Ever wonder if you should go into business for yourself? Ever feel like the right thing to do and the right thing for your business are at odds? Wish you could avoid mistakes and be proactive about taking your business (large or small) to the next level?

Lynn Parker, a frequent Integratedbrand.com contributor and principal at Parker LePla, is set to release her third book, The Reluctant Entrepreneur, a collection of essays covering Lynn’s experiences and key lessons that underlie her business’ success. Comprising Lynn’s widely read monthly columns in the Puget Sound Business Journal with added insights for new and seasoned entrepreneurs—it’s a quick and useful read, whether you run your own business or innovate in a larger enterprise.

To download a free chapter of the book and stay updated on the official release date and speaking events, join The Reluctant Entrepreneur Facebook page.

We’d love to start a discussion about the lessons of entrepreneurship, so post your thoughts and questions here and let’s see what kind of network we can get going!

-Hiley Spaet

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At the 2009 North American International Auto Show, Volkswagen had more to reveal than just its first two-seater roadster. VW announced record setting sales for 2008!

So, how in the world is an auto company seeing a sales increase in a year that has been nothing short of disastrous for most companies in the auto industry? A focused, unique and compelling brand promise that influences everything it does from car design to service to marketing. As a proud new owner of a VW Jetta, I’ve had a delightfully consistent brand experience. From the no-pressure sales process, to the friendly and helpful customer service, to a car that is fun, safe and cute, VW has truly impressed me. And, as evidenced by the sales numbers, it looks like I’m not the only one!

What could the big three do to increase their sales numbers in 2009?

-Hiley Spaet

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It’s one thing to have articulated your brand tools. It’s another to be held accountable for their success. Unless you are keeping track of how well your organization is living its brand, then a brand can quickly become an empty set of words, a nice idea, something to which lip service is paid.

There are many ways to monitor the effectiveness of your brand training and brand communications efforts, including quantitative brand benchmarking surveys, qualitative brand audits, focus groups, and more, and each has its purposes, benefits and drawbacks. This article will discuss one way to measure how well your company is living its brand.

A simple way that companies can be held accountable is through an integrated brand review process. The idea is not complex: just create a short form with the brand tools on it, and a space for the employee’s feedback as to whether the company’s policies, programs, practices and products are living up to the brand as stated. You are asking employees whether your company’s programs and policies are consistent with your guiding principles. (Alternatively, you can ask for examples of how the company is living up to its brand, but given human nature, it’s more likely that people will notice what’s not working far more readily than what isn’t.) Give these forms to new employees at orientation, and make them available in common areas around the office; it’s also a good idea to enable on-line submissions.

Any employee can make a suggestion or report an action that seems contradictory to the organization’s purpose. You need to make sure that a relevant manager responds within two weeks, either with an acknowledgement of the idea, a discussion around it, or a change in policy or program. You can allow responses to be anonymous, but then you can’t create a dialog around them, which is half the point, so request that people attach their names to their observations. When employees are so engaged that they are giving feedback on whether the company is living its brand, then you have more brand champions in your organization.

The benefit is multifaceted. Employees learn what the company is committed to, as well as get practice applying the brand tools. Employees feel listened to and see management’s commitment to the brand. And management gets valuable input to the decision making process.

You can even go so far as to put the responses in a database and track trends, which can identify trouble spots early. At the very least, reporting back to the company on the top employee concerns and their solutions once a quarter will keep all employees aware of the brand promise and how management is delivering on it.

-Lynn Parker

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Fortunes will be won and lost through the advertising and marketing decisions that individuals and companies make in the coming year. An explosion of content, advertising platforms, and display mediums–along with rapidly evolving trends like social networking and interactive multimedia consumer experiences–have made the process of managing advertising, marketing, and branding more complex than ever before.

Join us Wednesday, January 14, as the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest hosts a dynamic and thought-provoking dinner event featuring a panel of forward-thinking executives. Come gain insights and actionable perspective on current and future advertising and marketing technologies, and how they will change the face of marketing and branding.

Our panelists for this event will be:
· Stephen Meade, CEO, Cenoplex
· Wil Merritt, CEO, Zooppa.com
· Blake Park, Vice President, Group Director of Strategy & Insights, Wunderman
· Lynn Parker, Partner, Parker lePla

The event will be moderated by innovation strategist Peter Balbus, Managing Director at Pragmaxis, LLC. Peter is an MIT grad and for several years led the MIT Enterprise Forum Chicago. The panel discussion will focus on key issues framed by audience input, as we delve into questions of keen interest to anyone involved in advertising, marketing, and branding including:

* How are emerging mobile technologies – including location-based services — changing the world of customer outreach?

* What are micro-ads, and how are they changing the face (or sound) of advertising?

* How can emerging advertising technologies be harnessed to build brand awareness and brand equity in markets increasingly becoming micro-segmented and commoditized?

* Where are media buyers – and venture capitalists – putting their money today?

* In the midst of an economic slump, which advertising technologies and techniques can best help you gain traction in 2009 and beyond?

This event is an absolute MUST SEE for media buyers, agency creatives, marketing and brand managers, business strategists, corporate executives, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and the services providers who support them.

Please join us for this educational, entertaining and timely discussion. For more information, click here to visit the official website.

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It is official – the US economy is in a recession. Though we came through the last one nearly a decade ago relatively unscathed, the current one threatens to shake the very foundation of not just our economy, but the world’s. Here in the Northwest, we are intimately feeling the impact. Layoffs, big businesses going under, and consumers being super cautious with their spending habits. So, what’s a marketer to do? How can you recession-proof your brand?

The answer is clear: Keep your brand strong by creating new value and deepening the relationship between your brand and your consumers.

In the January luncheon, the PSAMA brings you three scary-smart thought leaders on brands, branding, and creating brand value for consumers. In this panel discussion you will hear how to strengthen your brand during a recession and why now is a critical time to focus on your brand. Bring your own questions for these experts and plan to leave with several practical actions you can immediately take with your own brand when you go back to the office.

Brand Panel:
Joe LePla – Parker LePla
David Miller– Stoke Strategy
Ted Leonhardt – TedLeonhardt.com

Moderated by David Kinard, Host of Marketing News Radio

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If your brand promise is what makes you different and relevant to customers, then it only makes sense to use your brand as the key part of your strategy. That way, new products and services will increase your brand difference from the competition, making a competitive barrier too high for anyone to clamber over. This doesn’t mean not refreshing your communications, or your look and feel, but knowing what the heart of your promise is, and then doing more of that. It’s how Starbucks rose to dominance, and why Tully’s will forever play catch up—one looks at its brand as the basis for strategy, and the other thinks it’s about a marketing campaign. Or compare REI and Big 5. They both sell sporting goods. But one uses its brand of connecting people with the outdoors as strategy; the other sells on price.

-Lynn Parker

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