Case Study: MiWiFi, State of Michigan WiFi Initiative

Project Name: MiWiFi Website and Print Collateral

www.michigan.gov/wifi

Project Summary: Matt Schoenherr led the development of marketing strategy and collateral for the MiWiFi project, a joint venture between the state of Michigan Departments of Natural Resources, Information Technology, and Transportation, partnering with SBC Communications (NYSE:SBC) and Intel (NasdaqNM:INTC), to bring wireless broadband to Michigan’s public. Deliverables included branding strategy, marketing strategy, logo development, a two-sided information card, window clings, and a website (www.michigan.gov/wifi) to act as the entry point for wireless users.

The MiWiFi initiative was made public through a press conference at Holland State Park on September 1, 2004.  "We are thrilled to make Michigan the first state to offer Wi-Fi Internet access at popular recreational areas like state campgrounds, providing more convenience and enjoyment for travelers and visitors to our great state," said Gov. Jennifer Granholm. "Working together with SBC companies, the State of Michigan is again showing why we are ranked number one in the nation when it comes to digital government." (MiBiz Network, 2004.)

Project Impact: Through discussions with strategic partner, Intel Corporation, the decision was made to offer the service for free to counter low usage rates.  During the free promotional period, network usage climbed dramatically from the initial, fee-based trickle (usage counts in the single digits at all eight locations across the state) across all locations within a few months.  The recommended price strategy from this point was to permanently remove the burden of charging users and allow third-party vendors to advertise on the system, covering infrastructure and maintenance costs.

Testimonial

Mr. Schoenherr took on a project to coordinate and promote wi-fi hot spots at Michigan's rest areas. This was a pilot project in uncharted areas. Matt did a tremendous job of bringing the different interests together and remained focused on what was possible instead of what can't be done.

Matt Schoenherr has a great working ethic and exemplifies our organization's values of: quality, teamwork, customer orientation, integrity, and pride. Any company would do well to have Mr. Matt Schoenherr leading their technology.

~Kirk Steudle
Director
Michigan Department of Transportation

Testimonial

Mr. Schoenherr's contribution to the multi-agency State of Michigan MiWiFi Marketing Team was invaluable. With all the different agencies involved, I was afraid our marketing collateral would end up as logo soup. Mr. Schoenherr's design expertise created a fresh, appealing look and feel to our efforts that incorporate elements from each agency's respective brands. He harnessed the synergy of the group's creativity; he negotiated the technical aspects of production. The result is superior promotional collateral.