Your Marketing Communications Partner

We partner with clients of all sizes in a variety of industries in the Pacific Northwest and across the country to provide marketing strategy and planning, brand development, web design, and integrated marketing communications. We’ve been at this for 20 years, helping B2B, healthcare, technology, telecom companies and many others develop strategic marketing plans and communicate effectively.

These are the principles that guide our work:

We pledge to offer big agency capabilities with boutique agency customer service.

We founded the company 20 years ago with a mission to offer all the capabilities of a large agency, but with the personalized customer service of a small agency. That means giving clients access to principals at any time and having a “no surprises” philosophy when it comes to deliverables and billing.

We believe strategy should guide tactics, not the other way around.

Since first opening our doors in 2002, we have worked to strengthen our clients’ businesses, enhance their images, and contribute to their long-term success and sustainability by using the most effective mix of marketing tactics. Online and print. Social media and face-to-face. Brand storytelling, content marketing, advertising, public relations. Whatever the tactic, strategy comes first in our process, and we make sure we first understand who you are, how you fit in the market, and what you want to accomplish.

We work with you your way – pitching in with an extra couple sets of hands or giving you what you need to do it yourself

We work hand-in-hand with our clients on everything from the high-level work of translating vision into words and images, to the daily work of keeping communications up-to-date and campaigns moving forward. Our roots are on the client side, so we are comfortable serving as an extension of your team, leaving implementation to you, or jumping in as needed to get the work done.

We are your partner for the long term

We are proud that we have clients who have been with us for more than a decade. We believe we have been able to build these long-lasting relationships because we approach our work as a partner, not a vendor, measuring our success by our clients’ success.

Our Team

Our experienced strategic communications professionals work closely with clients to set strategy, plan communications, implement integrated marketing programs, and provide ongoing consultation.

Megan Aukema

Megan Aukema founded Aukema & Associates in 2002 and her strategic leadership informs all our work. With a focus on combining strategic brand development with practical tactical planning, she and her staff have helped many companies and non-profits develop and implement effective marketing strategies. Megan’s background is in marketing leadership in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. As the marketing executive in a growing healthcare technology company positioning for acquisition, she experienced firsthand what building a consistent brand can do for the value of a company. As a director at a healthcare non-profit, she developed a special expertise working with collaborative groups of diverse stakeholders.

Charity Gourley

Charity Gourley is a strategic communications specialist with nearly twenty years of marketing communications and public relations experience. She has been with Aukema & Associates since 2010 managing strategy development and creative initiatives, and overseeing client accounts. Charity is a creative problem solver who is passionate about what good communication can do for her clients. She has experience in multiple industries—from healthcare to technology to maritime transportation—but her focus is always on providing outstanding customer service and effectively managing brands.

Cynthia Peterson

Cynthia Peterson is a strategic marketing consultant with more than fifteen years of experience developing comprehensive marketing communications strategies for large and small organizations. She has extensive experience in brand management, website development, B2B marketing, communications planning, event management, and nonprofit fundraising. Cynthia is up to date on the latest digital marketing strategies, with certifications in SEO Essentials | MOZ, Google Analytics, Google Ads Search, Email Marketing | Hubspot, and Digital Marketing Science | WWU. She is an experienced mentor and coach, with expertise breaking projects down into manageable and achievable tasks.

Megan Mowrer

Megan Mowrer is a skilled graphic designer with experience in UX/UI, digital and print design. She has expertise developing visual identities and brand guidelines, designing responsive websites that bring brands to life, and creating impactful social media graphics and advertisements. Megan comes from a fine arts background and is passionate about creating effective, aesthetically pleasing designs. She is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Graphic Communication.

Warren Groom

Warren Groom provides website design and development. He specializes in WordPress, creating high-speed websites that can be accessed anytime, anywhere, on any device. Warren has a comprehensive approach to web development, beginning with assessing customer needs, establishing user experience considerations, through design and development and ongoing maintenance and support.

Talia Aukema-Gray

Talia Aukema-Gray is a marketing communications manager with a focus on brand management and digital marketing strategy. Through compelling social media strategies and dynamic content, Talia helps clients promote and strengthen their brands, while also gathering crucial analytical data to better refine and define their messages. Talia recently completed her degree in Business Administration with a Marketing Concentration at Western Washington University. Talia is certified in Google Analytics 4, Inbound Marketing from HubSpot, Spotify ad studio, and Hootsuite platform.

Our Specialist Network

In addition to our core team, we draw on a network of highly talented marketing specialists as needed to supplement and extend our team.

Design

Our design partners have years of experience with brand identity, print, digital and interactive design, and creative PowerPoint presentations and pitch decks.

Digital Media

Our digital media partners specialize in creating innovative, tailor-made campaigns, providing social media, event marketing, partner and influencer marketing.

Media Buying

Our media buyer leads media planning and buying for our clients, bringing decades of experience in a wide variety of mediums and strong negotiating skills.

Market Research

Our market research partner brings decades of experience with focus group moderation and questionnaire design to provide meaningful qualitative and quantitative research to determine attitudes towards products and services, and gauge public opinion on current issues.