Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
A quick update on Grace Hanna Inc.
“I love working with you! You do great work quickly and most of all
you get it!”*
A little bit of background on Grace Hanna Inc. and Don Kerr
Since my first position as Editor of the St. Thomas Courier weekly newspaper, my career revolved around the essence of effective communication. A copywriter by craft, I spent 30 years in a variety of positions on both the client and agency side of the marketing communications industry. I worked extensively in most economic sectors for clients ranging from AT&T to Canada Bread, from Bank of Montreal to ING, from Pep Boys Auto to Wal-Mart. At the same time I gained experience working with organizations throughout North America, the U.K., Germany, South America, and Korea. Whether writing compelling copy, creating emotional connections with consumers or helping financial institutions fashion lasting, trusting relationships, I have driven the process which brings opportunities to profitable fruition.
As my career evolved, my speciality gravitated to brand creation and management. When I founded Grace Hanna Inc. in 2003 I based its approach upon a well-experienced understanding of the critical components of effective communication:
Clarity. Simplicity. Wit.
Some of my experience
Agencies Clients
Concrete BMo
Fish out of Water Design Canadian Standards Association
Graphème Branding and Design Children’s Technology Workshop
OSL Marketing Château des Charmes
Oxygen DHL Express
Perennial Disney
Pigeon Branding & Design e-Spot
Spencer Francey Peters McDonald’s
Watt International Meridian Credit Union
Not-for-profit Neilson Dairy
C.A.R.E. Canada Rogers
Easter Seal Society Safeway
Frontier College Shoppers Drug Mart
Oakville Community Foundation Wal-Mart
What I do
Brand creation and management
Storytelling and copywriting
Management and business consulting
Corporate, marketing and retail strategy
Project management
What people say about me
“Don is a creative team player which sounds ho hum until you see the results he inspires from the people in the room. I did a strategy program with Don and it can be a stressful situation when trying to get an agreed upon agenda. Don is the person to make everyone’s ideas work together. The strategy was executed due to Don’s energetic and original ideas.”
Jacoline Loewen, Partner, Loewen and Partners
“If you’re looking for a run-of-the-mill, text-book branding consultation, don’t even think about engaging Don Kerr. Don is bold, out of the box, direct, and leads companies to think about their brands in a way they simply could not do on their own.”
Grace Attard, Founder, e-Spot
“With strategic oversight and understanding of our business, Don managed a very challenging project for our company, remaining focused and determined throughout. He is extremely creative with great ideas.”
Deirdre McVey Brough, former Director Marketing, Travelex
“Don is a very creative guy, a quick study, fun to work with, honest, fair, intelligent and a positive contributor. He understands even technically sophisticated ideas from a layman’s perspective and his work is outstanding.”
Len Rosen, President, LMR Marketing Inc.
*Susan Hallsworth, Account Director, OSL Marketing
For Clarity. Simplicity. Wit. please call 416.818.5608 or e-mail don@gracehanna.com
Monday, September 27, 2010
Holy chocolate! Gabe just turned three.
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| Happiest of Birthdays to my son whom I will love forever. (Not just 'cause you love my chocolate cake!) |
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Ranking the renovators
Thought it would be useful to share our perspective on some of the trades we worked with because whenever we set out on one of these voyages we make it our first step to get recommendations and referrals. So from great to abysmal, here's the report (and, interestingly the entire experience points out a fundamental of brand management - in the absence of transparent communication and even rudimentary levels of customer service, the greatest product in the world will not save a reputation. Indeed, it makes the case more strongly than ever that a company's stories are even more important than their product).
A+++++: McConnell Painting - Dave McConnell and his trusty sidekick Colin were the true stars and wizards of this entire undertaking. They painted both the interior and exterior and were without exception the most meticulous, respectful, helpful and professional people with whom we worked. Couldn't recommend them more highly. 416.827-6186
A++: Sotheby's International Realty Canada - Daniel Wilson and the entire team handled both ends of our sale and purchase. They were patient, cooperative, collaborative, respectful and provided great advice through some trying times. 905.845.8908 www.southernontariocollection.com
A+: Antique Hardwood Flooring Inc. - A terrific crew who installed with painstaking care to detail, on time and on budget with great pre-sale advice, post-sale followup, and enthusiastic cooperation within a tight deadline. 905.825.8551 www.antiquehardwoodflooring.ca
A: Speers Road Broadloom - Again, on time, on budget, very tidy and offered good advice on product selection (with some prompting). 905.844.0712 www.speersroadcarpet.com
B+: Binn's Kitchen and Bath Design - This group was responsible for the entire design of the new kitchen and all installation (with exception of most major appliances). Downgraded from an A-rating for a couple of reasons: a few design details weren't entirely well thought out and so the final result is just short of perfection; some of the trades with whom they subcontract were less than top-notch from a service attitude perspective - most notably the plumber who could not have been more cynical or shiftless. 905.509.5555 http://binns.net
B: Joshua Creek Trading Furniture and Home Decor - We purchased a few pieces of furniture and some accessories here and we're pleased. They proved very cooperative even going so far as to loan us a chair so we could comfortably feed our baby. That's above and beyond. Some deliveries took longer than we were advised and that's kind of disappointing when you're working to a stupidly tight schedule. 905.842.3739 www.joshuacreekfurniture.com
C: Tasco (Mississauga location) - Maybe my expectations are too high but when you're spending a handsome amount of coin on Wolf, AEG, and Electrolux Icon appliances you expect a level of service and cooperation commensurate with the expenditure. What you don't expect is being lectured by a store manager on how you as a customer should behave. One doesn't expect (although it now seems rampant in the service industry) to be given lip service about deadlines. I would so much rather deal with someone who under promises and over delivers that someone who spouts bollocks in the hopes that if they say what they think you want to hear all will be well. Steer clear is my recommendation but they do carry top-end stuff. Not gonna bother with the phone number.
F: Ridley Windows and Doors - Some day I will write a longer piece about this experience which will revolve around how a company with superior product and fair pricing can be brought to its knees in three simple steps: 1. fail to communicate regularly and with transparency; 2. align with unreliable, sloppy and borderline incompetent installers; 3. promise a completion date of July 5 and actually finish the job, after hours of haranguing, on September 6. A last-minute intervention by two senior people, including the President did mollify us somewhat but long after the horse had left the barn. www.ridley-windows.com
An update on Ridley: today the door was installed. The product is great. The installers, Walter and Igor, were excellent and the result is superb.
There were some other trades involved but these are the major ones. At the end of the day, my wife Kate who was general contractor, has a promising new career in front of her if she ever decides to make a shift. What an awesome job to accomplish all she did in the space of a few months.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Snapshots of life
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| My life on September 8, 2010. |
Gabriel headed back to Clanmore Montessori today for his second year in the Casa program. No, he didn't wear his cool dude specs but it was his first day with the official uniform. Looked awful darn cute and according to his reports it was a good day reuniting with old pals Kennedy, Lincoln and Ella among others.
Samuel was just happy to go along for the ride and enjoy his first meal of the day.
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| "Sure hope we don't get any homework on the first day!" |
Monday, September 6, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Shel Silverstein rocks Gabriel's world
As an enthusiastic reader and writer it pleases me so very much that Gabriel is completely enamoured of reading. And, while he still enjoys the occasional 'Good night Moon' he's really gotten into the poetry of Shel Silverstein.
Right now his absolute favourite is "Me stew" - the final line of which, 'Farewell - and I hope you enjoy me with crackers."
Cracks both of us up and we read it at least three or four times before bed along with other tales. He's also enjoying the complete tales (tails?) of Beatrix Potter.
Silverstein's poetry for kids (and those of us lucky enough to still think in a childlike fashion) is both humorous and touching. The title poem, "Where the sidewalk ends" is a case in point.
"There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.
Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.
Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends."
I'm just in the early stages of recovering from a hard-drive failure on my MacBook coupled with a back up failure that has left me needing to recreate my complete business - from a records perspective. It has been frustrating and frankly depressing. But now I'm just going to travel to where the sidewalk ends and begin again.
I don't know if this book is still in print. If you're interested, it was published in 1974 in Canada by Fitzhenry and Whiteside. Library of Congress card number: 70-105486.
Thanks Shel. Gabriel loves it, his Daddy finds it inspirational and comforting and some day Samuel too will share the wonder with his brother.
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