Thanks to the Internet's facilitation of more rapid communication by way of blogs, e-mail and social networking sites, consumer marketing now has a fresh look. Companies all around the world have expanded their outreach by using college students as representatives, bloggers and local experts.

Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, Microsoft, Bianchi-Rossi Tours, Red Bull and Apple are among the companies that have established such programs, and all have tapped University students to help.

Business Prof. Puneet Manchanda, who specializes in marketing, said such initiatives are an effective method of promoting products to the next generation of leaders and consumers.

"What they're trying to do is win some mind-share and heart-share from the emerging generation of young adults," Manchanda said. "In this sense, peer marketing has been shown to be quite credible. People tend to trust their peers, so it is a fairly sensible thing to do."

Minnesota-based travel company Bianchi-Rossi Tours has specialized in spring break trips to Mexico and the Caribbean since 1987, and hires students across campus as 'reps.'

Business sophomore Nick Witte started working for Bianchi-Rossi this year, and said he has seen firsthand the benefits of peer marketing.

"It's very straightforward — kids are more likely to go on a trip if their peers, and especially friends, are promoting it," Witte said. "It adds a degree of trust to the entire transaction."

As a representative for Bianchi-Rossi, Witte said he recruits potential travelers, holds informational meetings, and answers questions about spring break travel packages.

"The other alternative would be listening to an adult: someone who knows all the information, but isn't going on the trip," Witte said. "It just makes sense."

Red Bull, the energy drink purported to "give you wings," has also developed effective student marketing through their program Red Bull University. The company has more than 300 Student Brand Managers on campuses across the country.

The Red Bull University website assures visitors that the job is “not an internship.”

"It's an opportunity to play an integral role in building a global brand, our brand, on your campus," the website reads. "It can be as simple as providing Red Bull for a party, or ... it can go a whole lot further."

LSA sophomore Kristine Colosimo works as a Red Bull student brand manager at the University and helps to promote the company's bold and adventurous reputation.

"The demographic — ages 17 to 22 — is a huge consumer group for the product," Colosimo explained. "Having Red Bull at the coolest parties and throwing the best events makes it stand out to those of a college age."

One program in particular, Microsoft Student Partners, has experienced distinct success on campus.

MSP was implemented at the University in 2006 and is part of a worldwide initiative that represents more than 90 countries or regions with 2,488 partners. Partners are typically undergraduate and postgraduate students who act as on-campus marketers, bloggers and experts on everything Microsoft.

Business senior Brian Hendricks and Engineering senior Daniel Gilmore work to spearhead the Microsoft Student Partners effort in Ann Arbor.

Since 2006, Hendricks and Gilmore have collaborated to ensure the program's success at the University. Both students use social networking sites, hold tutorials, organize events and team up with University organizations to promote MSP's three primary goals of awareness, education and experience.

"The program is really a way to get the Microsoft ‘word’ out on campus," Hendricks said.