Aug 12

Derek Mehraban, Professor of Michigan State University’s New Media Driver’s License and CEO of Ingenex Digital Marketing in Ann Arbor, Michigan has been ranked as the #23 Top Marketing Professor on Twitter by the Social Media Marketing Magazine.

About the Top Marketing Professors on Twitter list:

The magazines Co-Publisher Kent Huffman, CMO at BearCom Wireless compiled the list as an exclusive for the magazine. To be considered as a top marketing professor on twitter, the professors, located all around the world, must meet the following criteria:

  • Have at least 500 followers on Twitter
  • Provide useful information and actively engage with those followers
  • Demonstrate that they understand the best methods for social media marketing outlets such as Twitter

Derek Mehraban and the New Media Driver’s License at Michigan State University:


Derek Mehraban (@Mehraban) started this venture as a professor at Michigan State University in the spring of 2009, with the kick-off for the New Media Driver’s License class. He and Co-Instructor Dr Richard Cole, Chairman for the Department of Advertising, Public Relations & Retailing worked together to develop the class as an opportunity for students within the college to gain exposure to new media and its effect on marketing and advertising.

According to Mehraban, “The goal of the New Media Driver’s License is to certify students in new media so that they can go on after the conclusion of the course and use new media and digital marketing in their career, job search and everyday life. The course has proven itself as a great learning experience for college students, which is why we also offer it as a life long education course and for corporations.”

The semester-long class meets twice physically during the semester, with weekly assignments due on the New Media Driver’s License website. The assignments are submitted in blog format and teach students the ins and outs of blogging, rules for online public relations, digital presentation skills, search engine optimization techniques,  and how to build you personal online profile.

An innovative digital marketing professional at Ingenex Digital Marketing and new media professor at Michigan State University, it is no wonder that Derek Mehraban has the twitter following to place him in the ranks of Top Marketing Professors followed on Twitter.

A Special Thank You to Kent Huffman and the Social Media Marketing Magazine for publishing the Top Marketing Professors on Twitter.

Check out the New Media Driver’s License website, http://NewMediaDL.com

Follow Derek Mehraban on Twitter, @Mehraban

Aug 10

As the summer is coming to a close, so ends Lauren and my journey as Taste of Ann Arbor food critics and Eco-Friendly Interns at Ingenex Digital Marketing. So to celebrate our journey from wide-eyed interns to digital savvy marketers the whole Ingenex gang joined us on our lunch excursion.

Today’s lunch brought us to Sheesh Mediterranean Cuisine, a Lebanese restaurant, just a few blocks down from our office on Main Street.

Upon our arrival, the Ingenex team noticed the painted murals and lush burgundy curtains that adorned the space and gave the restaurant an authentic look and feel. As we took in our surroundings a booth was found to accommodate our 7 person group with plenty of leg and elbow room. We were promptly brought a few baskets of pita bread and the restaurant’s Middle Eastern salsa, along with glasses of ice-cold water. Among the buzz of conversation we also decided to order some homous to tide us over until our food arrived.

In Lebanon it is customary for meals to last a few hours because the host will urge their guests to take second, and many times third helpings because this shows that guests are enjoying their meal and are savoring the whole dining experience. To be expected our servers were very hospitable and frequently visited the table refilling our pita and water glasses, however the wait time between when we ordered our food and when it arrived was rather lengthy.

Ordering everything from Fatoush Tawook Feta to Mjadra and Falafels our team sampled a wide variety of Lebanese cuisine. The general consensus at the table was that despite the lengthy preparation time, Sheesh was worth recommending in the future.

Lauren and I would like to thank everyone that made A Taste of Ann Arbor possible and we know we will most definitely miss our Ingenex co-workers as we move on to the next stages in our digital marketing and advertising careers. Thank you for all the experience, it has truly been a pleasure.

Aug 3

This week’s A Taste of Ann Arbor took us outside of our typical walking distance to Weber’s Restaurant and Hotel, located on Jackson Avenue in Ann Arbor, MI. The boutique hotel, well known for its overnight accommodations in Ann Arbor added its restaurant to the mix in 1937, and has remained a landmark Ann Arbor hotel and restaurant, perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, for over 70 years.

Weber’s Ann Arbor restaurant features a daily lunch buffet offered at an affordable price. Today’s buffet options included salad, sandwiches, kielbasa, sauerkraut and soup – all of which many guests in the main dining room, where we were seated, seemed to be enjoying. However, to get a true feeling for the affordable lunch menu, each of us (Megan, Tiffany and myself) ordered from a variety of menu options.

Our very kind and attentive waitress started our meal with a warm basket of bread, the perfect beginning to any fine dining experience. Our menu choices included, french onion soup, walnut chicken Gorgonzola salad, chicken picatta and a french dip sandwich. All of which were delicious, and served to perfection.

That atmosphere created within the walls of Weber’s Restaurant and Hotel is peaceful, and unique. After enjoying our meal in the main dining room, complete with monogrammed place mats, glasses and a variety of beautiful chandeliers that complete the interior design, we gave ourselves a tour of the area and found these other seating locations:

  • Ventura Bar -the perfect place for wine tasting, fine ports and after dinner drinks
  • Habitat Ultra Lounge – a spot for enjoying dancing, bands and entertainment in Ann Arbor
  • Outdoor Terrace – next to the Habitat Ultra Lounge, this outdoor dining area allows up to 50 guest to experience beautiful annual flowers while seated under designer shade umbrellas

Weber’s Restaurant and Hotel has created an all inclusive experience for all of its guests. One of the top ranked hotels in Michigan and Diner’s Choice winner at opentable.com for 2010, Weber’s also offers banquet and conference property to its guests. So whether you are nearby, or across the country on a business trip or a vacation, Weber’ Restaurant and Hotel is the perfect Ann Arbor destination. We all enjoyed it, and we hope you will too.

Follow Weber’s Inn on Twitter, or visit them on Facebook.