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The more time we spend mired in the details of marketing campaign planning, the more prone we become to a good-old case of tunnel vision. Gaining feedback from someone who maintains the view of the forest while we manage the trees can provide balance, increase effectiveness and generally reduce the potential for costly blunders.

Collaboration among peers and colleagues is a natural part of doing business. When managed effectively, it is a process that can turn good ideas into great campaigns and deliver stellar results.

For many, looking to an immediate boss to give the final OK or to provide insights and objectivity to campaign plans becomes an important step in campaign execution, particularly when there is a significant investment involved.

But what do you do when your immediate boss does not provide feedback? How can you be sure that your decisions are sound, and you can take confident action without jeopardizing your company's investment or your boss's trust? This issue's dilemma asks: How do you back up your plan and cover your back?

Already have your back well covered? Let us know what keeps you up at night. What dilemma do you take with you when you leave the office? Your peers would love to help. Write to us and ask our SWOT Team about your dilemma. Tap into the collective strength, wisdom and experience of this group. It works, and you could win a free copy of our book, A Marketer's Guide to e-Newsletter Publishing.

Revisit our previous dilemma—read below for your peers' best advice on localizing a global brand.

Unite and make a difference!

• Give advice about this issue's dilemma.

• Read your peers' responses to the previous dilemma (below).

• Submit your own dilemma.

This Issue's Dilemma

SWOT Category: Internal Weakness

How do I back up my plan and cover my back?

My boss is the CEO, who never gives feedback. Even though my marketing decisions are based on solid research, it still feels like I'm executing on a wing and a prayer and don't really know what my boss considers a successful marketing campaign. What steps and checklists can I use to back up my planning decisions and cover my back?

—Anonymous, VP of Marketing

Previous Dilemma

SWOT Category: Internal Weakness

Is brand localization necessary to be successful in foreign markets?

I work in marketing communications for a small IT company in Japan. We import IT management software from our parent company in the US for resale to local Japanese customers. These days, the gap between our US board members and the local staff in Japan seems to be widening. There is a lack of understanding about the local conditions in the Japanese market.

Our parent company has become very accustomed to the brand recognition that they hold in the US. (They have received many awards and been chosen as one of the most powerful companies in the industry). Unfortunately, they do not hold the same visibility in Japan.

We have been asked to use the same brand collateral as our US parent company (which consists of only the company name and some images). They have not done any localization and stress the importance of “sharing resources,” and “carrying one brand image.” To be honest, I feel this “branding ad” will only work in a market where the brand is well known, but will do poorly in countries like Japan, where the company has very little market penetration. I suspect that other readers in different areas of the world have experienced this. Do your readers have any idea how to measure/compare the effectiveness of a “branding ad” between two different regions, using different marketing vehicles? Is there a way that we can test/prove that market results will improve with a localized brand campaign?

—Anonymous, Marcom and PR Manager

Summary of Advice Received

Anonymous, no matter where in the world we do business, building visibility for products and services in a new market requires careful planning and a great deal of testing. The truth is we often cannot know what works until we've tried something.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hank Stroll (Hank@InternetVIZ.com) is publisher at InternetVIZ, a custom publisher of 24 B2B e-newsletters reaching 490,000 business executives.

Yvonne is a “customer engagement coach” and President of EVE Consulting, helping companies achieve sustainable market leadership through the power of customer engagement.