8.28.2009 | The Brand Establishment Graduates Two Area Agency Principals With Certified Brand Strategist (CBS) Designation.

Two well-known and respected ad agency principals from this area have received the prestigious designation of Certified Brand Strategist (CBS) today, having completed the demanding graduate-level course run by The Brand Establishment, the only national organization that certifies brand development experts.

“Brands are the international currency of the 21st century and strategy is what makes companies successful,” says Tom Traynor, Managing Partner of The Brand Establishment. “Our Brand Establishment agency principals will be able to wisely steer their clients through good times and bad. They’ll provide the best possible service to their clients, and set the bar for their competition.”

Katherine Wright and Larret Wright, partners at Roundtable, the area’s leading marketing communications firm, join 28 other Certified Brand Strategists across the country:

Katherine and Larret were certified by the The Brand Establishment partners, faculty and Board of Advisors, a group of respected brand experts, industry professionals and agency leaders nationwide. On the 2008-2009 Certification Advisory Board was Tony Mikes, Executive Director of Second Wind, the largest training network of advertising agencies in the world. Alongside him was Alan Brew, Partner and Senior Vice President of Brand Strategy Development for RiechesBaird in Irvine, CA , William MacElroy, President of Socratic Technologies in San Francisco, CA. and Mike Hanley, Professor of Marketing, the Department of Journalism, Ball State University, Muncie, IN. “Developing the curriculum for this one-of-a-kind certification program was a task that we took great pleasure in,” said Jim Hughes, founder of the Brand Establishment. “The Brand Establishment has accomplished its goal of defining brand development and this program ensures that brand strategists across the nation have the opportunity to expand and hone their expertise.”

11.17.2009 | Champaign firm honored with Gold Medallion Award for marketing.

Roundtable, a Champaign area markreting and brand development agency, has been honored with a Gold Medallion Award from the National council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR). honored with a Gold Medallion Award from the National council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR). A direct mail campaign created for Roundtable’s client, Spoon River College, garnered the award in a competition which included more than 300 marketing and public relations projects. Entries were submitted by community and technical colleges in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Ontario. The award was given for a postcard series sent to area high school seniors in Canton, Macomb, Havana and Rushville, Illinois in spring 2009. The campaign took a fun, tongue-and-cheek approach to recruiting prospective students. On learning of the award, Anna Buehrer, marketing coordinator for Spoon River College, commented, “Making a college or career choice can be an intimidating and overwhelming decision for high school seniors. We felt the approach, which spoke to students

in a fun yet practical way, would capture their attention and encourage them to make Spoon River their college of choice.” “We are pleased to have collaborated with Spoon River on this project and that the campaign was a successful recruiting tool for the college,” said Katherine Wright, president of Roundtable. “The project is an excellent example of how a well-developed message, one that is right for the target audience, can effectively move the mark.” Roundtable’s principals, Katherine Wright and Larret Wright, who is the firm’s CEO, are Certified Brand strategists, a distinction held by only a handful of marketing professionals in the United States. Their firm provides extensive marketing and brand services regional and national companies. Roundtable was established fifteen years ago and is now located in the Research Park on the University of Illinois campus.