| Driving through downtown Birmingham, Michigan | | | | newspaper adverting format has been a long |
| today was a real eye opening experience. It's a city | | | | standing tradition amongst the retail world. It ran ads |
| that has been going through a lot of changes. | | | | for companies, it was the economic glue for S.E. |
| Historically speaking it is a city that has been through | | | | Michigan. What happened in Birmingham, Michigan has |
| decades of changes and has always remained intact | | | | also happened in a nearby town called Ann Arbor. |
| and relevant. The one thing you will notice is that | | | | There, the once popular Ann Arbor News has fallen |
| some stores are thriving and other store fronts have | | | | to the same depressing state. It's once prolific |
| vacated almost overnight. It seems that some retail | | | | newspaper has fallen silent in the information age, |
| environments are left clueless and have pulled out | | | | which is very ironic considering that it is Ann Arbor |
| completely. In short, we are living in a state of | | | | after all. |
| economic war. | | | | Web technology can carry the heavy load for S.E. |
| Even in our darkest hour there is hope. Economists | | | | Michigan retailers. That is already happening and smart |
| will tell you that you can make a fortune in a down | | | | medical companies are contacting viral video |
| market. Other stores have braced themselves for | | | | marketing firms to spread the word. The web is not |
| the worst and have strengthened their online | | | | just standard web sites but also comes in the form |
| presence. Companies that have figured out the online | | | | of Web 2.0. Due to the lack of recent newspaper |
| aspect of marketing have really pulled out all stops. | | | | advertising options many retailers are looking at |
| This city serves as a microcosm of America's | | | | advertising on the Internet. The interesting thing |
| economy. In this very diverse neighborhood you will | | | | about them is that many of these businesses are not |
| see companies selling Yamaha ATV parts, Kawasaki | | | | doing this with pay per click. They are instead getting |
| Motorcyle parts, kitchen remodeling services, exotic | | | | there with search engine optimization and through |
| sink parts, Porsche car parts, European kit cars, | | | | organic means. |
| designer furniture and gourmet foods that are ready | | | | What makes this new commerce model so appealing |
| to ship. Now these particular companies have | | | | is that it is a perfect system. If you place things |
| embraced the web and have thriving store fronts. | | | | correctly on the web there is literally no way you |
| Up the street is another interesting site. The once | | | | cannot be successful. That notion has many retailers |
| mighty and proud newspaper giant, The Eccentric, | | | | intrigued and enthused about this new culture. |
| sits vacant with its lights turned out. The paper | | | | Despite these harsh economic conditions where many |
| presses are silent and the only thing that is left is the | | | | businesses are folding up many more are sustaining |
| large black letters on the outside of the building. The | | | | and flourishing. |