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.

Chris Moore, Chief Executive Officer

FIRST Robotics
“When it comes to picking teams, everyone wants MH&A on their side. They are ridiculously insightful about building brands and uncovering consumer needs. There isn’t one thing you can throw their way that they can’t figure out how to elevate to a higher level. Our principals, Michael Pedler and Mark Forward, are super smart, intuitive, dynamic and excellent storytellers. More importantly, they are savvy marketing, business and strategy partners who have collaborated with our organization over the past two years and coached our people. They have helped us think more strategically about our business and competitive environments and focused us on achieving measurable results. Throughout our strategic planning process, which they played a significant role in architecting, MH&A married critical brand thinking, genuine consumer insight and deep cultural relevance to create a powerful value proposition and organizational strategies that we intend to pursue going forward. We couldn’t be happier with the professionalism and expertise of their agency. Any organization would benefit from their wisdom and engagement.”

Brady Wilson, CEO

Juice Inc.

“We’ve had dime-a-dozen marketing strategies – some impotent, others a total waste of our energy. The murky complexity we wade through called for clear-headed, market-seasoned experts who could slice through assumptions and deliver novel solutions. For this, we have mh&a.”

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.”

Ron Shalit, Managing Director

Shalit Foods Inc.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with mh&a over the past few years and I hope to work with them for years to come. The team is loaded with highly talented and insightful industry vets who bring clarity and focus to our brand. The strategy work alone helped us drive sales and brand awareness. They started by developing our Brand Bible (our Rosetta Stone) – which keeps us honest, consistent and single minded. Reimagined across our traditional and digital platforms, every member on the team lives and breathes the brand. The value extends far beyond the deliverables.”

Paul Savas, Executive Director

Trike Theatre
“When you bring on mh&a you’re getting a team of strategically assembled experts; experts on every angle, every piece of your operation. From the minutest mechanical piece to the topmost creative strategy, this team works in concert to address it all; helping you deliver your most important strategic priorities. On top of this embarrassment of riches of talent and expertise, you’ll also have a good time. Every single meeting I have had with them, from one-on-ones to meetings of both full teams, I have had a good time. It’s because they work with people and organizations/causes they like, and it is within this ease they deliver results.”

Jason Lee, Chief Executive Officer

SmartCone Technologies

“mh&a…Thank you for changing the way we see our own business.

We could tell right away that the team at mh&a cared about us.  They made it easy for us to share our mission.  When it got hard to explain or we got lost in our own story, they supported us and provided guidance that seemed to resolve our confusion instantly.  I can’t even remember the chaos before mh&a showed up.  I know it was there though.  Now I have a simple and powerful way to see my company.  I never thought that would happen.  They are truely amazing.”

Contact

New Business.

Michael Pedler

T: (416) 452-8384
E: michael@mumfordhartashley.com