2nd Floor, Corner Office

Mental Health

2012-01-31T19:19:00.000-08:00

The most important kind of health. Period.
If you’ve seen the Bell campaign featuring Olympian Clara Hughes, you’ll know that February 8th is Let’s Talk day. And given the size of the media spend against it I think you’d have to be living under a rock to not have seen the TV, web, newspaper and outdoor components of Bell’s effort to raise awareness about mental health and get people talking about such devastating illnesses as depression.
Over the past 20 years, I was thinking about what an interesting ‘ringside’ seat I’ve had as mental illness has come out of the closet at least part way (but I acknowledge it still has a long way to go). From my earliest days at Eli Lilly working on the launch of blockbuster medication Prozac, to knowing at least a dozen people who have suffered from and beaten depression, to owning agencies that were arguably on the leading edge of educating and treating Canadians with such conditions as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety, I have seen the incredible stories of how the right medication, psychotherapy and family support can return people to their normal or close to normal selves. It was just last week that one of our BrandHealth teams demonstrated their insightful understanding of mental health by presenting some bold, ‘put you back in your heels’ creative concepts to the Canadian Mental Health Association aimed at helping them change public attitudes about these illnesses.
But as the Clara Hughes campaign says, the starting point to effective treatment is getting help. And the key to getting help is being comfortable enough to talk about the symptoms with a close friend or loved one, or even your employer. Yes, that's right, your employer. As a society, we’re a long way from being as supportive of people complaining of feeling down, sad and not wanting to get out of bed in the morning as we are of people complaining of a migraine, hot flashes or heartburn. But there are many pockets of progressiveness and understanding. Efforts made by pharmaceutical companies like Lilly, by progressive media companies like Bell, and by celebrities like Clara Hughes who are willing to go on camera and share their stories about living with depression, we will chip away at the stigma. But only you and I can really move the needle. Educate yourself. Be open to recognizing the symptoms so you can spot the disabling signs in those you spend the most time with. And more than anything, don't ever talk about these illnesses as being any more one's fault than having that migraine or upset stomach. Mental illness is not a sign of weakness. It's a sign of underlying chemical and biological imbalances. Things going on in your body that no one has control over. If everyone knew that and believed that and talked like that, this would be a better world. So let's talk.

Winter in PEI

2012-01-30T16:09:00.000-08:00

To answer all those questions I get about how much snow we get at our cottage in PEI. Take a look. Almost no snow in late January.

Canadian Coffee the American Way

2012-01-24T16:49:00.000-08:00

I would never poke fun at anything 'Tims' related if it wasn't for the fact that one of my favourite couples in the world--Greg & Mary Blair--are the proud owners of the best Tim Horton's stores in Peterborough (4 and counting) and the fact that I think they would share a chuckle with the topic of this blog--the re-sizing/up-sizing of their coffee cup sizes. I saw this in the Globe&Mail yesterday and took a photo of it right away. I particularly like the 're-sizing' of the Tim Horton donut line that now calls a cake a donut and calls a donut a timbit. From a pure marketing perspective it sounds like it's been a success. It has fuelled discussion and questions about a relatively boring topic---plain coffee. It also reeks a little of pandering to the 'super-size' me American culture of always wanting more and more. I heard, although could be just a rumour, that it's at least in part a response to the demands of Tim Horton's customers in the U.S. who are all about quantity. Remember the 7-11 Big Gulp? It was basically a bucket full of pop. I was at a Tim Horton's in Lakefield yesterday (not one of Greg and Mary's stores) and I sensed the staff was getting a little tired explaining to everyone that a medium was now a small (or is that the other way around?) and a large was now a medium. Except with mugs, in that case a small is still a small, but hold on...maybe not. Maybe I got that wrong.

My 1st BH Baby Shower

2012-01-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

There's more than a little irony here, in that the very week after the BrandHealth Gentlemen's inaugural trip to Montreal to see the Habs play, the BH guys got to participate in an authentic BH Baby Shower. It's not lost on any of us that one of the very reasons (excuses) we gave for even needing to have a BH guys night out was that the BH Women, who outnumber us by some insanely high amount like 3:1, have a multitude of wedding and baby showers, not to mention other excuses for 'girls night out'. On behalf of the guys, may I say that had we known that baby showers were that exciting, delicious, and noisy, we may not have needed to go to Montreal. Thanks Sabrina for your perfect timing! And thanks also Sabrina for being such a good sport when a few of us (Lynne! Amy!) found some comic relief every time you held up the gifts you opened to thunderous applause and gasps of awe from the crowd. Sabrina, we're going to miss you for sure. A year is a long time but we promise to welcome you back with the same intensity of 'oohs and ahhs' that we sent you off with, and with any luck some cupcakes too.

BrandHealth 'Gentlemen's Club'

2012-01-16T06:18:00.000-08:00

The Habs may have lost in a heartbreaking shoot-out but it definitely didn't damper the spirit of our inaugural BH 'Gentlemen's Club' road trip to Montreal. It was a jam-packed 24 hours spent in just 5 places--the train, the hotel, the Bell Centre, Decca 77 restaurant, and finally some Irish pub on Peel Street that serves beer in these 10 litre tubes that are about 5 feet tall and 8" in diameter.
It was so great to spend time with the BH boys--I learned more than a few things about these great men--but seriously Paul and Graeme--I'm still embarrassed to learn that it takes a trip to Montreal for me to get the news of Paul (and Kate's) pregnancy and Graeme's move to the east end of Peterborough. Perhaps you could swing by my office more than once per year! And by the way Dolph, there's no way you're that old. No way! Thanks guys for a great trip. I have much confidence that despite our sex being outnumbered 22-8 at BrandHealth, your spirit, enthusiasm, creativity and sense of humour more than make up for it and will ensure our species does not become extinct in this agency.

Healthcare the American Way

2012-01-12T14:10:00.001-08:00

This week was an important week for Jane. It was our first official trial of the private American healthcare system after living with frustration after frustration with the Canadian system for the past 3 years. We promised Jane when she was sailing around the world last year that once she returned from that epic adventure, we would pursue any and all routes to try and find some solutions to her chronic head pain. With waits of anywhere between 9 months and 2 years to see a headache specialist in Canada, we tried the Cleveland Clinic in Toronto. After having a comprehensive physical and some follow-up consultations there before Christmas, Jane and I headed to Cleveland Sunday for her appointment Monday with a highly regarded American Neurosurgeon. It was amazing to watch Jane walk around the Cleveland Clinic, which is really so much more than a clinic--it's a huge, sprawling medical campus. There's a Hotel Intercontinental attached to it. Jane and I checked in around 8 pm and the first thing Jane wanted to do was go snoop around the Clinic--since it looked like the Cadillac of Hospitals and it was open 24 hours a day, we walked across the skyway separating the hotel from the hospital like we were walking from our hotel room to Magic Kingdom at Disneyworld. Jane was so pumped to walk the hallways and see what it was like. Which is interesting in itself as it speaks to how important this event was to her and how deeply she treasures her health, even when she's in pain.
On Monday morning we had a great breakfast and then headed over to the International Patient Registration. From there we were escorted to the Neurosurgery Clinic. All along treated like kings (and queens). Rarely left alone. Rarely waiting. Always introduced by one medical professional to the next one you were seeing. Never left to find an office by yourself. Always accompanied by a hostess. I suppose the only strange part was starting the day by giving them my credit card so they had a deposit. Something we don't experience in Canada, which is both good and bad. But Jane and I left the Clinic on Monday with a very good feeling. Worth the 7 hour drive. Worth the credit card charge. If that's what it takes to get respect. If that's what it takes for a physician to finally sit down beside her, give her 45 mins of his time, and answer all her questions--every single one, then it was the best money I ever spent. He was friendly, caring. He let her talk. He saw the tears in her eyes when she talked about the frustrations of living with pain that no one ever seemed to be able to explain. He let her finish her sentences. And most of all, he seemed genuinely focused on finding a solution and trying different things. Jane's eyes lit up when he started to talk like there actually were some things that could be tried. I will never forget the look on her face. Here's to the ongoing quest for solutions to your pain Jane. You deserve the kind of attention the Cleveland Clinic gave you. Onward.

Making a Statement for a Great Cause

2012-01-07T11:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon we gathered in our boardroom and we announced a challenge to our BH team--let's make a public statement about the importance we place on this subject of health and wellness, which is our home turf within the advertising & communications world. Mike came to me last week and said, "I wonder if we could get our whole agency to commit to participating in the YMCA Half Marathon/5K event?"--an annual event, once sponsored by Gatorade, that has become such a big part of the local health and wellness scene. So, armed with a stack of pledge forms and a few powerpoint slides, we convened our group and explained our goal. Raise $5,000 for the Y's important 'Strong Kids' campaign by collecting pledges and have as close to 100% of us as possible doing some sort of serious sweating that day by running in either the half marathon or 5K race. We told the group that we've signed up as a corporate sponsor, are covering all the entry fees for our staff, and promise the following: i) that we'll see to it that it is a very fun day with lots of good food and extras for those who participate and ii) that there will be some very special prizes to reward our biggest pledge collectors. So a few thoughts and questions come to mind for me:
1. Will the 3rd floor walking competition that has been going on in client service between Lisa and Lynne evolve into some sort of longer race this day--perhaps, dare I suggest, they set round 3 of their in-office competition as the Half Marathon?
2. With both running and walking the 5K race an option, how many current, former and closet athletes at BH will start upping the exercise in Jan and Feb as a sign of their competitiveness? Early rumblings are that there could be as many as 5 or 6 BHers run the half.
3. Is there any way our lone Greek athlete might find a way for his orthopaedic surgeon to perform some sort of magic on his knee that would allow him to attempt the half on this special day? The first marathoner was actually a Greek was he not?
4. What will Whitey do? Will he run, walk, mountain bike beside us handing out Gatorade and gel packs?

So little time to race day. So many questions. Let the chatter and challenges and side bets begin. And let's blow that $5,000 target away.

Kirkley/UWO Internship Accepting Applications

2012-01-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

Good men and women wanted. But only the GREAT will be selected. If you are a student of University of Western Ontario you've met the first hurdle. It is an incredible opportunity to spend a summer working in our great agency, being well compensated by the Estate of the late Michael Kirkley, my former business partner, and learning a ton about the world of advertising in the process. If you're smart about it, you should be able to save enough money to make your next year at Western much less of a burden on your parents. And who wouldn't want to do that? Read the attached for all the details. I personally guarantee that it may well be the best summer of your life. Apply now.

2011: What I Will Remember

2011-12-29T17:09:00.000-08:00

The year my Partner got married
A year of proving this billboard to be so true
The year I become an uncle once again!
The year that started out with a heartbreak loss to the Russians
The year of the mobile App at BrandHealth
The year Nora and Team LCS made it to Everest Base Camp
The year BrandHealth got a little bit bigger but 200% stronger

Jane finishes her 6 months at sea aboard the Norwegian Tall Ship 'Sorlandet'
The year of The Search; the next 'first family of Lakefield College School': The Robertsons
The year I truly became a runner. The Gatorade 1/2 and the PEI 1/2 Marathon.
The Year I discovered Golf in Ireland. Lahinch GC shown here was the sweetest of them all

How's That for a Present?!

2011-12-23T06:44:00.000-08:00

My Dearest Tracy (a.k.a. "29"). As much as I love the peanut butter cookies in the amazing Christmas packaging, I must say that the Habs Christmas Ornaments you presented to me yesterday take the cake. To see them side by side with the BH ornaments I couldn't help but say how great these 2 logos look together! But that shouldn't be a surprise--they ARE the two greatest logos ever! And they represent my favourite two 'organizations/companies' of all time too. Tracy--thanks for thinking of me. What a great start to the final day before Christmas break. ...yourS sincerely...CHIEF

ReFrame App in the App Store

2011-12-18T19:47:00.000-08:00

A big shout-out to Mark, Sacha and team for creating the App for the ReFrame Film Festival. We're proud of the work you've done for Krista English and everyone at ReFrame. I'm sure this year's Film Festival will be the best ever, and I know that the availability of this App in Apple's App Store (for free) will help film goers and fans that whole weekend. Love being able to view the trailers on my iPhone and others will too. Can't think of a better message to receive on a Sunday morning than the latest BH App to hit Apple's App Store.

The Future of Digital Media

2011-12-16T13:52:00.001-08:00

Last week I attended day 1 of this interesting conference in NYC. It was a chance to hear from some interesting digital personalities, mostly American, on where they think we're headed. Guest speakers and panelists included a who's who from companies such as Twitter, Facebook, The Huffington Post, and MSNBC. One of the big takeaways for me was the importance of innovation. When you listen to the entrepreneurs who started some of these digital/social media success stories, you get this feeling that what they fear most is 'lack of innovation'. Probably because they know that it truly is becoming an 'innovate or die' world, especially if you're leading Facebook or Twitter or FourSquare. But not just for social media companies. For agencies too. These organizations have build business models and corporate cultures around this innovation mindset. This day in NYC was very timely for me. As an agency that's in the middle of launching a number of very important initiatives with respect to how we work internally and how we talk to the rest of the world, I was struck by how much of this new world order has become about sharing ideas, information and points of view. I suppose in a way that shouldn't surprise me---how the heck, for example, did I ever think that starting this blog a couple years ago would be a worthwhile thing? It actually felt both stupid and silly at the time. And it was done in the shadow of a very bitter breakup with Facebook! But what the last 2 years have taught me is that in today's digital world, you publish or die. You need to be, as they say in the business, 'generating content'. For an agency to prosper and connect with clients and employees and future employees, it has to have a voice. BrandHealth has to have a point of view. And ultimately, this point of view has to be a catalyst for great work and great client client relationships. The big thing that I have yet to come to grips with is how much of my opinion and ideas I can and should share with the world. You don't know how many times I sit with my MacBook Air on my lap like this and decide NOT to share something very important to me or this agency. But for reasons of confidentiality around the brands and clients we work with, or because I don't want to divulge something interesting we're doing within a very competitive marketplace, I just can't. I have embraced being very open in this setting on a number of things. It's tough to keep some cards close to my chest, especially when it's about something as near and dear to me as what this agency is doing...stay tuned.

Best Ever BH Christmas Party?

2011-12-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

Only the attendees can truly answer that question but I think it was definitely Top 2. One of the greatest things about the shindig that these year's Committee put together was they recognized that the previous year's event at Hotel LeGermaine in Toronto was so perfect that it deserved a sequel. Instead of finding a new place and hoping it lived up to our expectations, they went with the proven one. Perfect size. Perfect atmosphere. Great location on Mercer St in Toronto. Why mess with a 10/10?
For the past 4 or 5 years we have taken over most of a boutique hotel or inn and made it a 24 hour party. No worries about driving home because we provide rooms and breakfast the next day. And even enough free time to squeeze in some holiday shopping.
To our Committee Supremo: Kendra, Lisa, Diana, Deanna, Sabrina, Randi and Tracy--incredible job, every detail taken care of. Perhaps we should have a token guy on the committee next year? Do we even have one? There were way too many great photos to share here. And only you BHers get to view them all on our server. The rest of the world can just .... apply for the next job opening here and perhaps join us for the 2012 edition. There were too many hi-lites to mention here---but Jim and Spencer spotting actor Malcolm McDowell and wrangling a photo will not be forgotten. Neither will: Sandra's skull & crossbones killer dress, that incredible beef dish (why on earth did I order the fish special?), and the queens of the dance floor--best illustrated by the photo below where everyone seems to be grooving in their own little world. Everyone looked marvellous as usual. It was great meeting many spouses and partners for the first time. So many great people to talk to, so little time.

Time is Flying By

2011-12-11T12:58:00.000-08:00

I was catching up on some email and reading this morning, in my favourite room in the house. It's kind of half family room, part living room, part den. There are no TVs. There is a whole wall that is just fireplace and bookshelves. Lots and lots of books. Books on golf, wine, hockey, architecture, business, food, cars....perhaps slightly dominated by my interests over the rest of my family's...probably in part because I clearly spend the most time in here. I was looking at the photos that line the shelves randomly. Most are photos of the four of us together over the past 20 years. At a wedding, at dinner on a cruise ship or at Atlantis (not sure which?), and there's this photo (above) of the four of us that was shot in the pre-digital photo age, likely in 1997 or 1998. I was looking at it and comparing it to the others on the shelves and struck by how much our girls had changed....how our family has changed, matured, evolved. I look at Jane in the bottom right...in a classic Jane pose with a goofy smile on her face so reminiscent of what I remember of her in her pre-teen years before she got more serious, more 'shoot from the hip', and more strong willed. I look at Nora and how I've got my hand around her. She was so tiny throughout most of her childhood I always remember holding her like she could fit in the palm of my hand. She's now taller than Jane and in her last year of high school. What I love about this picture is the natural pose. Jane squeezing my arm like she always used to. And it feels like how we were as a family when the girls were young. As kids get older things seem to evolve into onesomes and twosomes and threesomes...everyone off in their own direction. Doing there own thing. Last Saturday I stopped by the Millbrook Arena to watch a tyke hockey game between the local Millbrook team and the mighty Ennismore Eagles--a team that featured a couple sons of colleagues at BrandHealth. On the way home I was thinking how much I miss those years--I have many staff who are in that 33-38 year age group--with young families who are very active and I realized how much I miss those years. Spending time in arenas for hockey or figure skating, at the Trent U pool for synchro, and so on and so on. It's a funny time. Daughters driving cars not needing you for transportation. Locked in their rooms studying and skyping, coming out for dinner and snacks. Sometimes remembering to say goodnight and sometimes not. I miss the Jane and Nora in that photo. Good thing I have Kris!

The Wall

2011-12-05T13:47:00.001-08:00

For those of you who've been in our 2nd Floor boardroom in the past few days you will have noticed that one wall is completely covered by a 10'x8' banner. On that white banner in plain black text are 300 words spread over 3 paragraphs. These carefully chosen words tell a story about the future for our agency. This 'story' answers the simple question, "what can we be best in the world at?". These 300 words articulate a vision for the future of our agency that will see us soar to new heights. It's been an incredible run so far, but it's only been 7 years. What about the next 7? The speed at which the world is changing is both frightening and extremely exciting. Take just two parts of that world that we are very close to--digital media & healthcare--and you can imagine, dream, smile at what our world might be like in 2020.

On the wall you will see some whitespace. It's there for a reason. It's there to give you an opportunity to read this story and share with us what you think. Is it clear? What questions does it raise? What do you find exciting about it? What would you change? Do you have any ideas for making it even more relevant. Over the next week I would really appreciate it if you could take a few moments, stand alone in that boardroom staring at the wall and absorbing its contents. Scribble anything on the wall you want to. If certain words pop out for you, highlight them or let me know why they do or don't resonate. Help us figure out how we describe this exciting future that is articulated in these 300 words. What images come to mind. How would you describe to your parents or friends or kids what this agency was like and what it did. Do you feel it describes an agency that is making a difference in the world. Would clients pay a premium to work with an agency like this? Why or why not?
I struggled a bit with how best to seek agency-wide input into our next 5 Year Plan. And this is where I landed. Please cover the wall with your thoughts. Don't be shy. I can't wait to read what you wrote. No need to sign your name. Thanks.

Signs of Christmas Emerging

2011-11-24T05:49:00.000-08:00

It's been a week of quiet transformation here at BH. This great, old building with its high ceilings and brick walls and wooden floors is now sporting signs of the holiday season. Our great downtown here is hosting the Festival of Trees, the city's popular and successful week of christmas events and fundraising galas in support of healthcare in Peterborough. Our great friends at Pammett's flowershop (the most amazing flower shop this side of Holland!) have spent time here this week to give our spaces on all 3 floors that classy, spirited holiday touch that only Pammett's can do. We put extra care and attention to our street level entrance this year as we know many Festival goers will be window shopping on George Street this week.
The Christmas tree is now up outside my office door and serves as a constant reminder every time I turn around in my chair that the holiday season is approaching.
This weekend is our famous annual BH Christmas Party, or should I say Christmas Weekend. It's incredible to me that it is actually the 7th Annual. For about 24 hours we will once again be taking over the dining room, lounge and a few floors of a popular downtown Toronto boutique hotel to celebrate the start of the season with colleagues, spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends and maybe even first dates? Deanne's fantastic party invitation above contained not only all the party details in its packaging, but also some great chocolate and candies from The Naked Chocolatier's shop across the street.
If these signs I've described above are not enough, there's also the mad, end of year rush of projects for clients that have either run out of 2011 budget dollars but need them completed anyway, or who have just landed extra budget that absolutely must be spent in the next 5 weeks. It makes for late nights, early mornings, and more than the average sense of frustration and tension. But that's agency life. We choose it for the good, the great, and the not so great. Because there's not a better feeling in the world than doing great work that is well received by clients and our client's customers during this magical season. And let's not forget how great that 9 day holiday at the end of December will feel. Stay tuned for the Charlie Brown Christmas tunes echoing off the walls here in my 2nd Floor Corner Office at the most amazing agency I know.

App Crazy

2011-11-13T18:19:00.001-08:00

Here at BrandHealth, 2011 will likely be remembered as 'The Year of the App'. This has been the year that our bigger, what I call Fortune 500, clients have embraced mobile communications big time. Salesforces are switching to iPhones and iPads. As our clients, mostly brand managers and group product managers, start to appreciate Apps in their business and personal lives, they are starting to get excited about the ability of these tools, in the hands of the right consumer, or sales professional, to more effectively communicate brand experiences and solve problems.
Personally, I can't believe how much I have embraced Apps on my iPhone and iPad to make my life easier and more enjoyable. The App profiled above is my new favourite. I love listening to music in various parts of my life but have always been frustrated with not having access to my favourites whenever and wherever I want them. Yes, I know there's iPods and home stereo systems and docking stations. But even having access to my own playlists doesn't seem to be enough. One of my favourite internet radio stations has always been sky.fm. It has a great selection of tunes spanning all genres of music from Jazz to Classical to Bossa Nova to Best of the 70's. I installed the sky.fm App this weekend on my iPhone and can't believe the quality of the sound. As I sit here typing this I have my iPhone tuned to the Mostly Classical channel and it's sitting on the armrest of my favourite leather chair. It sounds like I'm at a concert and I didn't even have to get up and put my phone in a docking station.
Sacha and her digital team here are rolling out a couple great Apps for an International Film Festival and a local (secret) client. I know that Steve Jobs has been credited with revolutionizing many industries, including personal computers, music, animated movies (Pixar), tablet computing, and so on. But I think ultimately the biggest revolution may be the App---as it's allowed the everyday person with zero computing skill to truly enjoy the power of the web in the palm of their hand. The iPhone is a great piece of hardware. But Apps have made it indispensable.

LIKE NO OTHER.

2011-11-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

Although that's the understated (yet boastful) tagline of the entire Lakefield College School, it is a great 3 word summary of the nature of the great people who give so much of themselves to our students every day. It is undeniable that the school has been defined by the quality of its staff since it first opened in 1879. Although I can't claim this staff as mine, as I can when I brag about a group photo of my BrandHealth team, I certainly am just as proud to be associated with them as a parent and as Board Chair. This photo, taken on Halloween, captures the heart and soul of the school incredibly well; it's one thing to be a team, its another thing to all dress like bees (and a Queen Bee). I love how they can be both at the top of their game yet also not take themselves too seriously. It's been a defining characteristic of Lakefield forever; friendly, passionate, unselfish, caring, there for the greater good and the collective cause, team over individual. I love how the best school in Canada can somehow avoid being over confident, high brow, and overly serious. Happy Halloween Lakefield staff. You truly are LIKE NO OTHER private school in Canada. You're the best by a country mile.

The Complete Package

2011-11-04T05:17:00.001-07:00

It's a difficult point to get across to a client; the key marketing concept that it takes SO much more than great advertising to build a brand. Customers experience brands, companies, stores and restaurants in a much more thorough, 360 degree way than most business owners think. Case in point--the photo above of one of my best friend's GM dealership. I was driving by his showroom this morning and I turned my car around and drove up next to the showroom to snap this picture. JR and his brother David have just finished a complete re-design of the exterior of their building. I know a little about franchisee-corporate relationships and can only imagine the true cost of such a facelift that was, more than likely, something that all GM dealerships will be required to do whether they want to or not. But as an outsider who lives and breathes the expression of a brand I cannot help but think that this investment will pay off for them in spades. No one will come up to them and say, "I just want you to know that the reason I chose this Chevy truck over the F-150 down the street was because I like how your building looks", but that doesn't mean it isn't a factor., and that it doesn't at a more subtle level, contribute to a customer's feelings and attitudes about the strength of the dealership, their own level of success (I believe car shoppers like buying cars from successful people and dealers). As I approached their new building from the west this morning, the sun was coming up and shining on the front facade. The new metallic facing gives the whole dealership both a sleek and modern look, but also this really solid, we're not going anywhere, we're here forever feeling that must be so important given how much GM was in the news just a couple years ago. I love how the logos of Cadillac and Buick and GMC contrast with the silver exterior. And most of all, how that gold Chevrolet logo set against the sky blue background towers over everything. I think what it says to the public is 'This is the home of Chevrolet in this region'; what a strong and important statement to make. Very impressive. JR and I haven't actually talked much about this facelift--we are in one of those 2 month periods where work and family commitments get in the way of spending time together--and the fact that our golf course is now closed doesn't help! So I don't know the full scoop behind this major project. But I wanted to comment on it just the same because it's a perfect example of how important it is to continually re-fresh your business, show that you are continually improving, and showing those people that support you by buying your product that the physical appeal of your place of business is important to them and that when done right it rubs off onto every product and service you offer. JR, David--well done. May your investment pay off in not only spades, but in shiny new cars and trucks being driven off your lot in record numbers. Cheers.

Studio Extraordinaire

2011-11-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

There are design studios and then there are DESIGN STUDIOS. The best piece of real estate in our BrandHealth building is the back half where the window is the biggest, the walls the tallest, and the talent and passion incredible! Sometimes I feel bad that I can't talk more about the incredible work that they are creating as it's being created---but much of what is happening in the studio is a secret until the client sees it and the rest of the world experiences it when it appears on-line, in apps, in print, on tv, on the radio, in your mailbox or your inbox, at meetings and anywhere else it makes its debut. I moved up the agency ladder on the other side of the business--the account and strategy side--and as an agency leader I am well aware of the real and imaginary tensions between the account and creative sides of companies like ours. There was a time in my life when, with the right push and the right role model and inspiration, I could have seen myself choose art school or architecture or something that would have been more right brain than left brain. I am so envious of what our studio professionals do day in and day out. I can only imagine the intensity of their thoughts as they come up with ideas and make even the dullest topics look exciting and beautiful to the eye. I can only imagine the energy and focus it takes to keep your creative and design neurons firing when your team is under the gun or when external conditions are out of sync with what you need to do your most inspired work. When time, the greatest resource of all, is in shorter supply. Mike and Sacha have been doing a good job with me---educating me on how right brain professionals work and what challenges there are in doing great, inspirational work under various workplace conditions. At times of the year like this, when it seems like every client is in a rush and every project is a priority, I am in awe at how the level of commitment, professionalism, quality and creativity can stay at such a high level when the diet is pizza and the sleep and personal life take a backseat for a period of time. The other side of this is that these times of intense creative and design pressure create weird feelings in the rest of the building. We know we walk a fine line in what we can ask for and how quickly we can hope that it be done. We feel that pit in our stomach when we know we need to give you more time and know that you want more time but sometimes certain clients would rather have the best work you can do in 4 days instead of your best work period. Probably the most dominant feeling any non-creative person has at times like these is the total feeling of helplessness. We do not have your talent. We cannot create the magic. You alone have that huge burden, but as well, we imagine, that huge feeling of satisfaction when you've nailed a design or made something complicated sing with simplicity. The BH Design Studio is made up of the greatest people in the world. It's easily 3x stronger than it was just a couple years ago. This is a 'shout out' long overdue.

BH Halloween #7

2011-11-02T17:02:00.001-07:00

Group shot in the studio, October 31 2011

The Irishman & his trusted sidekick Socket

Each year there's more and more people in this photo and better and better costumes. I love how it has become taboo to NOT show up wearing something silly. So...we had a sumo wrestler, electrical socket, Steve Jobs, leprechaun, Mary Poppins, G.I. Joe, guitar rocker, Toronto Maple Leaf zombie, nerdy estimator, geeky triathlete, Mrs PotatoHead, referee, Where's Waldo, flamenca dancer, witch, pirate, Pocahantas (I mean Chief Digi Officer), Twister chick, princess, pussycat, ghost,....man I know I'm going to get in trouble but Jenn and Diana--I don't know what you are besides 'sad'.
Thanks to all for participating and also for the delicious lunch--gotta love those asparagus roll-ups!

Habby Halloween : )

2011-11-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Roger, we have LIFTOFF

2011-11-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

Shoot for the stars and you're guaranteed of reaching the moon. That's exactly what one incredible team here at BrandHealth pulled off in October. In the tightly regulated world of Prescription Drug marketing, who has ever heard of having a full-scale, top notch launch meeting just 5 days after receiving N.O.C.? (Health Canada's term for approval to promote a new medicine to healthcare professionals and consumers). We had a super talented team of 9 working around the clock for the past 20 days to make this a reality for our client. It's a hugely important launch for our client as it paves the way for a whole new generation of approved uses for this blockbuster medicine that literally transforms people's lives. To our BH team here who have made personal sacrifices of the highest order over the past month I am so proud of what you were able to accomplish. Printed and digital marketing programs and tools ready that quickly. You have proven again that one of our agency's core strengths is our ability to be nimble and 'turn on a dime'. Which is particularly appropriate given that this client prides itself on the exact same thing. To our CM team here on George St---well done!

PEI Half Marathon

2011-10-31T20:30:00.001-07:00

I know it doesn't sound like a lot but I shaved a whopping 7 minutes off my half marathon personal best. Unlike my first one last February, I felt totally in-control of this race. Jane flew out with me to the cottage to be my chief pasta maker, hydrator and cheering fan. Although my training for this race was probably only 75% of what it was for my first, I ran a much better race. As my coaches suggested in an email the night before, I found a race buddy at about the 5 km mark. She looked strong and effortless and I decided that I was going to stay on her tail for the next 10 km, which was a part of the race where I really died last February. I stayed with her right to the end. With about 2 km to go she looked over to me and said (our first names were on our bibs), "Come on Paul...let's bring 'er home!" This surprised me. I was fearing that I could have been creeping her out by running so obviously close to her. I told her this was my 2nd 1/2 marathon and she sounded sympathetic to my 'rookie' status. We pushed each other hard down the home stretch and crossed the finish line almost together. I couldn't believe how great it felt to be passing people the last kilometre instead of that feeling like I was going in slow motion in my first race. I definitely plan on running this one again. It's a very friendly, personal event full of lots of PEI hospitality. And thanks Jenna (all I know is you're a 30-39 year old Chiropractor from Massachusetts). Thanks for pushing me home!

More Ireland Golf

2011-09-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

Ireland Golf Photos

2011-09-27T19:04:00.001-07:00

Ireland: My New Home Course

2011-09-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

As I write this I am en route from Shannon, Ireland to JFK Airport in New York. This is the first day in ten that I haven't played at least 18 holes. The last time I played this many days in a row I was 15 years old. This golf trip began ten days ago with a couple "warm-up" rounds hosted by former NHLer Ed Westfall at his spectacular home course, Meadow Brook, on Long Island. It ended yesterday on the west coast of Ireland at Lahinch.
My first trip to Ireland was everything I dreamed it would be and more. We played both courses at Ballybunion, as well as Waterville, Old Head, Tralee, Doonbeg and Lahinch. I have developed, over the course of the last week, a stronger appreciation for seaside golf and all that comes with it. In North America we really don't play in tough conditions--we complain about rain and a little bit of wind. We think we are tough when we wear mitts during the last few rounds of October or November. But the Irish play in stronger winds and more forms of precipitation than you would care to know. The standard line I heard from every one of my caddies was "your yardage is 140 playing 170." It took me most of the week to get comfortable hitting a 5-iron a short distance like 150 yards. On these links courses where the wind is the dominant force you learn quickly about the impact the trajectory of your ball has on your total distance. The week of golf there confirmed for me that my "low to the ground" game is pretty well suited for this kind of golf; low punch shots under the wind and the ability to spin the ball various ways on pitches and chips is a huge advantage. A solid, strong putting stance is rewarded, although mine seemed to abandon me for most of the week, leaving me anxious and tentative on the greens. It is unquestionable that links golf exposes the weaknesses of your game, laying them bare for all your playing partners and caddies to view.
Wind, rain, slower greens aside, the most memorable parts of the trip occurred off the course over many glasses of that dreamy Irish beer, Guinness. My fellow travelers were 3 older, wiser gentlemen who all have children my age. They are unqualified successes in business, family and life; pillars of their respective communities in Oklahoma, Ohio and Keene. Over the course of the week I learned about the insides of Wall Street, real estate, personal finance, Irish history, travel, Catholicism, bear markets, bull markets, and of course, beer. At the risk of getting sentimental about the week in Ireland I discovered a connection to this great country where my ancestors were born. Seeing the Hickey name on store signs and mailboxes made me feel I wasn't a stranger in this land. I had one of those ‘aha’ moments standing alone overlooking The Cliffs of Moher, a national historic site which deserves to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It was there, looking out across the Atlantic towards the Aran Islands and beyond that I think I finally understood that I was Irish. That as much as Canada was my birthplace and so much of my life, that this place where I was standing and where I felt so at home, was also my home. It made me feel proud to say I was from here. I feel bad that it took me 47 years to figure that out. But I’m glad I finally did.

Ready for Ireland

2011-09-27T18:58:00.001-07:00

Club Championships over. Stoney Lake Bestball in the bag. Time to relax and get into my true love about this game—travelling wherever to play the best and toughest courses in the world. I can’t ever recall being this excited about a golf vacation, or ‘boondoggle’ as my lovely wife calls them. On Friday I’m heading to Long Island, New York to meet up with three friends and we’re flying together to Shannon, Ireland to tackle seven of Ireland’s top courses in just one week. The excitement is high for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that this ‘boondoggle’ has been planned for about 18 months. Add to that my 100% pure Irish blood—both my father and mother are Hickeys—I know what you’re thinking but if they are related you’d have to go back at least eight generations or more so that doesn’t count. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
The trip’s organizer is a well-connected American who completed a successful ‘scouting’ mission for us last year, travelling around the southwest shores of Ireland making the proper introductions and booking the perfect tee times and accommodations. Rounding out the perfect foursome are my close friend, advisor and investment manager (yes that’s all the same guy) and his friend whose last name is fittingly O’Toole. I’m thinking that I should reclaim the abandoned “ ‘O “ from my surname so that we are truly blood brothers during the flurry of 2-man bestball matches we’re sure to have. The list of courses on the agenda gives me goose bumps: Ballybunion (both courses), Old Head, Tralee, Waterville, Lahinch, Doonbeg. Are those not the greatest course names ever? The ‘Doonbeg Boondoggle’ has a nice ring to it.
I’ve surveyed my family and am now travelling equipped with a piece of paper my dad drew up to illustrate his side of the Hickey family tree; the Peterborough side, as opposed to the Ennismore side. Research that his father did combined with some calls to his brothers has taught me a boatload more about my Hickey roots than I knew before. Seems that those Hickey’s left the town of Mallow, which is within 100 km of most of the courses we’ll be playing, to join the Peter Robinson voyage that ended up in Peterborough around 1825.

To cap it all off I’ve got golf’s version of the perfect trashy novel to keep me company in the trains, planes and automobiles I will be in. If you haven’t purchased it yet it’s a must read. It’s called The Swinger, and it’s cleverly written by two accomplished Sports Illustrated writers in the style of that classic piece of golf pseudo fiction, “Dead Solid Perfect” by longtime S.I. writer Dan Jenkins. Without ruining it for you I will say it chronicles the PGA Tour victories, trials and tribulations of one Tree Tremont, who bears a striking resemblance to Tiger Woods. In fact, it’s little secret that although the authors have come up with clever, fictional names for the cast of characters and chronology of events, it is not so loosely based on the events of the past few years involving Tree, I mean Tiger. Nike has been re-branded Arrow. Tree’s wife is an exotic Italian swimsuit model instead of a blonde Swede. I’ll leave the rest to you to see for yourself how it all turns out. Maybe a happy, uplifting ending for Tiger….I mean Tree?
Here’s to a week of low, punched 6 irons under the wind, glasses of smooth, fresh, creamy Guinness, and the unbelievable tales of Tree Tremont on Tour. Cheers.

BHU Digital: iPads for All

2011-09-27T18:44:00.001-07:00

BHUniversity #3 is in the bag. The program delivered by Professors Lai-Svirk and Hickey focused on all things digital. Our agency's movement into digital communication programs for our clients has exploded in recent months, and our long held belief that the big drug companies would have to eventually move from cumbersome PC to sleek iPad has happened. We are in the middle of a seismic shift in the way these Fortune 500 salesforces communicate with their customers. Our recent appointment of Sacha as our Chief Digital Officer reflects the work she has done the past few months to make sure we could help guide our clients through this complicated transition. Last year with our staff we put our money where our mouths were by making a statement about mobile digital communication within our agency by giving iPhones to all employees. We concluded last week's BHU by handing out new iPad 2's to everyone. We are in the midst of completing overhauling our internal filemaker system and making it mobile. We wanted to make a statement to our staff that Apps and mobile communication needs to be the heart and soul of everything we do at BrandHealth. To our creative staff, how can we expect them to experiment with Apps and think of new ways of helping clients if they don't all have iPads to work with and play with. On the account side, what better way to show existing clients the cool work we're doing for iPads and iPhones than to have the devices always on them, ready to show and tell when the client is ready. I love the fact that our culture is one that makes decisions like this easy ones. $30k worth of Ipads is no small investment for a 30 person agency. But it's the right one. Love it.

BHAT Women BBQ

2011-09-10T04:56:00.000-07:00

Complete with incredibly detailed (not to mention sexy as in Wonder Woman Sexy) 'uniforms', the caped crusaders representing the BrandHealth Admin Team served up a delicious BBQ lunch in fine BrandHealth tradition. Kendra and Tracy--what the heck was in that delicious bbq'd apple crisp? Wow. Thanks for the SUPER HUMAN BHAT effort that went into this BHAT lunch. Kapow! Shazam! The bar has been raised again.

Happy New Year!

2011-09-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Although most of the world seems to celebrate New Year's on January 1, to me the real 'new year' has always been the 1st Tuesday of September. For the first 50 or so years of our lives we are either students or parents of students. And being married to a teacher probably amplifies the 'New Years' feel to this time of the year. This week is the week that the world really seems to start fresh. The relaxed, carefree days of summer instantaneously turn to the anxiety, apprehension and excitement of a new beginning. Kindergarten, grade 9, first year university. Especially first year university! It's exactly 28 years ago that I left home for Kingston to begin the next phase of my life at Queen's. And yesterday Kris & I did the two hour drive in the other direction as we took Jane to the University of Guelph to move her into residence and begin her first year of university life. It was a hot (39 degrees C), sticky, emotionally charged day. It's funny--your kids spend their last couple years of high school telling you how grown up and mature they are, and you start to believe them, and then you take them to university and it feels like you're dropping off your little baby! And I say this not meaning to imply that Jane was acting like a baby yesterday--but I sure felt like one. Nothing had prepared me for this day. Not even the events of this time last year when Jane and I were in Norway as she departed on her Class Afloat adventure--see my blog postings from early September 2010 for the full scoop.
The photos here tell the story of 'move in day' at Prairie Hall, South Residence at U of G. A day full of kisses, hugs and good-byes. Proud of you Janer. And don't worry about me--I'll be OK!

Kentucky Bound

2011-09-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I actively followed junior golf here in Ontario or nationally. Not since I was one myself back in the early 80’s. But I have been following the competitive exploits of talented local Junior Kaitlyn Elliott over the past couple of years, ever since I had the pleasure of playing a friendly match against her and my niece Meghan McDougall at Wildfire two years ago. Kaitlyn’s and Meghan’s golf trajectory has been similar the past few years, with both of them earning impressive provincial and national rankings, winning their fair share of individual and team titles, and then Kaitlyn securing a well deserved golf scholarship at a top American university earlier this year.

I regularly check the GAO website for the latest girls U19 (under 19) rankings, and the family communication network of texting and Facebook postings keeps me abreast of Meghan’s latest results. For most of this summer she has been the number one or two ranked female junior golfer in the province; an amazing feat. As I write this I am flying back from a business meeting in Montreal and see from the GAO website that she’s returned from Belgium where she represented Canada in a team event and the very next day she captured the Ontario Junior Girls 4-ball with her friend from the U17 developmental team, carding a tidy 3-under par 69. Could her favourite Uncle Paul be any prouder?

I have joked within our family, and with Meg, the past couple of years that the day was fast approaching when I wouldn’t be able to beat her anymore. It was one of those things that you knew was out of your control and it was just a matter of time. That day at Wildfire I watched in awe as a 15 year old, ‘blonde hair in pigtails’ little teenager hit these pure, straight as an arrow 230 yard drives down every fairway. The ball left the clubface with that distinctive ‘she’s a player’ sound that is instantly recognizable to anyone who’s been in the company of truly great golfers. Perhaps Meg and Kaitlyn toyed with myself and Meg’s father that day as we squeeked out a narrow 2 shot victory in our gross bestball match. I said to her dad that day that we should savour this victory as it’s likely to be our last.

When I read about Kaitlyn and Penn State I smiled as it confirmed for me that these two junior golfers I knew were extra special, and I knew there would be a day a year later when Meg would have her own NCAA offers to choose from. That day came last month. She proudly let us know by email that she was about to sign a letter of intent with the University of Kentucky. Another step along her path to the LPGA was here and she would become a Wildcat when she heads to university in the fall of 2012. All that talk of Meg’s dream of being a professional golfer, actually earning a living playing this game, seemed a huge step closer. I had to reschedule my annual game with her when this business trip got in the way of our match at her home club, York Downs. But I know I can’t duck her for long and that this old uncle better get his game in shape if he wants to hang on to the family number one ranking any longer. I expect that most of them have probably already awarded her the ranking but in my book she has to actually beat me on the course, straight up. My days are numbered.

The Need for Speed

2011-08-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

While waiting to play at Kawartha last week I shared a brief conversation with two women before they teed off. After exchanging some small talk about the perfect weather and wishing them a great game, I soon became keenly aware of the respect this twosome commanded from other members, and it was not only because they were friendly, delightful women. It was because they were also speed demons. From the way that others were encouraging them to go ahead I soon learned that Brenda and Beverly were quite famous for how quickly they played. By all accounts that morning and from what I’ve heard since, they are among the fastest players at the club. To Brenda and Beverly—kudos to you both and all those like you who set great examples for their fellow members.

Now, I have written about slow play and fast play in this space before, but let’s take the conversation to the next level—the competitive level. It is one thing to talk about the three hour round that involves gimmies and no lost ball searches, but when rules dictate that every putt be holed and the Rules of Golf followed to a tee, there is no question that extra stress is put on the clock. Local Head Professionals deserve top marks for efforts they’ve made to reduce those five and six hour rounds that have been the one black mark on the legacy of many local club championships and invitational tournaments. In my mind every 15 minutes that is shaved off of an average round in a tournament is a significant boost for the game as a whole. Let’s face it; it has been on the minds of many 30-50 year old competitive golfers for decades—the imposition and stress that competing in events has on families, spouses and kids. I am the first to admit that I stopped serious competitive golf more than 15 years ago at a time when playing in the events I wanted to play in consumed a good eight hours per day of a precious weekend or long weekend. It was just too much to ask.

Fresh off of our Men’s and Women’s Club Championships at Wildfire this past weekend, the entire field averaged slightly more than 4 hours in all rounds, even for those that played 36 holes on Saturday. Similar to what Kawartha Head Professional Mark Ahrens instituted at his club a couple years ago, Jeff Mills informed all Wildfire members that the Golf Association of Ontario slow play penalties were going to be in effect for this year’s Club Championships. Check points were set up after the 9th and 18th hole and groups that exceeded the time allotment at both these points could be penalized a total of 3 strokes—certainly enough to change a final outcome of a flight or overall competition. Whether it was the actual threat of being penalized real strokes, or the power of peer pressure and the associated fear of being singled out as slow, it worked perfectly. While I’m sure Jeff and our Club Captains feel we could get even faster, what a treat it was to be home early every single day, not to mention the reduced stress of not grinding it out under the hot sun for five or 6 hours at a time.
My favourite quote after the final round was from my friend and fellow competitor Don. We had retired to the bar for a cold beer to catch the end of the PGA on the big screen. Don said, “my wife’s expecting me at 7:00 pm. It’s only 4:45.”

Hot Blooded

2011-08-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

Although I can't say I ever would have thought I'd spend an evening at a Foreigner/Journey concert, it truly was an amazing night. Thanks to Steve for organizing...and although he truly appreciates this music more than I, he had the foresight to know that a night like this isn't just about who's on stage, but about getting a great group of close friends out for a night on the town and all the silliness and laughter that comes with that. Like, come on--dinner at the York St. Keg followed by Foreigner and then Journey at the Molson Amphitheatre accompanied by a nice cool breeze off of Lake Ontario--what's not to like about that!? One of the best parts of the evening was the fact that we literally knew almost EVERY single song played. Memories of high school dances, mullets and tight jeans. The other 'best part' was being in an audience of 6,000 and everyone was our age. There is nothing in the world like the energy and vibe of a great outdoor concert in the summer. Looking forward to next year--maybe Styx, Trooper, Chicago, Boston? Are these groups even still performing? Alive? To Bo, Johnny, Stan, Trace, Janie, Jeanne and Kris--thanks for a great night that will be remembered for a very long time.

The Billboard Says It All

2011-08-03T17:09:00.001-07:00

Yes, we are looking for another talented Art Director. Yes, billboards work. And yes, this particular billboard on Highway 115 gets lots of cottage bound traffic. BrandHealth---leaving no stone unturned in its quest to find GOOD, TALENTED PEOPLE who have yet to consider agency life outside the GTA.

Examiner Golf Column August 3

2011-08-03T17:03:00.001-07:00

Where’s the Magic for Junior Golfers?
Like anything in life, you always appreciate things more when you’ve earned them. There was a time when the best teenage golfers at most clubs were the kids who manned the club storage area, or worked in the pro shop, or cut the greens, or caddied and shagged balls for adult members. I wonder how much the fact that the game of golf wasn’t handed to them on a platter, along with shiny new clubs and sleeves of new balls, contributed to their passion for the game?

Is it possible that some of the magic of the game has disappeared from junior golf? How do you place a value on each of the following and how their disappearance from the teenage world of golf leaves today’s generation of juniors behind those that went before them?

1. The magic of the new or near-new golf ball. Many kids today have missed out on the age old ‘hunting for golf balls’ experience. It isn’t uncommon today to see kids pull out sleeves of brand new Pro V1’s like it’s a right as opposed to a privilege. There was a day when you worked your way up to the best balls. You would look forward to your birthday when you might be lucky enough to receive a dozen brand spanking new Spalding Canada Cups, fresh from Consumer’s Distributing. You would live through playing with the “X-outs” and water logged balls you found in the pond. You endured many rounds with the cut up and bruised old Titleists before even sampling a brand shiny new one. I remember fondly those days at PGCC when our parents would come looking for us at 10:00 at night and find us with our shoes and socks off, pants rolled up, sometimes stripped to our underwear, searching for those white round gems in the pond on the first hole. We would carry the stench of that pond with us for days, but boy was it worth it.

2. That crisp, colourful $10 bill. Cash. Cold hard cash. Has there ever been anything to teach young golfers the value of hard work better than the $5 or $10 bill you would receive after lugging some guy’s clubs around the course for five hours under the hot summer sun? A big part of it was not truly knowing how much you were going to get until the very end, and having this feeling that every little thing you did could have an impact on that ultimate payday. The loss of the teenage caddy is one of the most unfortunate ‘developments’ in golf. It was an unwritten but well understood rule that you had to earn the right to play a good golf course and that an important part of that was paying your dues to carry the bag, shag some balls, and play a part in the delivery of services to adult members of your club.

Will the loss of the things mentioned above have an impact on the future of the game? My sense is that it is very likely that the current generation of young golfers may not develop the same love and appreciation for the game of golf as those that went before them. The world continues to change at a frightening pace. I fear that the heart and soul of the game is vulnerable. Could there possibly be a better place for young people to learn life’s lessons than by spending a lot of time at a golf club? Only if there’s some work involved. Call me old-fashioned.

Truth in Advertising

2011-07-31T05:01:00.000-07:00

You can say what you want about whether you like or don't like advertising but when it is done well and when it speaks from a place of persuasive honesty, it performs an important function in the world of business and even in the broader world of popular culture and communication. But the entire ad world takes a step backwards when one of its 'members' tries to intentionally deceive the consumer. The big story this past week was the dishonesty behind this Lancome magazine ad featuring Julia Roberts and how the client was forced by the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority to pull it, apologize, and I'm hoping pay a hefty fine, for its complete and utter dishonesty. Now I have no problem with the use of Photoshop (airbrushing) in our industry if it's to enhance the look of people who appear in advertising--with ONE important exception--you cannot do it if the product being touted is making a claim about something as bold as removing wrinkles. Like...come on! I have written in this space previously about the frustrations I have had working in the female beauty category within the prescription drug space--and how the claims that the government allows us to make (even with well designed clinical trials supporting our claims) pale in comparison to what the over-the-counter cosmetic companies are allowed to say about their lotions and potions with virtually no evidence at all. It truly is ridiculous! So I was delighted to learn that L'Oreal was forced to pull the ad above--take a close look at it--Julie has absolutely ZERO wrinkles in the photo. And the context of the photo is selling a product that makes your skin look smoother and wrinkle-free. That is nothing but an out and out lie. Believe me--there is no face in the world that has zero wrinkles or creases or lines. Especially when you're talking about a woman (or man) over 30. And to suggest otherwise by showing a photoshopped face in your ad is insulting and a blackmark on the world of health and beauty advertising. It's interesting that in the same week another ad in the category was also forced to be pulled--big surprise--it showed (former) supermodel Christy Turlington in an ad with an eraser morphed onto her face, implying that the product being endorsed had the magical powers to erase fine lines and wrinkles. Come on. I suppose if the consumer is gullible enough to believe such crap they get what they deserve, but there is a responsibility for clients and agencies to not cross that line that L'Oreal seems to have no problem crossing.

Interesting that the same day this case went viral there was a Fitness Club in east Toronto that got called on the carpet for featuring a man who had his stomach stapled in their weightloss advertising campaign. They did not reveal that in the advertising, and instead left the reader of the ad with the impression that this man's weight loss was completely due to working out at Extreme Fitness. A complete lie. Nice.

Examiner Golf Column July 20

2011-07-31T04:53:00.000-07:00

What Are YOU Like to Play With?
Darren Clarke’s victory in the Open Championship last weekend was a popular one for good reason. Many analysts cited his Guiness-drinking, cigar-smoking, ‘just one of the guys’ image. There was much talking and blogging about the adversity he has faced, particularly the death of his wife in 2006 and how he responded in that emotional Ryder Cup just a few weeks later. Lots of discussion about his ever-changing physique and how he has gone from fat to fit and back again, and how he insists that he plays better fat. His swing seems to be a perfect extension of his non-golfing self—fast, strong, one-of-a-kind. Nothing fancy. He has a ‘character’ of a golf swing. Perhaps even the swing of an Irishman.

When I think of Opens over my golfing lifetime, and who I rooted for and when, Jack Nicklaus was often in my head but it was Tom Watson in my heart. I don’t think I ever imitated anything Jack did. In fact when he talked or wrote books I didn’t find many endearing qualities there. Tom was different. I always felt he really appreciated and respected the game. I liked his quiet style. His mild mannerisms. The way he grinned and shyly waved to the crowd. I loved the way his swing looked; it was just so tight and crisp. I loved that he had great hands, which manifested in great putting, chipping and pitching.

I have been thinking about Darren and Tom and about this idea of your Golf Personality, or simply, who you are and how you carry yourself within your golfing world. Now, I suppose that you have unique personalities within all of the ‘worlds’ that you participate, including the hockey rink, the ball diamond, the gym, and at work. But there is something unique about golf. The fact that it’s more of a social game. You wear clothes more than a uniform and have complete control over your golf fashion. You eat, drink, gossip, congratulate, talk, close deals, smoke, swear, fib, all within the confines of ‘the game’.

Have you ever thought about what your Golf Personality is? Yeah, I know you’re a doctor or a lawyer or a retired ‘world’s greatest teacher’. But that’s not who you are on the golf course. In a way, the game strips you of a lot of that stuff that you carry around as a badge in the outside world. Think about whether you’re proud of your Golf Personality. Is it who you really are as a person? Would you get excited about the chance to play in a foursome with someone like YOU? What do you think others say when they learn that they are paired with you in a scramble or opening day? Does it elicit a “Yes!” or something else? It’s not really about what you shoot. Have you ever observed that when you play with teenagers who think of themselves as good golfers, that they behave as if the only way you will judge them is based on what they shoot. It never ceases to amaze me how many golfers I know who truly believe that their appeal as a golfing partner is related to how well they play or how far they bomb it. It is a fact that those who are playing with you are paying a lot less attention to how you are scoring than you think. Many higher handicappers feel that a lower handicapper wouldn’t want to play with them because of what they shoot. Which is such hogwash. In this era of quick fixes and high tech this and soft covered that, what about that Golf Personality of yours? Any room for improvement?

Our NEW PEI Top 10

2011-07-24T17:47:00.001-07:00

On this the last night of our time in PEI this summer, Kris and I thought we'd do our updated Top 10 list--please take note all family and friends who are staying here in August. Don't consider this a complete replacement of the 'Must Do' list that is in the binder in our PEI kitchen. Let's just say that this new list reflects the experience of having now spent 5 summers on the island and no doubt the changing tastes of our maturing daughters. This is a top 10 but the items are in no particular order.

1. For fine dining our favourite restaurant, The Dayboat, seems closed for good. So we're replacing Dayboat with Lot 30 in Charlottetown. Interestingly the chef at Lot 30 (and owner) is Gordon Bailey, the original chef at Dayboat. We tried the tasting menu and highly recommend it!

2. The 'Foodie' drive to Darnley. Don't get caught up in the 'tourist' myth that there's nothing west of Cavendish (dear Lord that is so NOT true). The 45 minute drive to Darnley passes through Stanley Bridge, New London, Seaview, French River, Cousins Shore and Darnley. The best 'casual' fresh seafood restaurant on the island is now in Darnley and it's called Ship to Shore. The owner is also the PEI Oyster Shucking Champion. If you've had your fill of mussels and lobster by the time you go there, you MUST have the fresh PEI Halibut. Unbelievable. Reservations are req'd and it's not open for lunch.

3. We are officially die hard raw oyster fans now. And Malpeque Bay, just beyond Darnley, is the mecca of oysters. It's home to Raspberry Point and Malpeque Oysters. Try the small, rustic restaurant on the 2nd floor of the harbour building (The Malpeque Oyster Barn) for a great lunch of oysters on the half shell and fishcakes (yes---fishcakes). No reservations req'd but a busy spot.

4. Biking. We finally managed to bring our bikes (2) here and this is where they are staying. Just in time to be tested on the beautiful, smooth new paved bike trails that run alongside the entire Gulfshore Parkway in Brackley Beach (10km of paved trail starting at the west entrance to the park and continuing all the way down to Dalvay-by-the-Sea, that just hosted William and Kate's Royal Visit). Equally as spectacular is the long stretch of paved bike trails running along the coast from Cavendish to North Rustico. If you're a runner (something I've become in the last 5 years), both these trails are great for running. I finished off my runs here this summer with a half marathon (the entire length of the National Park from Brackley to Dalvay and back--it's approx 10+ km each way).

5. Sea Kayaking. We purchased two great new Current Design Sea Kayaks to go along with the 2 play kayaks we already had. We recommend a trip or two to the sand bar at the end of Robinson Island that you can see right from our back deck. With the current it's only about 30 mins out but that time can double or triple if it's windy or if you're going against the tide. Be sure and check the tide info in the Guardian newspaper or on-line any day you're considering venturing out. Ideally you'd like to venture out with the tide and back with the tide. Don't leave your trip until too late in the day as you could get stranded out on the island and not be able to get back.

6. Anne of Green Gables The Musical. The traditional favourite has been 're-imagined' with a more current look and feel. It's definitely a touristy thing to do and on the must do's of most people who are here for the first time but don't feel you have to. If you have young daughters it's probably worthwhile.

7. The Hickey BBQ. Don't feel you have to go out to dinner every night. Almost everything you need for a great meal is available fresh locally--within a 10 minute drive of our cottage. And there's nothing better than a meal on our deck overlooking the bay and the ocean beyond. Keith Gallant, owner and butcher at Gallant's General Store just down the road cuts the best steaks on the island. He also stocks fresh mussels everyday. Be sure and tell him you're staying at the Hickey's cottage. If you drive 5 minutes further to North Rustico you must checkout Doiron's fish market where you can get anything caught be the fishermen who dock their boats behind the store. The bakery in North Rustico (look for little yellow building at the main intersection) has fresh bread and desserts everyday (cash only).

8. Golf. Although I don't play alot of golf while I'm here, I highly recommend the newly renovated Green Gables course in Cavendish. It's beautiful, very playable, and casual. And you can't beat the rates--we played after 4 pm and paid $50 each in June! The course down the road from the cottage (Rustico Resort) is a good, casual, cottage type course that you can play in your jeans and running shoes. Great place to take kids who are learning to play. The Links at Crowbush Cove ( 1 hour east of here on the north shore) and the two courses at Brudenell (Brudenell River and Dundarave) would be the other 'must plays' if you're here to play some serious golf.

9. Sunsets on Brackley Beach. Even if you're not the 'sun worshipping beach goer' type person we highly recommend that at least once you drive over to Brackley Beach in the National Park and stroll along the beach before sunset. It's spectacular especially when the sky is red. You can see nothing but monster sand dunes for miles. Be sure and take the park pass that we've already purchased.

10. Deep Sea Fishing. It's still the best way to see the beautiful north shore--from the Gulf of St Lawrence looking back. Joey's and The Bearded Skipper are our two favourites. Most offer 3 trips per day (2-3 hours at a time) and you should book in advance. Joey's is in the way to North Rustico about 7 minutes from here, and all the others are in North Rustico about 5 minutes from Joey's, right behind Doiron's Fish Market.

ENJOY.

20 Years of 4th Line Theatre

2011-07-24T04:52:00.000-07:00

I still remember the first time we attended a show at 4th Line--Jane was with us in the (outdoor) audience in her stroller. So my personal connection to this incredible theatre company dates back 19 years. Over that time our family has had many connections to the casts, crews, management and founder of 4th Line Theatre. From our earliest days as patrons, attending one or two shows each summer in this very unique outdoor setting, to our days volunteering and on the Board, organizing fundraisers, to ultimately our strongest connection with Nora acting in one production every year for what I believe has now been 7 or 8 straight years. And since BrandHealth came into being we've been involved as a corporate sponsor for each of the past 5 years. At BH we'e very proud of the funding we've been able to provide to what we affectionately call, "Local Organizations that Matter". The list is long and the cheques have been substantial but nothing is as rewarding as seeing your investment contribute to artists telling their stories and patrons leaving shows smiling, laughing, debating about what they just experienced. Congratulations 4th Line Theatre on your first 20 years. May your next 20 be even better.

Always "From Away"

2011-07-24T04:08:00.001-07:00

The time came to finally change over our license plates here at the cottage. We've had our Denali (a.k.a. the burgundy bus) parked in the garage here for a couple years and it's been great to never have to worry about renting cars when we're here. But there was no way I was going to drive it 1800 km back to Ontario just to have an emissions test. I couldn't help but think as I installed the plates that it must make me at least a little bit more of an ISLANDER. But then Kris reminded me that there are people who have lived here for generations that are still considered 'FROM AWAY'. The message being that we will always be FROM AWAY no matter how long we spend here and we should just get used to it. I have no doubt that Islanders have fun pointing out the idiosyncracies of us FROM AWAY folk every single day of the year. However, I feel that this time of year, when the island is chock full of purebred tourists in search of Anne of Green Gables or Crowbush Cove Golf Course or a Lobster Supper, that us cottage owners must at least be seen as a little higher up the pecking order than those folk right? No need to answer.

Examiner Golf Column: June 22. 2011

2011-07-02T19:27:00.001-07:00

Golf Takes Too Much Time

If Rory McIlroy can play the final round of the U.S. Open in less than 4 hours, why are most of the golf rounds played in North America still 4.5 or more hours in length? It’s one of the biggest enemies of the game and is arguably THE problem that needs to be solved for golf to truly become a high growth, mass participation sport globally.
Forget Tiger, or Rory or the next great hope. Forget massive improvements in club and ball technology. What our game really needs to generate widespread participation is a big cut in the amount of time needed to play it.
With the exception of a small faction of players at your own club who pride themselves on their sub 3 hour rounds, the norm is not even 4 or 4.5 hours. When you move to public courses it can be 5. Is it any wonder that we lose so many potential golfers because their only connection to the game are the couple times a year they play for a worthy cause but end up spending 6 hours on the course?
In my world of advertising and communication, we get a chance to participate in a lot of focus groups and other forms of market research. Across every category, every type of consumer, and especially in some of the markets where we are heavily invested such as medicine and healthcare, the number one issue on everyone’s mind is time. No one has enough time anymore. And no one sees that changing.
As with so many things in life we can often find answers by turning to other parts of the world that have figured things out ahead of us due to scarcity of resources, or a more pure sense of the integrity of an activity or even a better understanding of the human condition. With golf, we must admit that the North American version of golf has taken some liberties with the original intent of the game that the Scots invented. We focus way too much on score. We spend way too much time agonizing over shots whose execution would most likely be enhanced by spending less time waggling, aiming and reading breaks. We dwell on yardages to the point of craziness.
If I could wave my magic wand and rid the game of the biggest contributors to slow play, here’s what I’d wish for:
Play more match play. Even if you’re in a foursome, pick teams and don’t worry about your score. When you’ve won the hole don’t finish, just pickup and move to the next tee. The Rules of Golf allow for this and your handicap needn’t suffer because of it.
Concede more putts. If someone in your group is grinding away for a triple bogey cut him or her some slack and say, “that’s enough”.
Play ‘ready golf’. First one to the tee hits. Always be ready to hit when it’s your turn. In fact, be ready to hit even when it’s not your turn.
Spend less time looking for balls. If you can afford to play this game you can afford to take the financial hit of a lost ball. Seriously. You spent more money on that text you sent to your office last hole.
Speak up. When you feel your group falling behind don’t be afraid to say something like, “let’s pick up the pace”. Acknowledging that you’re playing too slow is half the battle and can be just the motivation everyone in your group needs to speed up. There’s nothing wrong with focusing on playing the next hole extra fast to make up lost time.

Make it your mission to speed up the group you play with regularly. See if you can shave fifteen minutes off your next round. For the good of the game.

Examiner Golf Column: June 8. 2011

2011-07-02T19:24:00.000-07:00

The Gems

When talk turns to great courses most of the mainstream golf press and locker room banter is on the latest, boldest, 30 carat diamond courses; little attention gets paid to the little gems—those precious, understated treasures that exist both under our noses and around the world off the beaten track.

Call me a traditionalist, a term I gladly accept when it comes to golf, but I absolutely detest the Donald Trump form of golf courses in all their man made, bling-infested glory. And to be honest I wouldn’t rank some of the early Jack Nicklaus layouts much better. I am a proud member of the school that says that the greatest courses and clubs don’t need spectacular waterfalls or gold encrusted everything to be the best.

The very best places stand on their own merit without the fancy clubhouse, man made course features, or over-the-top gated entrances that make you feel like you’re entering Buckingham Palace. They are subtle. They are a bit mysterious. Their members don’t clamor for attention. In fact they often shun it. There is little interest in being on anyone’s Top 10 List, because there is a quiet confidence that they know it’s great and don’t need to share the fact with the rest of the world.

Case in point, this past weekend I experienced what can only be described as a gem of a gem just thirty minutes outside of Montreal. When you think about Montreal and golf you naturally think of Royal Montreal, especially the Blue Course there that has hosted many Canadian Opens and most recently, a President’s Cup.
Before our Board Meeting started Saturday afternoon, our gracious host offered us the chance to play Mount Bruno, his home course. I had heard of the club before, and have friends who have played it but there’s very little public information on it. Web searches just give you a sprinkling of course reviews and references, with many referring to the club as one of the most private of private clubs in the world. The three greatest clues for me that I was about to play a gem were that we got lost trying to find the course, when we asked a local where it was he had never heard of it (yet it was right under his nose at the end of a dirt cul-de-sac), and when we got to the entrance to the club there was nothing but a simple old sign with the street number on it.

Mount Bruno CC was designed by Willie Park Jr. and opened in 1919. It has been spruced up over the past 90 years with renovations by two architects firmly entrenched in local golf lore--Stanley Thompson and Tom McBroom. Its clubhouse has certainly seen better days, and resembles an old Muskoka lodge with one of those red-rust shingled roofs, screened in dining rooms and lounges, and a quaint little pro shop close by. Members here boast of sub 3 hour rounds and no need for tee times. My gracious host gave me some tips that were invaluable; the mountain terrain causes optical illusions and the ball often breaks in different ways than the naked eye can predict. ‘Everything breaks towards the clubhouse’ answered many questions I faced on the greens last weekend.
It is very, very difficult to get onto Mount Bruno, and I will be content going to my grave having only played it once—although I would love a second shot at it. The unexpected ‘bonus’ for me that day was running into a former classmate and university golf team mate on the practice putting green as I was leaving. I think there might just be a second round in the making. Larry—expect a call.

Examiner Golf Column: April 13. 2011

2011-07-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

KGCC DEEP IN TALENT

They are called player’s clubs; those great golf clubs that are famous for having large numbers of scratch players in their membership. Pine Valley (New Jersey) and Oakmont (Pittsburgh) have disproportionate numbers of scratch players in their roster. You feel it in their locker rooms and see it on the stimpmeter.
As a kid I remember caddying in local men’s invitationals, and if you couldn’t get Bobby J’s bag, a bag with a Weston or Scarborough tag on it was a good sign you were going to be in the hunt. For some time I have admired how deep and wide the talent pool of top players is at Kawartha GCC. For as long as I can remember the club has been home to not just a handful, but 15, 20, 25 very good players. Large numbers of players who are close to scratch or better. They have won most if not all of the Men’s City and District Championships in the past 25 years. They dominate local ‘majors’. The annual Ryder Cup-style matches between PGCC and KGCC is something like 20-0 in favour of Kawartha. Why is this? Why have they dominated the local men’s golf scene for the past 30 years? Why is it one of the most difficult clubs in Ontario to win the Club Championship at?

This is not a commentary on which local club is home to the city’s top golfer, for that debate would be a riskier proposition for me than Score Magazine’s recent attempt at selecting Canada’s Top Golfer of All Time.

There are at least 4 reasons that help explain the very wide, deep pool of golf talent at KGCC and their recent dominance of the local golf scene:

1) The club has been able to hang on to more of its great players than most other clubs around. Many of its top junior male golfers from the last few decades continue to be members of the club and continue to compete as hard as ever. In fact, as good as a lot of these guys were when they were 18 they are much better players today.
2) Different clubs have different cultures. And PGCC and KGCC are two very different clubs; they share an architect but not a lot else. KGCC has been shaped by its proudly blue collar roots and still reflects the strong GE heritage that shaped it in its early years. This unique culture has probably been a little more open and appealing to young and middle age players who are serious about getting to the next level of competitiveness.
3) Whether by chance or by plan, Kawartha’s best players play with each other more often than those at most clubs. A strong core of great players who like to play with each other attracts more great players into the fold as well as more up-and-comers who can elevate their game by being in the company of more talented players. Going low becomes infectious.
4) KGCC’s Three Day Men’s Invitational and their 72 hole Club Championship have remained very strong events over the years. The club’s commitment to these two events, albeit at the risk of alienating some members, has fueled a level of competition, tradition and thirst for improvement that no doubt motivates their top players as much as anything.

So there you have it. With the utmost respect and a dash of cross-town envy, an explanation for a local golf phenomenon that is hard to ignore, difficult to explain, but well worth celebrating.

Examiner Golf Column: April 27. 2011

2011-07-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

Maritime Golf Set for Boost

The popularity of the Maritimes as a golfing destination has grown over the past decade and Prince Edward Island has been the focal point. The PEI Government has pumped a lot of money into the sport, starting with Crowbush Cove in the 1990’s and more recently with the restoration of an old Stanley Thompson gem, Green Gables in Cavendish.
This July will see the much-anticipated opening of Cabot Links on spectacular Cape Breton Island. Backed by Mike Keiser, the man behind Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast, Cabot Links is poised to bring a lot more Ontario and U.S. golfers to the east coast. It will be part of an impressive troika of Cape Breton golf along with Highland Links and Bell Bay.
Billed as Canada’s first authentic links course, Cabot Links has been carved out of the dunes between the old mining town of Inverness and the sea. It is not easy to get to, but that might only add to its appeal. Getting to Bandon Dunes has never been easy—a full day of travel from Toronto including two flights and a short bus ride. Cabot Links is sure to give new meaning to the word anticipation; the closest private landing strip is in Port Hawkesbury an hour away. Most American golfers will use Halifax as their hub. According to Keiser’s business partner Ben Cowan-Dewar, who has been living and working on-site in Inverness for the past 3 years as he oversees construction and development of the new property, Cabot Links will be the closest thing to true Scottish golf on the entire eastern seaboard. With views of the ocean from every hole, and six of the holes playing right along side the beach, the course promises to be a test of golf as the game was meant to be played—in the wind and along the ground.
I read an early investor prospectus on the Cabot Links Master Plan that included a variety of on-site accommodations--not only a main lodge, but also cabins, townhomes and single-family dwellings. Mr. Cowan-Dewar said that this initial plan has been changed to reflect a stronger focus on ‘just the golf’, and he said that the construction of a second course is a bigger priority now. My guess is with Cabot Links, as with Bandon Dunes, tee time demand and the overall buzz the initial course creates will dictate the timing of on-course amenities beyond a simple proshop, restaurant and bar. But there clearly is a plan here to go bigger should the golfing public respond. Mr. Cowan-Dewar mentioned that Ben Crenshaw and his design partner Bill Coore have already been on site and that we will see them design the second course about a mile up the coast.
“Our second property is more like a Pebble Beach where the course is still on the ocean, but sits high up on cliffs overlooking the beach with views up and down the coastline.”
Cabot Links may never reach the scope and scale of Bandon Dunes, which now boasts 72 holes plus a new 13-hole par 3 course under construction, but it is poised to become the new ‘must play’ course in Canada. If you plan to visit this summer be sure and stop at the Glenora Distillery just a short drive from the course—it’s home to North America’s only single malt scotch—although they can’t technically call it ‘scotch’. Let’s hope that Cabot Links is as close to true Scottish golf as Glenora’s best single malt is to the real stuff from across the ocean.

Canada Day on PEI

2011-07-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

The people of this amazing province are much more patriotic than those back home--at least outwardly. They unabashedly, proudly celebrate this day in a way I have never seen in Ontario and the western provinces. I'm not sure if it's because they feel they have more to be thankful for, if they are simply more gracious, thankful people period. Or if it's just in their DNA to be happy, festive, and social whenever they can, no matter what the excuse. No matter what the reason, I can' t think of a better place to be for Canada Day and to celebrate the official opening of the Canadian Summer. Unlike in Ontario where summer seems to have a start earlier than this weekend with families making cottage visits as early as the Victoria Day long weekend, this Island literally wakes up this weekend and turns into a completely different place. The summer here really IS only 8 weeks long. Many of the best restaurants, galleries, beaches, parks are only open for business during these 8 weeks. For the other 10 months of the year the red carpet is rolled up, the windows shuttered, and it takes on a sleepy charm that although can be frustrating, is a key part of the island's charm. Although I will always be, to quote every native islander, 'From Away', for these 8 weeks every year, when the island is chock full of tourists, I really DO feel like a native. It's my home. I have land here. A beautiful cottage, and miles and miles of golf courses, roads, bike paths and water to explore. Happy Canada Day. You gotta love this country.

Closing Day at Lakefield College

2011-06-22T18:50:00.001-07:00

above from left to right: Nora, Kristy, Jessie, Dana, Colleen

I couldn't resist posting this great photo of Nora and some of her best friends, from last Saturday's Closing Day ceremonies at Lakefield College School. It was a festive celebration of the 2010-11 academic year coming to a close. It was extra special for me because as Board Chair I got to hand out some special awards for students who finished the year with Honours and Honours with Distinction--including one to Nora. What a treat! She had an amazing year, which included a trip to Everest Base Camp and performing in the school's production of Our Town. Nora--looking forward to having a front row seat at your graduation ceremony one year from now. Have a great summer at 4th Line Theatre!

The BrandHealth Bar is OPEN

2011-06-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

Jennifer is IN the Building!

2011-06-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

Jennifer--it seems like years we've been waiting to have you join BrandHealth. Wait...it has been! It's so great to have you on board and part of our incredible team focused on AGN EyeCare.

Welcome Max!

2011-06-16T09:54:00.001-07:00

Max...if you had ever met the man whom your Internship is named after you would have laughed and learned a ton. And I know he would be so proud to know that a young man of your character and smarts was the winner of this year's award. As tough as it is for me to have another Western person in the building, I'm adjusting quite well. I know you'll have a great summer here.

Congratulations Kyle!

2011-06-16T09:00:00.001-07:00

A Truly Strong Brand

2011-06-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I attended an important customer meeting of one of BrandHealth’s most important clients. It was the annual meeting of the Canadian Ophthalmology Society and it was held in beautiful, hockey-crazy Vancouver.
The main reason for me being there was to facilitate a special meeting of a panel of sales representatives from this client company—it's an annual tradition where I run a day long program aimed at checking in with them on behalf of the marketing team and listen, gain market insights, and see how we could better support them in their efforts ‘on the ground’.
In the world of pharmaceutical sales and marketing in North America so much of the talk of great brands dwells on the famous names of drugs that happen to be in the public spotlight at any given time. Products like Viagra, Cialis, Botox, Crestor —the brands that work their way into public consciousness either by luck or by good marketing or because of the sexy condition they treat, or a combination of all of the above. But the interesting reality of this complicated business is that unlike many mainstream consumer brands, Rx drugs only have a lifespan of about 10 years these days. After that, they are put to pasture due to the government allowing generic copies of these drugs to be produced way too early (but that’s for another blog). What this means is that unlike most famous brands you consume every day (within categories such as pop, beer, soap, toothpaste, cars), the amount of time our industry has to solidify a brand in the minds and hearts of its audiences is very, very short. Just think about how long the Cadillac brand has been around for, and how long GM has had to invest in its awareness and appeal (50+ years)? Or Adidas (85 years), or Apple (25+ years).
Which brings me to an observation I made in Vancouver last week while watching my client’s company interact with their most important physician customers. What I saw before me was a great example of a true healthcare brand in action. But it wasn’t about any single drug or medical device. The strength and power and appeal of this brand is the people within this particular business unit of a much larger pharmaceutical company. Because their individual drug brands come and go every decade, or less, the real important brand at work here is this core group of 30-40 people who have built a unique attachment to their customer base, in this case Ophthalmologists, that has to be the envy of the entire Canadian eyecare world. I have never seen business and professional relationships between a pharma company and a client as strong and rewarding for all involved. Everyone knows everyone’s name. My client has built a reputation within this small sector of medicine that simply works. It would make for a great Case within the Ivey or Queen’s MBA program. Or how about within a Medical School. Like McMaster perhaps (that's another story). How building a strong brand is really nothing more than building a reputation. A reputation that can help the adoption of medicines that sometimes have more in common with each other than not. I am keenly aware of the role that our agency plays within that world, but I don’t pretend it’s more than it is. We help our client look good. We help them communicate with their customers in ways that show respect to the specialized profession of their audience. We create programs and campaigns and tools that help the sales team be so much more to their customers than sales reps. This is how medicine and industry are meant to work together. Standing back I can see how this benefits not only physicians and their careers, not only my client and their business, but anyone in Canada who is treated with the drops and devices that come from this company. The entire healthcare system for that matter. It just works.

Chicago 2011: Annual BH Retreat

2011-06-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

above: The view from the architectural boat cruise

above: Sacha with one BIG glass of Italian Red at her Birthday Dinner
Segways--the best way to see Chicago
above: Mike, Sacha, Chris and Christine outside The Elysian

Once per year our management team blocks off one week in our calendars for our annual strategic planning retreat. After SoHo 1 (2009) and SoHo II (2010), we moved to Chicago for the 2011 event. For 4 days we remove ourselves from the day-to-day running of our agency and focus on nothing but the future and the working relationships we have with each other. Although I am the official host of the week's activities, I have my assistant Tracy to thank for most of the arrangements--particularly the choice of hotel (The Elysian)--amazing selection Tracy, and the 'fun activities'--Segway tour and Architectural Boat Cruise--clearly the highlights of the week. I choose the restaurants, and this year's choices didn't disappoint; GT Oyster, Paris Club, and Spiaggio--made for 3 incredible meals.
The highlight of the week for me was the progress we made on our long range plan and positioning. We have mapped out an incredibly exciting future direction for our agency that clearly answers the question I brought to Chicago--what does an even better BrandHealth look like? We left Chicago with some great answers to that question that will be exciting for both our BH colleagues and current and future clients. More to come on that for sure. To Christine, Sacha, Mike and Chris--thanks for a great week. Thanks for the ideas and debate. Thanks for the honesty. Clearly one of the best things about BrandHealth for me is spending time with the 4 of you. There couldn't possibly be 4 more different yet relevant perspectives on our business and our clients. But how the heck did we spend 4 day in Chicago and NOT have any deep dish pizza? A reason to return?

Golf for a Great Cause

2011-06-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

There's something about great weather, great teammates, and a great cause that make for a day to remember. For the second year in a row Carol has assembled not only an ultra talented foursome for the annual James Fund golf tourney, but the best looking one as well. Carol, Laura, Mark and I 'bombed' around Kawartha Golf Club stopping for the occasional re-fuelling at a beverage stand. Once again we finished out of the money despite a respectable 3-under 69, but we never leave empty-handed as we are passionate supporters of live and silent auction items. Next year Mark be sure and wear black so you'll be as stylin as the rest of us--Carol you should have called him to let him know. The James Fund, committed to finding a cure for neuroblastoma, a deadly childhood disease, raised alot of money on Monday thanks to an incredible community of volunteers and some generous sponsors. Looking forward to next year already.

Cottage is Officially Open!

2011-05-19T18:44:00.001-07:00

Kris and I were trying to decide earlier this week exactly how long we've been 'cottaging' in (on) PEI. Well, I arrived here tonight with Dad for a weekend of putting screens on the windows and painting the basement and garage floors. I checked the 'guest book' and 2007 was the first summer here. So this is, amazingly, our 5th summer here. Where did that five years go?! Which means it was almost 6 years ago this week that we began construction of our dream summer home, now affectionately called 'The Squeeze-more-inn' by Jane and Nora (after their favourite childhood book by the same name). I snapped this pic just around sunset after a great bbq steak dinner with Dad on the deck overlooking Rustico Bay and the ocean beyond. Here's to a great summer...and happy Victoria Day long weekend.

Meals to Go

2011-05-17T05:35:00.001-07:00

We kicked off BrandHealth 'Meals-to-Go' last week with a deliciously catered lunch from our good friends at BE Catering--hmmm--BH & BE--nice!
Bonnie Kubica, chef and owner of BE served our staff up a scrumptious sampling of some of the meals that she's making available for order for our busy staff who don't have time to cook dinner for themselves or family during the busy work week. The idea came from a couple sources. Some of our clients in Toronto and Montreal have big cafeterias that provide a similar service--stop by at lunch and order a dinner to go for pickup at the end of the day. When we convened a session in the fall, now referred to as BH Women 1, where I was trying to get a sense for how are females on staff were feeling about work-life balance, work travel, etc one of the things that came out was the frustration around finishing a busy day here at the agency, or being en route home from a client meeting in Toronto and faced with the challenge of putting a meal together, sometimes for a family of 4, sometimes just for themselves without having to revert to fast food. We ended up deciding that one way BrandHealth could help would be to offer some 'concierge' type services to our employees where we would provide some of the organizational, administrative and financial support to make some of these readily available. Tracy, my assistant, has taken the lead in organizing, and effective this week we are now offering this great service to our staff. It is a test. Anything like this requires a certain amount of participation to make it worthwhile. I am hoping that we can all try it a couple times each over the next couple weeks and develop some momentum. If we have good participation who knows what else could become part of BH 'Concierge'?

Another Thing I Love About This Place

2011-04-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about this place and our people are our meetings. I seriously can't think of another agency or time in my life when I've been in a place that has such great internal meetings. I snapped this pic (unbeknownst to my Kelli, Christine, Lynne and Mike) last Thursday when we gathered in the 3rd floor boardroom to give input to Mike on some creative concepts for a client. It was one of those 'check-in' meetings that are so important to the process of developing winning ideas. And to keeping people in the loop. But what I love most about the meetings, besides how great the creative was, was the 10 minutes of joking and laughing at the outset--I believe we were talking about haircuts and hairstylists (Kelli and my daughter and I share one--which lead to few funny stories). Then we were talking about this great hair tonic called Moroccan Oil--and then we were joking about how last time I was there at Catalina's Kelli was sitting in the chair checking her email on her MacBook while her stylist cut her hair. I don't think it's just meetings that I'm at that are like this. I love how people here are interested in each other's lives and feel cool sharing almost anything that will make for good conversation and laughter and teasing. I'm not the first person who has said that you can measure the success of a workplace by how much laughter you hear in the boardrooms and hallways and kitchens. I agree. Thanks Kelli, Lynne, Christine, and Mike for another great meeting.

2 Down, 2 to Go

2011-04-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

No Words Required

2011-04-15T05:41:00.000-07:00

Everest Gallery

2011-03-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Above left to right: Nora, Mr. McGowan, Rhiannon

Nora's Back!

2011-03-28T16:19:00.001-07:00

OK. Having your daughters away from home for weeks and months at a time is hard. I can't believe they're both home. We had dinner together tonight for the first time in a month.
Nora returned today from her expedition to Everest Base Camp with fellow members of Lakefield College School's Ondaatje Expedition. The photos on her camera are unbelievable. The stories are even better. She's getting ready to crash for the day as they've spend the past 2 days in airports in Katmandu, Delhi and Toronto. So great to have her and all of them home safe and happy. I can't wait to hear all about the adventure over the next few days. Here's just 2 shots of Nora, with Everest (top), and the Kumba Icefield (bottom) in the background. (not sure how accurate my Nepalese spelling is so apologies if I am butchering the language). More shots to follow as I sneak some more peaks from Nora's camera.

BrandHealth & Market Hall

2011-03-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

Chris, Mike and I are proud to announce that as part of the Market Hall Capital Fundraising Campaign, BrandHealth has made a donation of $40,000 to assist in the renovation and restoration and construction of this exciting new arts destination in downtown Peterborough. The contribution secures us naming rights for the new bar (and drinking/socializing) area that will be the focal point of the impressive new lobby on the 2nd floor. Can you say 'meet you at the BrandHealth Bar at Market Hall'?
We think the connection between our agency and the arts and the camaraderie and socializing associated with these cultural activities is a perfect fit for BrandHealth. Many, many people on our staff are deeply committed and involved in the arts--be it music, drama, film, fine art, design, and the philanthropy that helps make it happen. For the past 2 years we have had a number of our staff freely giving of their time and the agency's time in the creation and development of campaign materials to assist with fundraising communication.
We have seen the inside of the building that will be revealed to the public next week and we were amazed at the attention to detail, the quality of the finish, and most importantly the preservation of the most important architectural elements and 'bones' of the building. We are so proud and lucky to have the Market Hall just one block down the road from our agency. It will be a key piece of the ongoing revitalization of our downtown. This most recent financial contribution is the public face of a less quieter, background support that has been going on between BrandHealth and the arts community since we opened our doors in 2005. We look forward to sharing important updates with you about our partnership with the Market Hall team over the next few weeks and we hope this can facilitate an even closer bond between you and the high quality cultural performances and activities in our downtown.

2011 BH BBQ Challenge

2011-03-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's a chilly spring day in March and the 'back deck' at BrandHealth is looking a little sad and tired after a long winter. What better time to announce details of the 2011 BrandHealth BBQ Challenge. For the past 2 years you have enjoyed the delicious lunches put together, under very competitive circumstances, by members of the BH Management Team. The Spring-Summer-Fall of 2011 will be the year where Mike, Paul, Chris, Sacha, Christine and Tracy step back and pass the baton to the rest of the agency. Here's the guidelines:

1. Sign-up (via Tracy) in teams of 2 or 3 by picking a Friday (or Thurs if it's a long weekend) between April 21 and Sept 1
2. You have a budget of $300 per BBQ to cover all food and drink that you choose to serve on your BBQ Day. You can fill out an expense form (with receipts) immediately upon completion of the lunch and you will be reimbursed right away.
3. You are responsible for all communication and everything related to publicizing and executing your BBQ Day. The more advance notice you give the agency of your special day, the greater the chance that staff will be able to block it off on their calendar and not miss it.
4. Your team MUST have a theme for your BBQ Lunch.
5. You have approval to take whatever time you need to the morning of your BBQ to prepare for it and some time after its over to clean up.

Looking forward to some great lunches in the months ahead. If you have any questions please talk to Tracy. Not to set the bar too high but here's a reminder of the quality of past pre-meal communications:

Namche Bazaar

2011-03-23T11:02:00.001-07:00

Latest word from our Everest Trekkers, compliments of Jim (via Christeen) McGowan:

..."Hello Everest Parents,

Jim just Skyped me from Namche Bazaar. He was sitting at a computer and I could see the kids in the hallway behind him. One was in a sleeping bag and was jumping around. The other kids were all laughing.

Nora and Rhiannon had a chat with our three year old son Judson. The girls looked cute – they had their hair pulled up and were laughing with Judson.

I also saw Eric – he wanted Jim to find out some hockey scores. Eric had on a pair of shorts as it is warmer now. (The coldest weather was about -8 degrees).

They are on the trails at a good time. In a few weeks, the trails will be very busy. (Currently, there is only one expedition set up at Base Camp in preparation for a trip to the summit.)

The kids are getting along so well and have become great friends.

They have been going to sleep early at 7pm or 8pm as they are tired from the trekking.

Tomorrow will be a long day into Lukla, but then the trekking part is over. They will catch a plane on Friday morning and fly out to Kathmandu, assuming that the weather is good.

I also spoke with Angus and Amy on Skype. They both said that the trip was really going well and that the kids have been absolutely great!

They Made It!

2011-03-21T10:40:00.001-07:00

Team LCS made it.
Here's Jim McGowan's email describing their last 24 hours. Jim and Kristeen--thanks so much for keeping us in the loop with these regular emails as they've trekked up to base camp. It was hard to read this last one without letting go a few tears of joy!

..."Incredible news to you and the parents. We reached Gorak Shep about noon on Sunday, and everyone was feeling great so we had lunch and did the five hour round trip to Everest Base camp. It was amazing - very tiring but everyone in great spirits. The weather cooperated as well - awesome. It started snowing just as we were pulling back into our lodge at Gorak Shep.

Everyone had a good sleep last night and we woke up at 5:30, and despite some aches and pains WE ALL CLIMBED Kala Pattar this morning - it was wild. The sun just hit the upper part of the peak when we got there (at about 7:45am) - we were at the summit of Kala Pattar (5540 meters) - 17,900 feet !!!! and could see Everest so clearly...hardly any cloud at all.

It was pretty emotional at Base Camp and the summit this morning. The kids have done so well - Angus is so impressed with our LCS crew.

So, the last two days have been pretty outstanding, even by our lofty standards. We're just going to have some lunch, and then the homeward part of the trek begins..."

Everest Update from Pheriche, Nepal

2011-03-18T08:23:00.000-07:00

For those of you following this blog for updates from Nora's LCS Trek to Everest Base Camp, here's the latest email from Jim McGowan thanks to his wife Kristeen:
Wow - we keep seeing such varied terrain. We left Pangboche (where we had stayed at a really nice lodge run by a beautiful Sherpani woman - her husband is a climbing Sirdar for Berg Expeditions (Wally Berg, from Calgary - small world, hey?) The common room was upstairs and had windows on three sides...with an amazing view of Ama Dablam (an incredible mountain that Angus climbed in 2007) - Amy took some great photos at sunset.
Yesterday (Thursday) we had a smaller day (310 vertical metres) and about 5km into Pheriche. We got up above the treeline and walked along this amazing plateau where we could see terraced potato fields below us. As part of the trip structure, the students take over as Leaders of the Day (LOD), so yesterday Nora and Mike were in charge of getting the group up and on the trail, scheduling lunch, doing the dinner briefing for the next day, etc. It's Angus' initiative, and the kids really rise to the occasion.
The lodge (hotel) we are staying at in Pheriche is called the Himalayan Hotel, but Amy thinks it should be called the Himalayan Hilton. It's the nicest place we've stayed at, by far - and the young Sherpa who owns it has all of these incredible stories to tell about the Kiwi and American commercial expeditions who often stay with him (Guy Cotter, who took over Adventure Consultants after Rob Hall's death, Peter Athans and Todd Burleson who run Alpine Ascents from Seattle) all of these guys who were involved in 1996 up to now. It's amazing.
We visited the HRA (Himalayan Rescue Association) headquarters for a presentation yesterday afternoon, and met two doctors from the UK and one from Boston who will staff the HRA clinic at Pheriche for the next three months (it's a high prestige volunteer position) and went over the symptoms of AMS with them.
Our group has come together very well. The kids are holding up well, and each of us are fascinated with our Sherpas - Ang Tshering (our lead guide) who has summited Everest six times (!!!!) including twice from the North Col/Northeast Ridge route; Mingma, our junior guide (22 years old) who plays cards with the Grove kids at night; Ram, our porter who often has a head start on us carrying a 60-80 pound load; Jeta, who is in charge of our two yaks. It's a neat dynamic.
One thing from yesterday that was awesome - a little boy - about Harper's age (6), dressed in north face shoes, cords, a white dress shirt, and a blue sweater, with his school books under his arm, TRUCKING (I mean really 'booking it' ) down a 100 metre descent because he was late for school. We all said "Namaste" to him, but he was flying!! I think Amy got a picture.
Anyway, a short trip up to the Dingboche monastery today (45 minutes) and then some "take it easy" time in the afternoon for the kids. Tonight in Pheriche again, then on to Lobuje tomorrow.

Lukla Airport

2011-03-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

Nora and her teammates on Lakefield College School’s 2011 Ondaatje Expedition have begun their ascent to Everest Base Camp. I joked with Mr. McGowan, one of Nora’s teachers supervising the trek, to be sure and take lots of photos of Lukla Airport (shown left). The infamous airport tops many polls as one of the world’s most dangerous airports. Since Lukla, Nepal is the place most people start their Mount Everest trek (including the LCS gang) this Himalayan strip gets quite a bit of traffic--mostly to and from Kathmandu. The airport was renamed Tenzing-Hillary Airport in 2008 in honour of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, who were also key contributors to the landing strip’s construction.
Sirens inform folks for miles when an airplane is landing here, and as you would suspect, only helicopters and Twin Otter type planes can handle the 2,000 foot, uphill runway that is fenced off at the end, to protect you from the edge of a mountain cliff.
When you take off, you go downhill and then the runway just disappears into the valley down below. If you don't get enough speed, you drop until you get lift and then (hopefully) get back up again. Thankfully the LCS crew made a successful and safe landing at Lukla on Sunday—Mr. McGowan’s email to us parents appears below:
…”Well, it's Sunday afternoon here at about 4:30pm. What a couple of days we've had...the flight on the small plane into Lukla yesterday morning was everything it was advertised to be and more. After getting used to planes slowing down before landing, it was a bit wild to have the plane hit the runway at full speed. (I must admit, the kids loved every minute of it.) …”
Here's to a take-off at Lukla just as spectacular AND SMOOTH on their way down from Everest. Nice March Break trip. How do you top that one?

Roger...we have LIFT OFF

2011-03-16T12:16:00.001-07:00

Last week we officially launched BHU---short for BRANDHEALTH UNIVERSITY. More than a year and many conversations and debates in the making, we have assembled a continuing education series for our BHers that I believe will evolve into a can't miss learning opportunity. The core idea behind establishing a more formal learning system was 3-fold:
1. Accelerated Learning. Gone are the days when a young 20-something employee wants to take their time developing. We hear over and over again from our people that there should be no limit to how quickly you can learn new things. I love the idea of a young account exec not wanting to wait until he/she is 35 before truly getting the importance of market research, or how to build a BH Brand Architecture for a client. It is our hope that BHU can contribute to accelerated learning for anyone who wants it.
2. Sharing Expertise. There is a wealth of experience in this building. Experience that is wasted if it remains solely contained within the brains of a few people. One of the most important things we bring to the table for our clients is the sheer number of successful product launches, re-launches, campaigns, re-positionings, branding and re-branding that our people have been involved in. Just because you didn't personally launch Nexium or Sensodyne or personally manage the North American P&G advertising business doesn't mean that you can't benefit from those around you that did. BHU will facilitate and speed up the sharing of strategic and creative expertise within BrandHealth.
3. Establishing a Standard. Without question, in the process of building brands for our clients over the past 6 years, we have created one of the strongest specialty agency brands in Canada. In the process, both by luck and smart planning, we have developed a certain way of doing things. We call it the BH Way. The long term success of our agency will be a direct result of our ability to communicate internally exactly what the BH Way is and how best to bring it to life day in and day out no matter what your title or role. BHU will define exactly what that standard is in a myriad of real life client situations and will help us all model the types of behaviours that live up to that standard.
I'm looking forward to sharing and learning over the coming months. I intend to be a Professor in some sessions, and a Student in others. Long live BHU. Long live doing everything we can to keep learning.

The BH Jam Room

2011-03-04T20:58:00.001-08:00

What a great idea. What a great use of space at our agency. I was working late on Wednesday night and was able to do so as the sounds of electric guitar and drums echoed through the building. It was 8:00 pm and I wandered over to the newly created music room at BrandHealth--a special space for anyone in our company to go and spend some time alone or with others jamming with their favourite instrument. I can't take credit for the idea but I love it. It's so BH and kudos to all involved for getting the idea off the ground. I understand the existing brick walls and hardwood floors don't make for perfect acoustics, but carpet and other modifications are on their way and should make a difference. When I snapped the above photo on Wednesday night, Graeme, Mark and Spencer were creating some wonderful sounds that made the slides I was working on much more pleasant to work on. I love that we have created a special space for those artists and musicians in our agency to take a break from their tough work and use their music for relaxation, inspiration, or whatever else they feel it gives them. I look forward to watching this space evolve in the coming weeks and months, not to mention I'm looking forward to hearing the sounds that float through the building as a result of this project. Guys...if you ever want to hear me do the solo from Glen Campbell's 'Rhinestone Cowboy' just ask. I'd be happy to teach it to you.

Race #1 is in the bag

2011-02-27T15:46:00.000-08:00

(above: my bib # 207)
What a day. From the tossing and turning in bed last night (something I never do), to the butterflies at breakfast to the physical agony at times on the course to the unbelievable feeling of accomplishment crossing the finish line. Running. Racing. Long distances. 1/2 marathons...marathons and triathlons---OK I finally get it. This world of running and racing has always been an enigma to me. It lived in this area of my mind between something that I thought other people did...in many cases people who I never thought had a lot in common with me, and something that I could never see 'fitting' with my so-called hectic schedule. I was a golfer. A hockey player. Baseball. Hand-eye coordination sports were 'my thing'. I didn't run. Didn't do track.
But slowly, gradually, with some changes to my head, heart and body over the past 6 months I have fallen in love with the sport. And I do mean 'sport'. It gives me something I don't get any other place. A complete 'taxing' of my mind and body. Nothing makes me sweat like running. No hockey game. No squash game. And yes--not 18 holes at Wildfire.
My time today was, according to my coaches, insignificant. But it was what it was--2:16 according to my watch. I suppose it is my first 'personal best' and will always be there for me to measure against, if not literally, at least as a symbol of where in the pack my running ability is today. I feel like I have been fortunate to accomplish a lot in life so far. But I'd be hard-pressed to think of something I'm more proud of than knocking off my first 1/2 marathon. I'm sure this won't be my last word on the race as I keep thinking about the day and what it means to me.

PEI Calling

2011-02-22T18:09:00.001-08:00

For each of the past 4 years Kris and I have donated a week at our summer home in PEI to charitable fundraisers close to our hearts. A lot of money has been raised in the process and we're happy to give up even valuable time there in the short PEI summer to a good cause. I sent an email today to one family who recently won it during a live auction and I shortly found myself daydreaming about this summer and this very special place. I love the way light in PEI changes throughout the day and throughout the seasons. I snapped this photo with my iPhone last August as I was walking from the road down our laneway towards the cottage. The light was perfect. Seems like another world. Can't wait to get there.

Na-na-na-na-na!!!!

2011-02-22T15:31:00.001-08:00

Sacha...this blog's for you. To my social networking, blogging guru/mentor/buddy/challenger/instigator/competitor. The last blog entry was my 100th since I took up your challenge to start blogging two years ago. I thought it would be inappropriate to do this on my 100th blog entry so I'm choosing my 101st to really stick it to you. 100 original, from the head or heart musings. All inspired by your challenge. Thanks for opening my eyes to the power of sharing my thoughts with colleagues here at BrandHealth and with friends, family and strangers around the world. Here's to the next 100.

The Best Days are Ahead

2011-02-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

This appeared in a recent issue of The Economist. I find it utterly fascinating and have seen similar evidence in other sources supporting how men and women reach peak happiness in their later years. The graph above shows that unhappiness peaks (or happiness bottoms out) at my present age. While I don't agree with that, I do see how one might say that from 45 to 75 you really do enter a stage of increasing happiness and contentedness. It's also interesting that this happiness has little correlation with your vitality--many of us would assume that maximum happiness was in your teens when you were physically strongest and when you had your whole life ahead of you. What the research actually shows is that you have a lot to worry about from 25-45, as you have kids and expanding or contracting careers and mortgages. And that those worries max out in your mid-40's. If you can slow your physical decline by eating right and staying active--true physical activity--the numbers would say that your best years are truly ahead of you. And they keep getting better and better. Bring it on.

THE Jacket

2011-02-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

That's Nora. One of two amazing daughters that I have. And that jacket is mine. Circa 1976. If you lived in Peterborough in the 1970's you would understand the significance of that prized maroon and white hockey jacket. To the best of my recollections, there weren't too many things that would have been a more valuable possession to a 12 year old boy than what we called then 'the All-Star Hockey Jacket'. And yes, those are white leather (leatherette?) sleeves. In today's world where every kid is a star and every kid is special and in the world of hockey--where it seems like every city has 3 or 4 so called rep, travelling teams, the Minor Petes 'AAA' Hockey Jacket was the ultimate. Every year, in each age group of Novice through Midget, there were maybe 18 kids who wore the maroon & white.
The jacket has been hanging in my closet for a long time. And it obviously has such personal meaning that it has survived multiple closet cleanings at not only my home (s) but my parents' home too. And what a great reminder of how long ago 1976 actually is than to have your grade 11 daughter wear the jacket during a '70's dress-up day during her school's Spirit Week. I joked with Nora that wearing that jacket in grade 7 meant the world was my oyster. I probably stretched the truth a little by saying that it meant that I could have my choice of 'girlfriends' or at least girls to skate with when our class went public skating (do school's still do that?). It was the jacket of Kings. 12 year old kings. Grade 7 boys who thought that they were on top of the world.

Graeme's Design Hits the Ice

2011-02-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

(pictured above: Petes defenceman Nick Trecapelli, champion bidder Kris Hickey)

Last weekend BrandHealth work was in full view at the Petes hockey game, which was also one of the region's big fundraising nights for the fight against cancer. My assistant Tracy, a cancer survivor, was both the brains and muscle behind this extraordinary 'Rink of Ribbons' fundraiser. Graeme Horn, one of our talented Senior Designers, created the logo that featured prominently in the special jersey design that all players were sporting for the game. To see the work of one of our young but veteran BrandHealthers featured so prominently alongside that illustrious Peterborough Petes logo--well that just warmed my heart. Kudos to Tracy and Graeme for contributing their special talents to a most worthy cause. The picture here is of my wife Kris and Nick Trecapelli--taken on the ice after Kris successfully outbid others for the rights to the Graeme-designed jersey--after it was washed of course. Kris is talented in many, many areas--not the least being she has never entered a live auction she hasn't won.

Jumped the Shark

2011-02-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Don Cherry (and especially) sidekick Ron MacLean. Not only did you 'jump the shark' last night, you took all of the CBC, Hockey Night in Canada, and one of the sports world's most legendary brands down with you. It's been more than a couple years now where I have been observing a slow, steady decline in what these on-camera personalities are doing for their network, and hockey in general. When HNIC lost the rights to their 'anthem' last year I was applauding figuring that it was indeed time to let some other, more innovative, 'with it' sports network take over as the broadcast home of Canadian hockey. It's no secret in my household that I've never been a Ron MacLean fan. His on-air style with all his puns and factoids is sooooo NOT what I think of when I think of our country's deep love for the sport. I find him embarrassing and I cringe when I see him and listen to him. This terrible twosome is now at a point where they have been lapped by most hockey broadcasters. And broadcasters and journalists from all other professional sports too. The level of insight, professionalism, content, production values, you name it, on The Golf Channel, TSN, Monday Night Football, Major League Baseball,....I'm afraid to say that the world has simply passed by the Don & Ron Show.

If you missed last night's Habs vs Leafs game and the Hockey Day in Canada 'talent show' that Ron & Don were serving up, here's some of what you missed. Arthur Fonzarelli would be proud to see that these two wingnut hosers had raised the bar in jumping the shark:

1. Ron MacLean wearing what looked to be a woman's Hudson Bay coat--don't even get me going on what that would do for the venerable HBC brand, those famous stripes, and sales of HBC coats in general

2. Ron & Don doing some kind of skit where they played 2 Yukon historical figures from the past--I think one was a bad guy miner and the other an RCMP officer dressed in what looked like a water buffalo carcass?! Not only was it lame acting, it was a disgrace to the history of Yukon and certainly to those 2 real people they were trying to imitate.

3. At one point in the broadcast they cut to some Junior hockey game in Yukon, part of the Hockey Day in Canada schtick, and what did they show--2 on-ice fights where Don is giving the play by play and reminding kids across the country about how important a left hook is to you hockey career. Seriously? You've got to be kidding.

I'm sure in the next 24 hours, if you go on youtube and type in Don Cherry, Ron MacLean, Hockey Day in Canada, Yukon, Hudson Bay coat, etc you'll be able to view the antics for yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13RIE3fpkCo

I love many parts of the CBC--mostly Radio. I think they do an incredible job of telling the stories that wouldn't otherwise get told. But my need for CBC Sports, and specifically Hockey Night in Canada and these two jokers has come to an end. Although it's too late to let them leave with their dignity in tact after last night's broadcast, do us all a favour and bow out of the hockey business and let these 2 buffoons go back to refereeing midget hockey games and shaking hands with war veterans. It's sad it's come to this.

The Best School in Canada Needs a Leader Who Can Make it Even Better

2011-02-07T19:24:00.000-08:00

There are many words and phrases and documents and note pages and flip charts full of lists of nouns and adjectives all in the right order with the right emphasis. But at the end of the day our beloved Lakefield is looking for a leader who can make this amazing school even better. By many definitions, Lakefield College School is already at the top of the heap in Canada. By other definitions it has a way to go. Which I find even more exciting. If you know the next great leader of LCS, make sure to tell them we want to hear from them.

The Tortoise

2011-02-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

That's me. Tortoise. Alias "slow poke".
On one of my recent weekend 'high mileage' days I was running up George St taking a peak at my 'sleek' new runner's side profile. While I can't argue that I cast a slightly thinner reflection in the store windows, what I was most taken back by was how slow I looked like I was going. Here I am only 3 km into a 16 km run, thinking I'm taking these huge, gazelle-like strides, cutting through the cold air like a sharp knife. But I look in the storefront windows as I run by and it looks like I'm walking briskly at best. How could this feel like such a fast pace and look so slow? Is it my bad form that disguises my speed and just makes it look snail pace. Well...the answer is NO. I actually am slow. When I look at last year's times for the Gatorade 1/2 Marathon that I'm running in 3 weeks I just see where my time is likely to be on that list---and it's way, way far down. And I don't get it. I've convinced myself over the past 3 months training that I have the endurance. Finding the physical strength and lung capacity is not an issue. I know that I am not going to simply stop and crash at the 19 km mark of the race. I am just scared to death that I will be so slow it will be funny. I need speed man. Give me some speed.

Be Happy

2011-02-02T12:06:00.000-08:00

It was almost a decade ago that I was thumbing through one of Kris's cool magazines--I think it was 'Simple'--not even sure if that mag is still around. But it was a cool publication. Easy to read. Simple to flip through. Go figure. Just realized I didn't finish my sentence but not going back now. On the last page of the magazine there was always a fun, inspirational piece, and this one really caught my eye. No, more than that. It hit me between the eyes and touched my heart. Keep in mind that at the time I read it I was the father of beautiful, captivating 6 and 8 year old daughters. (as opposed to now being the father of beautiful, captivating 16 and 18 year old daughters). Although they are older and wiser, as am I, one thing that hasn't changed is the unwavering pursuit of helping ensure that they grow up to be happy. If I had to boil all of the parenting and coaching and hand holding down to one goal, for me it has always been to do things that will lead to my daughters living happy lives where they learn the value of being content and satisfied and H-A-P-P-Y. Pure and Simple. There's that word again. Happy in their own skins. Happy with what they are studying, who they're hanging out with, happy with what they've accomplished and how they've gotten there.
The great part about this page I pulled from the magazine is the combination of these short simple thoughts with clever animations that speak for themselves and drive the point home. You can see from the sign-off at the bottom that we gave a framed copy of this page to both Jane and Nora, and they continue to hang in their respective bedrooms.
When I read these 12 statements now I think about how true they are to anyone at any point in your life. And how enduring they are by simply (that word again!) replacing 'television' with 'texting' or 'facebook'.

Have a sense of wonder. Stay Inspired. Help others. Do things you're good at. Read. Limit television. Love your work. Exercise. Face your fears. Believe in yourself. Stay close to family and friends. Let your heart be your guide. BE HAPPY.

Where did THAT 2 years go?

2011-02-01T05:37:00.000-08:00

Exactly 2 years ago Saturday the announcement ad above appeared in the Peterborough Examiner. Some would say that the only reason we ran this ad was to prove that there actually were some people at BrandHealth who were older than 30. Others would say that the inclusion of a photo with the 3 partners proved that our agency wasn't 100% female, or 100% beautiful.
I pulled this ad out of a file folder I keep with agency and staff announcements and I couldn't believe the date on it. I am asked a lot about what has contributed to the success of our agency over the past 5 years. There are many, many answers to that question. But I would be hard pressed to come up with a better answer than this--the way this 5 person team has guided the agency and worked together. To stay aligned. To round out each other's strengths and weaknesses. To have each other's backs. And I can't forget the fact that we have an incredible amount of fun when we are together. Our monthly management team meetings have become the most interesting and brain-challenging things on my calendar. Our annual SoHo Retreat has become a highlight of my year, and I think (hope) the others feel the same way. Here's a shout-out to Sacha, Chris, Mike and Christine. Or should I say 'Sach', 'Whitey', 'Pezoo' and 'O'Reilly'. Maybe we should have another photo taken. Can't help but think we are even better looking now than we were in January 2009!

The Power of Longevity

2011-01-31T19:02:00.000-08:00

The more ad campaigns you live through and the more strategy and creative you observe around you, the more simple the complex world of branding and communication becomes. If clients (and their agencies) spent as much time thinking up ways of keeping an existing identity alive and intrusive as they do searching for the next cute execution, they would have a much higher ROI on their marketing dollars.
Case in point--The famous Hudson Bay Point Blanket, or more specifically, the four sequential green, red, yellow and indigo stripes that have and will forevermore symbolize the Hudson Bay or HBC Company corporate brand. From the earliest days when they became a form of currency for fur traders, to present day where these colours are prominent on Olympic clothing, shopping bags, coats, scarves and bedding, HBC has used them to communicate quality, authenticity and authentic Canadiana. And what a great example of the power of sticking with a look, a tone, a feeling over a timeline measured not in months or years or decades but centuries!
This past Christmas, on a whim while I was doing some last minute shopping, I purchased one of these point blankets for Kris. No, she had never asked for one. Not even sure if she liked it when she opened it Christmas Day. But I bought it because it just spoke to me of our country and of high quality and of something that would look good in any room of the house or cottage no matter whether it was folded neatly or just thrown over the back of a chair. As a marketer through and through, I have to admit that I do sometimes purchase things not just because I need them or want them, but because I admire a specific promotion or feel that a company or brand has done a good job with its brand communication.
In a world or economy when budgets may be shrinking, or perhaps under increased scrutiny, I would always advise a client to invest in keeping an existing, familiar brand story in front of your audience, than to start fresh trying to establish something new with not enough money. A great agency can play an important role in creating enduring, long lasting brands. We often survive multiple brand managers and marketing directors over the course of the time we work on a brand. We should be the glue that holds brands together year after year. For those clients in the Rx pharma world I would say it is even more true. The best, hardest fought and defended patent in Canada will give you 10 years on the market at most. Ten years! That's not a lot of time to build a relationship between your brand and the consumer, patient and physician. Only ten years to become famous for lowering this or raising that or providing relief like this. Get it right early in the brand's life cycle and ride your 'stripes' to the finish line.

Me & Janer

2011-01-26T18:22:00.001-08:00

Re-united!!!
What a place to spend our first day getting to know each other again. Jane's flight from Belize to Miama was so late that she missed her connection to Nassau. So she didn't arrive until this morning. We spent the afternoon in the water park at Atlantis. Have never been here before in January. Weather is great AND there's a lot less people than March Break. Perfect. Looking forward to tackling 'Leap of Faith' and "The Abyss" tomorrow. Oh yeah--and chairing a Lakefield College board mtg via conf call at 4:00. Crazy, busy, relaxed day. Just the way I love it. We capped off a great day today with dinner at Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Blueberry cornmeal bread. Conch fritters. Seared tuna and banana cream pie. (Don't tell my trainer).

BIG Summer Internship Opportunity

2011-01-25T19:17:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year. The time of the year that this Queen's guy with tri-colour blood has to pretend that Western is an OK school and purple is a nice colour. Mike and I always talked respectfully of each other's alma mater. NOT! The only thing that would have made the rivalry more intense was if I had played football for the Golden Gaels.
This summer job opportunity, in memory of Mike, truly is the cream of the crop of summer internships. The money is good. The company is great. And the position is a REAL position. It will give the winning candidate a real taste of what their first job will actually be like. No organizing file folders and answering phones. Welcome to the real world of advertising and communications. Thanks to our two UWO grads on staff, Sarah Gagne and Sarah Dejong for organizing the recruitment and on-campus interviews. I really look forward to this trip to London every year. Bring on the resumes! Cheers to you Mike. We miss you.

Bye Bye MarineTraffic.com

2011-01-23T19:05:00.000-08:00

This evening I visited one of my 'go to' websites of the past 5 months--ever since Jane departed Kristiansand, Norway in early September aboard the Soenderlat, a Norwegian Tall Ship, I have religiously visited this amazing site to track the sailing progress of her ship and confirm when her ship arrived and departed the various ports between Norway, France, Spain, Italy, Africa, and now central America. The last sighting of the ship on this GPS-driven site was off the coast of Belize...which is my cue to catch my flight and head south to meet her.
It's hard to believe it's been 5 months since that painful, bittersweet week on the south coast of Norway. A lot of water under the bridge since then...and an adventure of a lifetime. A journey that I must say, as in everything in life, was much less 'romantic' and much more difficult than any brochure or admissions tour could have ever portrayed. Being a part of Class Afloat 2010-11 was in many ways a survival of the fittest, and Jane showed various degrees of fitness over the past 5 months. I am so proud of her and how she has handled the cramped conditions, the lack of privacy, the turbulent seas, the sea sickness, the homesickness, the physical struggles, the emotional struggles, her own very real 'head pain', often debilitating but never giving up, 55 teenagers working and going to school aboard a tall ship. In bitter cold, stifling heat, and everything in between. Breakups, resignations, discipline, sickness, pain. But also beauty like she's never seen, peoples and cultures she may never see again, cameraderie and friendship that will probably only be appreciated many, many years from now. It's been quite a journey. Jane is just a few hours away from completing what I thought in November would have been impossible. I can't wait to see her and hug her and tell her how proud I am of her. I truly believe that this will be a defining time in her life. Not sure which directions it will point her in but she has changed. She will be coming home a different person. A young woman. An amazing woman. My "Janer"!

The "Older" Foligno Brothers

2011-01-06T21:25:00.000-08:00

Fellow BH'er Lisa didn't realize it until seeing us in Buffalo last night at the Gold Medal Game, but she actually has 4 older brothers, Dave, Chris, Paul and Mike Junior. These shots were taken at last night's devastating heartbreaking loss to the Russians--obviously well before the now famous Russian 3rd period comeback. Win or lose it was a great evening, and we are SO proud of Lisa's brother Marcus and his incredible 2 week run during the tournament. I'm sure he made more than a few NHL scouts regret not snapping him up before the Buffalo Sabres did in the draft. Thanks to Tracy for getting 4 authentic Team Canada jerseys shipped to Peterborough complete with #17 and FOLIGNO on the back. To my fellow senior Foligno brothers Dave (Madill), Chris (White) and Mike Jr (Pezoulas), thanks for an unforgettable night in Buffalo. And thanks Dave for keeping me away at the wheel on the long drive home to Peterborough. I can still feel the chicken wings and I swear I re-tasted that draft beer a couple times today during my workout. Thanks Marcus and the whole Canadian team for making us all proud to be Canadians....and Folignos for a day!

Reframe Kudos

2011-01-04T18:28:00.000-08:00

Spencer & Sacha--amazing work for the Reframe folks. Love the poster. Love being surprised to see work come out of our agency that I had no idea we were working on. Especially when the design is so good. Makes an owner proud. The people in this building continue to impress me with how giving they are of their time for causes they believe in. Especially when we're so busy with regular client projects in the crazy months of December and January. Great work!

Going Public

2011-01-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

They say that going public with goals (and resolutions) can be a key step to achieving them. So I'm taking the step of announcing that I am indeed in-training for next month's Gatorade Half Marathon (in case you haven't noticed my sleeker physique and overall sunnier, healthier disposition). I have the 2 best coaches any non-runner like me could ask for. I will keep their identities secret for now in case they are less proud to claim me as a student than I am to claim them as coaches. Although I started running a couple years ago, my real training for this started in October, and it intensified with my coaches developing for me customized daily workouts to make sure I'm building for that 21+ kilometre day in late February.
My holiday season running prescription included what felt like an impossible mileage number to complete on Jan 2 (today) and the number was looming deep and dark in front of me throughout the holidays. That number was 16km. A number that as little as a month ago would have seemed preposterous to me. I have never, ever been a good runner. I never excelled in any athletic event related to track and field. And for many years, most of my life in fact, I convinced myself that I didn't have a runner's body and that my thick calves and hockey thighs were mother nature's way of telling me to stick to hockey and golf and downhill skiing.
I will NOT be going public on this blog with every day's mileage and every disgusting blister and ache and pain I experience. All I know is that running has done wonders for me and that as of today's 16 km run along the real race route I really truly believe that the half marathon is within reach and that a full marathon is not only a possibility but a likelihood within the next year. You heard it here.

From Me to YOU

2011-01-02T18:21:00.000-08:00

Fellow BHers...the card above is waiting for you on your desk when you get back from the holidays. Think of it as personalized 'words of wisdom' to think about in 2011. Directly from me...Mr. President. You probably don't realize it...or think of it....but I am fairly well versed on each member of our team. The comments I have made on each of your cards are directly from me. No vetting through your manager. I feel confident that there is nothing on these notes that will fly in the face of your own individualized performance plans you're working on with Christine, Sacha, Chris, Mike or myself. But they reflect a different perspective. Please consider the words I have written to you as no more or less important than what your managers communicate to you day in and day out. They just reflect a perspective from where I sit, what I see, and how I see a world of opportunity in front of each and everyone one of you. If anything you read tomorrow is confusing or needs explanation....please come see me. Don't bother your manager! I'd be happy to elaborate. I don't have all the answers, but I do believe that if you think about what I've written and give it serious consideration we will all benefit from it and we will continue on our path of getting stronger and stronger. Happy New Year.

Final Salute to a Great Year

2010-12-31T12:54:00.000-08:00

There is no rhyme nor reason to the order of these 'salutes'. And it's likely to be much lengthier than a 'top 10'. On the eve of a great and memorable year, a toast to the 25 or so (lost count!) BHers who made it a year this guy will NEVER forget:

1. BH5. Hands down the hi-lite of the year for me. An incredible job by the organizing committee that stuck to the 'brief' perfectly--I believe the briefing to them was simple--make it amazing and make it something people will be talking about for a long time. That you did. To all those great clients who made the trek from Toronto and Montreal--that was a great gesture and your presence gave me goosebumps. To the families and friends of BHers it was so great to meet the most important people in the lives of our staff--it's easy to see where they get their smarts and good looks from!

2. Great New People. Quite simply we made some great hires this year. Christine, Sacha--it's the most important thing you do--finding talented, BH worthy people. One thing I am really excited about on the dawn of a new year is watching these BH Newbies find their place and find ways of making us even stronger.

3. The Fivesome. 2010 will go down as the year our Senior Management Team truly became a team. We have established some important traditions, including our annual SoHo Strat Plan Retreat. More importantly we have found a groove as to how to execute on the great ideas that flow out of our regular meetings. And therein lies the difference.

4. Downtown. This past year we made a conscious effort to take on a small number of local advertising assignments. From the start, the BrandHealth business plan has purposely not had a local focus. For good reason. As much as we love doing local work, there simply isn't enough of it to fuel an agency of the size and quality that we have aspired to. When the opportunity to work for the City and the DBIA to develop a campaign to position, re-brand, and sell the central business district of our great hometown we simply had to step up. I think the quality of the work we did speaks for itself, but the thing I will remember most is the chance it gave us to get to know on a first name basis many of the community leaders and retailers who are our neighbours downtown. Downtown Peterborough. Love it more each year.

5. Wyeth & Pfizer. 2010 is the year that the 'deal' finally went down. And being an agency for a client that has to live and do business throughout the turmoil of a buyout or merger is interesting to say the least. It was weird seeing the Wyeth head office in Markham slowly but surely empty out. The last meeting there in the fall was eery--to see one of Canada's most successful and respected pharma companies be absorbed was a good reminder that nothing is forever, that business is business, but also that strong client-agency working relationships can help make such big transitions work.

6. Tough Decisions. It's not the snazzy, sexy part of owning an agency, but some of the most important decisions that have the farthest reaching effects relate to the difficult choices you make as to which assignments you accept or turn down, which client relationships you decide to invest in and occasionally as in 2010 for us, which ones you decide to part ways with because of poor fit, differences of opinion (creative, strategic, personnel, financial) or other. I will always remember the 'big wins' of 2010, but I will also remember the one that simply didn't work despite our best efforts.

7. Tipping Point. There were many 'tipping points' in 2010--points in time that it became clear that the win had shifted from being against us to being behind us--none was as significant as the change in momentum in recruiting. 2010 was the year that we had great talent seeking us out. The year that the universe of Toronto talent on both the creative and account side stood up and took notice of 'that new agency in Peterborough'. From the start we knew that our agency's location in cottage country instead of advertising country would make for some hiring challenges. But from what I see about the way people are now approaching their careers and family and work-life balance, I think we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg in interest from 'Toronto people' in spending the next phase of their career and life in this great part of the province.

8. Launch Year. 2010 was the year of new product launches for us and our clients. I count 5 significant launches, all of which I would describe by the most conservative/cautious estimations as big, early marketplace successes. As an agency we continue to outperform other agencies in our ability to execute quickly and smartly, which in the world of prescription drug and OTC launches can translate into millions of dollars of extra sales if we're in market on time versus 2 weeks late.

9. My Assistant. I think by most measures my life would be considered busy, sometimes bordering on crazy. I can't imagine it any other way. But it was about a year ago that I came to the realization that I needed help. An Assistant who could help me do a better job of living up to all the commitments I have. Someone who could help organize my business and personal life, my calendar, my phone calls, and yes even some of my meals and golf trips. Tracy has had quite an initiation into the world of BrandHealth, not to mention the world of Paul Hickey. She has become an integral part of my work life and has played a key role in managing my commitments outside of the agency, particularly as I took on the Board Chair role at Lakefield College School. We're continuing to work together to figure out the role she has taken on. I am excited by the possibility that 2011 could see Tracy find ways of fitting even more into my day than in 2010!

10. Mr. President. 2010 was the year one of my favourite, long-time clients got the top job at the pharma company he has devoted the past 20 years to. Can't think of a more deserving person to take on this big responsibility and I'm proud to say he's a friend. You can bet that this agency will be doing everything it can to make his tenure at the top an unqualified success.

Yes, it's Us

2010-12-23T19:41:00.001-08:00

I have been asked this question more than a dozen times in the past week--Did BrandHealth do the new campaign to promote the new Athletic Centre at Trent University? Yes we did. And it's just getting started. I'm not at liberty to delve into the strategy behind it but here's to the colour green. If you haven't checked out this amazing new facility you MUST. If your memories of fitness at Trent are of dark, dingy hallways and out of date locker rooms--you need to go for a visit. Leslie, Bill and the amazing staff there can give you a tour of Peterborough's newest and greatest athletic club. A university-calibre athletic centre in a state of the art building with incredible views from every elliptical and treadmill. By the way...what colour's the view from YOUR treadmill?

BH Christmas Lunch 2010

2010-12-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

Most of our BrandHealth gang were able to break bread together one last time before the new year. Delicious meat pies catered by BE Catering--delicious as always, salads, wine, and egg nog and ice cream from our great client Kawartha Dairy--there is no way there's a better tasting egg nog anywhere.
I've always had this tradition where I like to hang out in my office on days like this after everyone's gone. We let everyone go home after lunch to get a much deserved jump on the mad rush to Christmas. As I sit here I see the last of the year's Weekly Status Reports being sent out to clients before the lights go off on another year. And what a year it's been. As I said in my year end 'toast' at lunch, it's been an incredible 12 months. We finish 2010 stronger than we were a year ago. Our talent pool continues to deepen and we seem to be able to find talented creative and account professionals who truly are great people. This is a people business. The best work, both strategic and creative, happens when you have great people who clients trust, who give freedom and independence to us to do our job, and when our people here have fun working together, particularly under the gun and 'round the clock. I continue to be in awe of our senior managers who have found a way of taking our inspiration and direction and finding their own unique ways of rallying and inspiring their teams.
To our clients--what can I say? We truly do have the best clients in the world. We are so proud and honoured to tell friends, family and colleagues that we work for you. That you have chosen us to be your agency partner. You are among the biggest and best and most innovative companies in the world. It is so much fun to have the job, day in and day out, of bringing your communication and promotional plans to life. I can't imagine doing anything else. I feel like I am the luckiest guy in the world. Happy Holidays.

Back to the Boat

2010-12-23T11:16:00.000-08:00

Jane's shore leave has come to an end. She's headed back to meet up with the Sorlandet in port in Trinidad. One more month of sailing and exploring and some final assignments and exams. It was great having her home but still bittersweet as we knew she couldn't stay. Enjoy your last month at sea Janer. Love you and love what a beautiful, independent young woman you've become. See you on the beach in Belize!

Proud Dad

2010-12-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

Jane and Nora (a.k.a. Dorothy)
Who needs a Christmas present when your two daughters are re-united before Christmas?! Jane's shore leave ends Monday and is flying back to meet up with her ship in Trinidad. This photo was taken after last night's Arbour Theatre production of Wizard of Oz. It was a clever and comedic adaptation by Producer/Director/Writer Ray Henderson. It was clearly Nora's biggest, most challenging role to date--she was on the stage almost the whole show--and it was the 3rd of 3 sold out performances in one day. I am so proud of how she's managed her schedule this fall that included field hockey, grade 11 plus 8 weeks of intense rehearsals for this show. And in typical Nora fashion--she nailed it. Jane was working behind the scenes taking care of all of the young 'munchkins' who were in the show. I think she has decided based on this that a career involving young children is probably no longer up for consideration. To Jane and Nora. The two most different, most amazing, most beautiful, most adventurous daughters a dad could have. Love you tons.

Everest Base Camp

2010-12-06T17:09:00.001-08:00

This afternoon I took in an info session at Lakefield College on my daughter Nora's March Break Trip to Everest Base Camp. What an opportunity. I'm going to sound really old and out of date here but I do remember when March Break excitement for me was 5 straight days of road hockey in spring conditions.
Nora, 7 of her grade 11 and 12 classmates, 2 teachers and their expedition leader Angus are spending 3 weeks in Nepal. Starting in Katmandu they spend the better part of 2 weeks hiking to the summit. It is so cool that Nora is doing this with 2 of her favourite teachers/coaches; Mr McGowan used the Everest adventure book "Into Thin Air" with Nora's class last year. Ms. Hollingsworth is Nora's field hockey coach and mentor. Can't think of a better group of leaders for this experience of a lifetime. The theme I took away from the 2 hour meeting was "the fitter you are the more you will enjoy the experience". Ms. Hollingsworth even challenged the students that running the Gatorade Half Marathon here in Peterborough in late February would be a great test of their training and fitness. I had already committed to running it a few months ago. How great would it be to run it with Nora!

'Branding" Gone Wrong

2010-12-06T16:58:00.001-08:00

Why would anyone use the word brand in an ad this way? The whole idea behind branding is that you create communications that powerfully tell a story about a product or service (or MBA in this case) in a way that makes you feel a certain way about it. You don't LITERALLY use the word brand in the ad to convince people that the Laurier MBA is a strong brand. Can you imagine if BMW or Adidas or Grey Goose took the approach where instead of doing great advertising that showed high performance cars or running shoes or great tasting vodka, they simply did ads that said "Buy ours because we are a great brand". That is so stupid. And coming from a business school. The only branding that's being done here is Laurier saying they are a business school that doesn't understand marketing. Nice.

Who's Martha Stewart?

2010-12-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

Martha Stewart's got nothing on Kris Hickey.
Long before home-made antiqueee decorations and outdoor 'fluffing' was made popular by Martha, I married a smart, savy blonde who was doing 'Martha' type projects and crafts in our garage for friends and family. I still tell Kris often that she's wasting her time teaching grade 4 when she could be making 'Christmas in the Hamptons'-type crafts and charging $200 per basket/bucket/what-cha-ma-call-it. I took the photos above today when I was outside putting up the Christmas lights. Every corner I turned I was met by an eye-catching, Martha-would-be-jealous display of anything from birch and cedar and berries in a pot to an old fence gate with a red ribbon to this remarkable 'display' on the south veranda of the house consisting of an old toboggan and a pair of figure skates! It truly is remarkable. She's got the touch for sure. And unlike Martha she hasn't got us into any 'insider trading' pickles.

Night to Remember

2010-12-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Edition of the BrandHealth Christmas Party surpassed everyone's expectations--and those expectations are high. Our amazing committee outdid themselves--thanks so much to Tracy, Kelli, Randi, Diana, Amy and Sabrina. 5 of the 6 are rookie BH'ers. If that was your initiation, consider yourself officially one of the gang.
The Hotel Le Germain was the perfect choice. We had the whole restaurant, bar and lounge to ourselves. Many couples spent the whole weekend there. As a company we've set the bar high this year--how do we possibly top a year that includes last weekend's event plus our BH5 Birthday Party in June? Thanks to all for starting the holiday season off in style. It's always a crazy busy time of year for us at work. I feel like the Party gave us a good emotional boost to get through the next 3 weeks. That and some Charlie Brown Christmas tunes in the background and the next 14 days will fly by!

My Favourite Road Sign

2010-11-19T07:09:00.000-08:00

Never Forget

2010-11-11T09:21:00.001-08:00

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank cheque made payable to 'Canada' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'

The Year of Wood

2010-11-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

Wow, was I last to the party on this one. The above photo is the amazing invitation that our Christmas Party Committee sent out to all staff providing details on our upcoming event. I loved the invitation but don't know how I could have missed the inspiration behind the theme. The invitation is centred around a real piece of wood as you can see. But it wasn't until last night at Paul A's wedding that I got 'the wood connection'. I didn't realize that wood is the symbol for a 5th Anniversary. My excuse is that it's been 16 years since my own 5th wedding anniversary so I've lost touch. I went back and re-read my invitation after hearing the explanation last night--which described the connections between our agency and wood. Not only did BrandHealth celebrate (in great style) our 5th anniversary this year, but we have other natural connections to wood. We are located in the the heart of the Kawartha Lakes, a region known for the majestic pine trees that hug our beautiful shorelines. Our annual BH Unplugged day in Algonquin Park which sees us spend the day canoeing, eating, drinking and breaking bread together, much of it under trees. Our location downtown within a city famous for its connection to natural resources (head office of Ministry of Natural Resources is around the corner), not to mention the link to many famous wooden boat and canoe companies over the past century.
This ingenious and creative invitation is representative of the stature of our annual Christmas bash. It's become quite legendary over the past few years. It is so UNLIKE the tired ole, corporate schmoozy, 'can't wait til I get home' company Christmas party. It's relaxed. But classy. We take over a swanky boutique hotel in Toronto, yet it remains a friendly, unpretentious celebration. And many staff make a whole weekend of it. If the party is anything like the invitation it will set a new BH standard. Congrats and thanks to the Committee for putting their heart and soul into every detail.