Raleigh, NC – December 20, 2007 – Most start-ups in the Triangle are boot-strap operations, with the founders seeking investment from venture capital firms to take their businesses to the next level. But for one Triangle corporation, they “launched” with $14 billion in revenues and the solid foundation of one of the world’s best known laptop computer brands behind them.

Deepak Advani, Chief Marketing Officer of Lenovo, will discuss the unique challenges of re-inforcing the ThinkPad laptop brand after Lenovo acquired the IBM PC business, at the American Marketing Association-Triangle Chapter lunch meeting on January 17, 2008.

“Clearly, our story is a unique one but many of the challenges we faced in the global marketplace and our strategies for addressing them, hold some important lessons for every business,” said Advani. “One of the key challenges was to maintain the goodwill of the existing ThinkPad users, while innovating and launching the brand to new global markets.”

Attendees at the luncheon will hear how Lenovo re-inforced the ThinkPad product line, strategies for cross-cultural integration, category innovation, customer retention, and breaking into new global markets such as India and South America.

Before becoming part of Lenovo, Advani was Vice President of Marketing for IBM's Personal Computing Division. Advani spent 12 years at IBM and was part of the team that built a $1 billion supercomputer business in four years. Advani has an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business, an M.S. in Computer Engineering from Wright State University and B.S. in Computer Science from Michigan State University

The Triangle AMA Luncheon takes place on Thursday, January 17, 2008 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Brier Creek Country Club (9400 Club Hill Drive, Raleigh, NC 27617). Cost is $25 for AMA members and $35 for non-members. Learn more and register at: www.triangleama.org

About Triangle AMA
The American Marketing Association is an international professional organization for people involved in the practice, study and teaching of marketing. Chartered in 1981, the Triangle Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) is organized to provide value to the Triangle area’s marketers by connecting people and providing educational programming and professional resources. With more than 300 members including Fortune 500 executives, small business owners, and students, the chapter hosts regular educational and social events throughout Raleigh, Durham and Research Triangle Park. Learn more at: www.triangleama.org