Relationship
Think of the last person you really listened to.
Now, think of why you listened to them.
The best relationships you have, are the ones where you can tell someone they’re full of sh*t (respectfully,) and then sit down and have a meal with them. You rarely – ok, never – want to forge a real bond with someone who constantly does your bidding. Strong strategy comes from strong relationships. And strong relationships are built on trust.
That’s what we’re about. Building a bond so strong, that the strategies born from it– brand strategies, creative strategies, social, whatever – are iron-clad. Even though one of us might be full of sh*t.
It probably had something to do with trust.
Ideas
No one says, “That’s great advertising!”
But they do say, “That’s a great idea.”
It’s a simple fact; advertising doesn’t build brands, ideas do. Well-thought, agnostic, stick-to-your-ribs ideas. Sometimes, they turn out to be ads, but they’re the most important part of your brand, all the time. The best part is that there’s an endless supply of them, but they have to be mined, captured, coerced and cajoled into submission.
Most important, they have to be recognized as ideas. They come from anywhere at anytime. But once you get hold of one, it’s knowing what to do with it that’s critical. Ideas make brands unique. And we can help with that.
Focus
Behind every great brand is someone doing the work.
This stuff doesn’t happen by itself.
Every great brand –we’re not going to start rhyming them off, you know them – became great because of brilliant thinking, diligence and focus. And we believe every brand deserves the same chance to be great. We also think that the brand should be the hero, not the people working on it. So we’re quite content being the “man behind the curtain” so to speak.
It comes from a simple ideal – “ideas, not egos” – which is self-evident. Help the brand shine, and the rest takes care of itself. But don’t mistake our modesty for nonchalance. Our backgrounds speak for themselves.
Expertise
Behind the scenes.
Mark
Forward
Director
Ed
Caffyn
Strategy
Matthew
Gyulay
Creative
Steven
Bochenek
Creative
Alex
Chepovetsky
CX
Taina
Suomela
Operations
Ken
Galloway
Production
Michael
Pedler
President
Reviews
What they say.
Jesse Elliott, Chief Strategy & Creative Officer
CACHE
“Not only did mh&a go above & beyond in their work with us – they also went below & within, inspiring us to dig deep into the roots and mycelia of meaning for our organization. They’re a good-natured but unforgiving coach, a best friend who’s putting you through the wringer because they truly care about who you are, why you exist, and what you intend to put into the world.”
Jason Miller, Executive Director
Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra
“As a nonprofit, we’re under-resourced and over-committed. We have lots of passion but lack marketing expertise. Just like a kindergarten teacher with a new student, mh&a holds our hands through the entire process. They’re responsive and patient. It’s magical how they’re able to pull, unscramble and focus our thoughts in order to create effective business, brand and creative strategies. In addition to the planning horsepower on the team, they’re excellent executors and tacticians. In the past, we’ve found bits and pieces of these attributes in local and national agency partners, but we’ve always had to compromise – until now. It’s been a joy to partner with them.”