Changes on horizon for Ann Arbor educational foundation

The Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation has many changes on the horizon as the organization reaches its 25th anniversary.

Saline schools seeks $67.5 million for school improvements

The district would raise the money through a levy increase of 1-mill for up to 21 years.

The Scariest Navy SEAL Imaginable…And What He Taught Me

John “Jocko” Willink

“Discipline equals freedom.”
– Jocko Willink

Jocko Willink (@jockowillink) is one of the scariest human beings imaginable.

He is a lean 230 pounds. He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert who used to tap out 20 Navy SEALs per workout. He is a legend in the Special Operations world. His eyes look through you more than at you.

He rarely does interviews, if ever. But, a few weeks ago, Jocko ended up staying at my house and we had a caffeinated mind meld. Here’s some background…

Jocko enlisted in the Navy after high school and spent 20 years in the SEAL Teams, first as an enlisted SEAL operator and then as a SEAL officer. During his second tour in Iraq, he led SEAL Task Unit Bruiser in the Battle of Ramadi — some of the toughest and most sustained combat by the SEAL Teams since Vietnam.

Under his leadership, Task Unit Bruiser became the most highly decorated Special Operations Unit of the entire war in Iraq and helped bring stability to Ramadi. Jocko was awarded the Bronze Star and a Silver Star.

Upon returning to the United States, Jocko served as the Officer-in-Charge of training for all West Coast SEAL Teams, designing and implementing some of the most challenging and realistic combat training in the world.

So why is Jocko opening up? Well, in part, we have mutual friends. Second, he is the co-author of an incredible new book — Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win — which I’ve been loving. Trust me. Buy it.

This is his first mainstream interview and one you won’t want to miss.

“Leadership is infinitely more about brains than it is about brawn. The brawn stuff is from the movies and it doesn’t work in reality.” – Jocko Willink

• Listen to it on iTunes.
• Stream by clicking here
• Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as”.

Want to hear another podcast related to leadership in the military from a decorated officer? — Listen to my conversations with General Stan McChrystal. In this episode, we discuss eating one meal per day, special ops, and mental toughness (stream below or right-click here to download):

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This podcast is brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple and world-famous investors. It has exploded in popularity in the last 2 years, and now has more than $2.5B under management. In fact, some of my good investor friends in Silicon Valley have millions of their own money in Wealthfront. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams

Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Or, as I would, you can set it and forget it.  Well worth a few minutes: wealthfront.com/tim.

Mandatory disclaimer: Wealthfront Inc. is an SEC registered Investment Advisor.

Investing in securities involves risks, and there is the possibility of losing money. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Please visit Wealthfront dot com to read their full disclosure.

This podcast is also brought to you by 99Designs, the world’s largest marketplace of graphic designers. Did you know I used 99Designs to rapid prototype the cover for The 4-Hour Body? Here are some of the impressive results.  Click this link and get a free $99 upgrade.  Give it a test run…

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: How has discipline supported your entrepreneurial goals? What aspects could still use improvement? Please let me know in the comments.

Scroll below for links and show notes…

Enjoy!

Selected Links from the Episode

• Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink
• Learn more about Victory MMA, Jocko Willink’s gym in San Diego
• Seeking solutions in business or leadership? Check out Echelon Front
• Connect with Jocko and his organizations on Twitter:

@Xtremeownership | @jockowillink | @echelonfront

• Connect with Jocko and his organizations on Facebook:

Extreme Ownership | Jocko Willink | Echelon Front

• About Face by Colonel David H. Hackworth
• Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
• Learn more about Band of Brothers
• Learn more about Letters from Iwo Jima
• Hardcore History by Dan Carlin (Wrath of the Khans I)
• Watch the Restrepo
• A Chance in Hell: The Battle for Ramadi
• The Pacific or “Band of Brothers in the Pacific”
• With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge
• Watch Meru, the documentary about elite climbers
• Listen to Black Flag, My War, Side B
• Listen to White Buffalo

Show Notes

• How Jocko would design training for someone who wants to add lean muscle mass [13:49]
• The story of how Jocko Willink got involved in jiu-jitsu [15:44]
• How Jocko Willink’s SEAL military experience influenced his business [19:24]
• The story of how Jocko Willink became a SEAL [22:14]
• Where mental toughness comes from [30:04]
• Describing the Battle of Ramadi [31:04]
• On the leadership and strategy required to take over a city [47:14]
• The great tacticians that Jocko Willink respects, [52:44]
• What makes a good leader and the things to look for when identifying good leaders [53:59]
• How to teach the skill of detachment [1:01:34]
• Jocko Willink’s workout that would cause entire platoons to “tap out” [1:09:14]
• What are you world-class at that people might not know? [1:12:49]
• Morning rituals [1:14:49]
• When you think of the word successful, who are the first people that come to mind? [1:18:54]
• Non-military leaders that Jocko Willink admires and considers role models [1:29:45]
• Skills and/or experiences that every man should have [1:33:34]
• Fear inoculation for civilians [1:40:14]
• The books Jocko likes to give as gifts [1:42:20]
• Common misconceptions about Navy SEALs [1:49:34]
• If you could have one billboard anywhere, where would it be and what would it say? [1:55:59]
• Explaining the purpose of his business, Extreme Ownership [2:00:14]
• Discussing lessons from Extreme Ownership and the value it brings to private companies [2:06:19]
• What SEALs discuss between themselves that they don’t discuss with civilians [2:12:44]
• Which historical figure does Jocko Willink identify with? [2:18:29]
• Something people would be surprised to learn about Jocko Willink [2:19:22]
• Cheesy questions: What do you order at a bar, favorite music, advice for your 25- and 35-year-old self [2:22:49]

People Mentioned

• Dean Lister
• Cus D’Amato
• H.R. McMaster
• Sean MacFarland
• Rickson Gracie
• Marcelo Garcia
• Marc Alan Lee
• Michael A. Monsoor
• Ryan Job

The 32 Top Consumer Content Marketing Brands

93% – that’s how many organizations said they rely on content marketing for brand building and demand generation this year according to the Content Marketing Institute. With 87% of buyers stating that digital content has a large impact on their purchasing decisions this year, it’s clear that content marketing is on the ups.

So who’s doing it really well? Which content marketing brands have rocked the boat and set the example? We scoured our archives and asked content marketers to weigh in, and here’s our list of the 32 Top Content Marketing Brands of 2015.

Denny’s

Denny’s blog is a downright hilarious collection of user-generated content, upbeat notes of encouragement, and silly food humor. It’s definitely a marketing “grand slam.”

General Electric

Who said science and tech content had to be nerdy? GE’s Instagram proves that it can be an aesthetically pleasing thing of beauty that is anything but boring. Top notch photography and creativity combine to make it a content innovator. (Learn more about GE’s content marketing strategy here.)

Lyft

Need a lesson in brand storytelling? Look no further than Lyft’s #whyILyft stories, which tells the human stories of Lyft drivers and passengers. Uplifting, smart, and visually stunning. (Learn more about Lyft and Uber’s content marketing showdown here.)

Cheerios

Relevancy is something all content marketers have to strive for, and Cheerios hit the mark. One example: their #HowToDad ad on YouTube, which captures what modern dads are all about – coolness, hands-on parenting, and being awesome.

Hello Flo

This ad from startup Hello Flo, a company that ships women period products automatically every month, introduces us to “The Period Fairy,” a clever take that removes the stigma of a girl’s first period. There’s even a Santa and Tooth Fairy cameo – cute, to the tune of 1.8 million views!

ALS

It’s been one year since ALS ran with possibly the greatest UGC social media success ever, and its researchers have announced that there’s been a significant breakthrough thanks to the funds raised. Other brands and charities will be trying to emulate this campaign for years to come.

GoldieBlox

Goldie Blox’s Super Bowl commercial put them on a map with marketers and consumers. Another lesson in relevancy and not assuming that the best way to market to girls and their (increasingly Millennial-generation) parents is with pink and sparkles. Since then, the company has created the Bloxtown.comwebsite with cute animations and how-to video content geared toward helping girls with their construction sets.

Maybelline

Maybelline’s blog is a real beauty when it comes to content design and social integration – perfectly capturing the looks and attidutes of the selfie generation. It features social buttons and interactions on site, making it incredibly easy and natural for the user to engage. (Learn more about the top beauty brands in content marketing here.)

Taco Bell

Brands who value a lively tone of voice would to well to check out Taco Bell’s social media content. It has a healthy following of 614k on Instagram, and lots of engagement on every post.

Apple

Here’s a brand who knows how to tell its story – year after year. Its Holiday 2014 spot, “The Song” proved yet again that technology could have a sweet, sentimental and very human side. Bravo!

AT&T 

If there’s one thing you can say about AT&T when it comes to branded content, it’s that they are not afraid to experiment on different platforms. On the heels of its successful social media series called@SummerBreak – which was essentially a reality show for Millennials that ran two seasons and earned more than 60 million views – this year, AT&T sponsored SnapperHero, the first scripted Snapchat series starring Snapchat, Vine and YouTube influencers.

Coke

You have to admire the way Coke keeps pushing for creative content, even as one of the world’s most valuable and established global brands. Their “Share A Coke” campaign was a standout campaign of 2014, and it’s still going strong this year. Coke’s digital content keeps interactive features at the forefront.

Refinery 29

Commerce and content can lose authenticity when you put them together. On Refinery 29’s site, these two elements live in harmony with beautiful photography, fun buzzworthy listicles, how-to videos, and calls to action that are there to be clicked, but not in your face. (See our feature on Refinery 29’s innovative “Trans America” project here.)

Red Bull

Red Bull is always on the top of branded content lists with its unending commitment to high-octane digital content. Producing content at this level requires a journalistic level of commitment to capturing events on the ground (or, in some cases, in outer space) and no one does it better.

Birchbox

No storefront? No problem. Do like the folks at Birchbox do, and immerse your audience in your brand through a blog that covers lifestyle topics that they’re interested in. Birchbox takes it a step further, too, using the products they ship as the basis for content. (Learn more about Birchbox’s content marketing strategy here.)

Doritos

Doritos is usually best know for its user-generated content touchdowns (like having consumers produce and pitch their Super Bowl commercial through social media). This summer, they tried something new by offering exclusive, 3D video content around its new Jacked 3D snack. As a mobile-only campaign, fans actually use the snacks to unlock access to the 3D videos. (Learn more about Doritos’ UK marketing campaigns here.)

Whole Foods

Blogs help brands shore up loyalty: if you can give the consumer good content at home, they’re going to come back to your site or storefront full of ideas about what they need to purchase. Whole Foods’ blog expertly plays its content to a healthy-living audience with a mix of recipes and tips.

Sharpie

The Sharpie blog is bright, colorful, and highlights (get it?) the artistic creativity of its users. Its content and web design provide the perfect canvas for showcasing what Sharpie products are capable of.

GoPro

The world’s favorite camera is also one of its favorite Instagram feeds: 6.2 million people, at least, think the brand’s visual content is incredible. We’ll let it speak for itself.

BHLDN

Making your brand and your content work together is one of the most important ways to be sure you’re staying authentic, and BHLDN’s blog and email marketing provides an example for the ages. With content that ranges from funky floral arrangement how-tos to cool photo shoot staging ideas, users are glad to say “I do” to the smart content offerings.

Home Depot

Home Depot’s creative Vine feed is the stuff of content marketing dreams. Their content on the platform features everything from quickie DIY project how-tos to cool uses for old products. It’s one of the best uses of Vine out there — and 7.6 million loops agree. A bigger catalogue of in-depth how-to content can be found on The Apron Blog.

Nike

Nike’s “Better For It – Inner Thoughts”  shines the spotlight not on elite professional athletes, but women who are in the daily grind of challenging themselves to get fit. With over 8.3 million YouTube views, and lots of shorter clips that correspond with the campaign, Nike put its best foot forward to connect with everyday women, and ran with it.

Gatorade

No matter how many great campaigns it puts out, Gatorade still thirsts for excellence. The brand was recently awarded the Grand Clio Sports award for its 2014 “Made in NY” film, which was sweet sendoff to the retiring Derek Jeter. And as football season gears up, the Manning brothers (Peyton and Eli) are starring in a new reality-style ad series, “Sweat It to Get It.” One spot had 2.6 million views in just its first week.

Pandora

The Unique Connection was one of this year’s best examples of a brand effectively tugging on heartstrings (and right in time for mother’s day!). Watch it, and we dare you not to cry.

Virgin America

The airline’s Flyer Feed blog is fun, fresh, and aimed to make readers want to jet set in style. From aiport and destination secrets to fun fleet coverage, Virgin America is flying high on content. Learn more about their vacation-focused content marketing strategy as well as their vision to disrupt the hotel industry.

Disney

Disney news, quizzes, and more fun stuff, all for the Disney-obsessed? It’s no wonder why OhMyDisney! is so popular among those who love the Mouse. Taking a page right out of Buzzfeed, it classifies content into categories like “yum,” “silly,” and “oh, snap!” while guiding potential vacationers on their way to a purchase.

KFC

Colonel Sanders is back! Well, not the real guy, but former SNL actor Darrel Hammond’s portrayal of him, and he’s got people excited about the famed chicken chain again. There’s even a kitschyColonelSanders.com website.

Marriot

Two Bellman, a short action comedy film with over 5 million views was created by Marriot’s in-house content studio that was put together late 2014. Pretty innovative – and entertaining – for a hotel company.

National Association of Realtors

When you give readers lots or value to the tune of a full-fledged online magazine, it lends credibility to your brand. That’s what the National Association of Realtors do so well with HouseLogic, a site all about home improvement and real estate tips.

Southwest Airlines

With a twitter feed full of customer and employee experiences and stories, the content that powers #SouthwestHeart is beating strong.

Barkbox

It might be a pet product company, but Barkbox’s Barkpost is all about looking at the world with “a dog’s eye view,” without trying to sell anything. Dog lovers who love sharing the most adorable pooch pics drive the site’s success. (Learn more about Barkpost’s content strategy here.)

Panera Bread

Like other food/restaurant brands, Panera has really harnessed the power of Pinterest. By sharing original recipes and healthy living ideals that fit with the brand voice, as well as curating great content on the platform, they’re pinning and winning.

This article by Lauren Mangiaforte and Dawn Papandrea originally appeared on the NewsCred Blog.

The post The 32 Top Consumer Content Marketing Brands appeared first on B2B Marketing Insider.

Report: No jail for Ypsilanti woman involved in socks-sold-as-weed scam

The Ypsilanti woman convicted in a case where a backpack filled with dirty socks was fraudulently sold as being filled with marijuana was sentenced to five years of probation, fines and a deferred jail sentence.

Lincoln Consolidated Schools superintendent resigns

Ellen Bonter, Lincoln Consolidated Schools superintendent, resigned Monday, Sept. 21.

Suspect cut window screen to break into Ypsilanti home

Ypsilanti police are investigating a home invasion that occurred late Saturday.

Dan Gilbert investment in Campless moves sneaker tracking company to downtown Detroit

An investment by Dan Gilbert's Detroit Venture Partners has brought Campless to Detroit, where the sneaker-data specialists now operate out of One Campus Martius with eight full-time staffers.

Queen Elizabeth is first customer of ultra-lux Bentley Bentayga SUV, will use it to stalk deer

This week Bentley Motors unveiled what it says is "the most powerful, most luxurious, most exclusive and fastest SUV in the world."

Leaked document shows profit sharing, pay raises part of UAW-FCA deal

Several details of a tentative agreement between the UAW and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are being leaked ahead of being made official by union worker votes.

Ann Arbor is reviewing plans for 9-story hotel called The Glen

The site plans for a nine-story mixed use hotel and retail development on Glen Avenue between Catherine and Ann are under review by the City of Ann Arbor Historic District Commission.

SEJ Wrap-Up: How Social Affects SEO and Why Bad Reviews can be Good by @megcabrera

SEJ news and updates about how social affects SEO, why bad reviews can be good, popular posts over the past week, and SEJ webinar, podcast and NY Summit.

The post SEJ Wrap-Up: How Social Affects SEO and Why Bad Reviews can be Good by @megcabrera appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Ann Arbor gives citizen board new powers to review discrimination complaints

Ann Arborites who feel they've been discriminated against in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations now have a new channel through which to air grievances and seek remedy. The city's citizen-led Human Rights Commission now has the authority...

U-M agrees to nullify findings of sex assault investigation if former student drops lawsuit

The University of Michigan will render null and void the findings of a sexual assault investigation involving a former student if the student drops a lawsuit filed last year, according to court documents.

#CMWorld 2015 Recap: Day 2 by @dantosz

Day two of Content Marketing World started off a little bit later in the morning, which was much appreciated after a long (but awesome!) day yesterday.

The post #CMWorld 2015 Recap: Day 2 by @dantosz appeared first on Search Engine Journal.

Northbound U.S. 23 closed in Ann Arbor after crash

Michigan State Police closed northbound U.S. 23 to all traffic at Washtenaw Avenue after a crash Thursday morning. A Washtenaw County dispatch officer confirmed that the roadway was closed in order to allow emergency vehicles to access the crash, which...

U-M experiencing WiFi problems on central, north campuses

The university did not give a prediction for when they expect the problem to be resolved.

Ready for Takeoff: Vidyard Announces Lineup for 2015 Space Camp Video Marketing Summit

Astronaut Chris Hadfield to join marketing innovators from Salesforce, Cisco, Marketo, LinkedIn and more Oct. 6-7 in San Francisco

Kitchener, Ontario – Sept. 8, 2015 – Vidyard, the video marketing and analytics leader, today announced that astronaut and social media star Col. Chris Hadfield will headline Space Camp, the 2015 video marketing summit Oct. 6-7 in San Francisco.

Video is one of the fastest growing and most effective areas of B2B and B2C marketing today. Space Camp attendees will hear from innovative marketing leaders about how video is helping drive results at their companies and will learn practical techniques to launch and advance their own video marketing programs. After hosting the successful 2014 video marketing summit, Ignite, Vidyard is expanding the 2015 event to two days featuring more than 30 sessions and workshops along with a blockbuster lineup of speakers.

“Sometimes you have to get out of your regular routine and surround yourself with inspirational people, companies and ideas to achieve greatness,” said Vidyard CEO and co-founder Michael Litt. “Space Camp is where marketers go to discover the depths and possibilities of modern video marketing. Whether you’ve been working with video for years or are just getting started, Space Camp is the place to learn how to use video marketing to generate more leads, build better relationships and turn your viewers into customers.”

In addition to being the first Canadian in space, Hadfield flew multiple space missions and was the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station. He also is a New York Times best-selling author, a YouTube sensation and a renowned speaker. He built a devoted fan base of more than one million Twitter followers by tweeting from the ISS, and his version of David Bowie’s “Space Odyssey” has more than 26 million YouTube views. He will headline an out-of-this-world Space Camp speaker lineup including:

• Sourabh Kothari, B2B video marketing pioneer and head of rich media at Cisco
• Heidi Bullock, vice president of demand generation at Marketo
• Rich Kline, vice president of solutions engineering at Salesforce
• Jason Miller, ‎global content leader at LinkedIn and best-selling author of “Welcome to the Funnel: Proven Tactics to Turn Your Social Media and Content Marketing up to 11”

Event sponsors include Marketo, Oracle, Canon, SnapApp, LookbookHQ, Demand Spring, Uberflip and other leaders in digital marketing technology and strategy.

To see additional speakers, learn more about the event or register, visit the Space Camp website: http://www.vidyard.com/spacecamp/. Early registration is just $349 by Sept. 10, 2015.

Space Camp will also be the site for the 2015 Video Marketing Awards (VMAs) to recognize organizations and individual marketers using video content and video analytics to drive revenue and boost marketing results. Winners in each of eight different categories will be recognized at the event and will have an opportunity to share their story with other attendees. To see the full list of categories, visit http://www.vidyard.com/spacecamp/#vmas.

About Vidyard

Vidyard (Twitter: @Vidyard) is the industry’s leading video marketing platform that helps marketers drive results and ROI with online video content. With Vidyard, customers can add video to their websites in minutes, get real-time analytics, syndicate video to social networks and YouTube, create calls to action, optimize search engine hits, capture leads, and brand their player skins all from one place. Vidyard integrates with key marketing automation and CRM tools to deliver user-level video engagement data, turning views into sales.

 

Media Contact:

Tyler Lessard

Phone: (226) 220-5351

press@vidyard.com

The post Ready for Takeoff: Vidyard Announces Lineup for 2015 Space Camp Video Marketing Summit appeared first on Vidyard.

First day of school: Ypsilanti mayor, community members cheer students

At Estabrook School, community members, led by Ypsilanti Mayor Amanda Edmonds lined up to cheer students on and give them high fives.

4 Ways Negative Yelp Reviews Could Actually Help Your Reputation by @jeanmariedion

Negative Yelp reviews can be hard on your ego, but they're not always bad for your online reputation. Use these nasty comments to your benefit. Here's how:

The post 4 Ways Negative Yelp Reviews Could Actually Help Your Reputation by @jeanmariedion appeared first on Search Engine Journal.