay in the loop without having sign up or use Twitter yourself.  In other words, eavesdrop away but don't worry about getting trapped in a bad conversation.

And second, for the Twitter users in our midst, the site provides a compilation of quality information sources so you can find, follow and interact with them yourself.

It's not a complex idea, but one I had not seen put to use for Michigan news, politics and commentary.  So, here it is.

As the video says, check it out, "like" it on Facebook, share it with others on Facebook, Twitter and through email, bookmark the site, give us your feedback and come back often.

Hey, hey, it's our birthday!

With a lot of help from our friends.  Thanks!