Our entrepreneurial approach and business mindset creates measurable results.
Why work with us?
We are deeply immersed in today’s digital platforms and practice what we preach. We also have over 25 years of brand building experience. That’s a rare combination.
We understand how to combine target marketing, consumer insight, psychology and neuroscience to reach our audiences with motivating messages. In a nutshell, we understand people, and how best to get their attention.
Our offerings are nimble, scalable and entrepreneurial. That means we adapt quickly, assemble the right teams for any given project and look for opportunities for you outside of the norm.
SIMON BURN
Bios can get so boring and self-congratulatory. People tend to use big words. Like “self-congratulatory”.
So, let’s keep it short.
BIO HIGHLIGHTS
I’m originally from the U.K. After design school, and a few positions as an employee, I founded a communications company.
In the 90s, we won the contract for the opening the channel tunnel (Eurotunnel). We created the brand identity, and handled all the marketing and promotion for the inaugural events. The Queen attended.
I had travelled to Canada, mostly to the Rocky Mountains, to pursue my photography. I decided to move to Toronto (shorter flight to the Rockies).
I built a freelance communications business and then became the co-founder and a principal of Fireworks Creative. This was one of Canada’s first integrated media companies.
Within five years, Fireworks grew from two to 30 people. We were pursued by a multi-national company based in NYC and Cognicase, one of Canada’s largest publicly traded IT companies. We chose to sell to Cognicase who were subsequently acquired by CGI Group.
Thereafter, I worked independently, and have photographed hundreds of editorial assignments around the world, shooting travel, tourism, lifestyle, food, interiors, architecture and culture.
My work has graced the covers and spreads of lifestyle magazines, and been featured in newspapers, advertising campaigns, books, TV, and the web.
My most recent videos for clients run on social media and the client websites.
WHAT I BELIEVE
I believe experience beats theory.
I believe emotions beat logic.
I believe culture beats strategy.
My aim is to share my knowledge and creativity while working with like-minded clients.
A FEW THOUGHTS FOR 2023 AND BEYOND
Today, video has become the most important medium for storytelling.
Video plays an increasingly important role on all leading social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and of course YouTube.
Video, in addition to photography, is where I focus my efforts to build brands. I have spent the past 5 years understanding and building my own channels on social media platforms. Therefore, I can speak as a practitioner, not a headline reader.
Today, I am fortunate to be able to work with clients I want to work with, and who I can relate to.
My philosophy, in the words of photographer Cecil Beaton:
“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”
Let’s chat.
ANDY STROTE
BIO HIGHLIGHTS
I’ve been a copywriter and creative director at six ad agencies, large and small. My clients included Canon, Colgate Palmolive, Canadian Tire, Delta Hotels and New Brunswick Tourism.
I founded three successful creative agencies. Simon and I founded the second one, Fireworks Creative.
When Simon went off on global assignments, I founded the third agency, Context Creative from which I retired successfully, selling my shares back to my partners.
At my agencies, clients included Hydro One, Toronto Hydro, Manulife Financial, CIBC, Equity Financial, Random House, Trailhead Ontario, Ryerson University, Ambit Search and many more.
Today, I work with Simon for select clients. I have also written a book, How to Start a Successful Creative Agency, for other creators looking to get ahead in the business.
Over the years, I’ve written millions of words for hundreds of clients. I’ve worked in all media, both print- and electronic-based. I’ve won numerous awards and the accolades of my clients and peers. I still wake up, ready to get at it.
WHAT I BELIEVE
Your product or service is the ideal choice for your tribe. Your goal is to find and engage with them.
You can engage more effectively by acting like a person rather than a corporation. Reward them for their attention, fulfill your promises.
You may have noticed that online, our notion of friends and relationships has changed. People have “friends” they’ve never met. Their shared interests bond them in that friendship.
At the same time, people identify strongly with companies and products. They wear logos on their shirts. They spread the news to family and friends.
Your goal is to become known, liked and preferred by those in your tribe. That’s the sweet spot.
As marketers, our job to answer every consumer’s underlying question, “What’s in it for me?”
A FEW THOUGHTS FOR 2023 AND BEYOND
Like Simon, I agree that video has become primary in communications. Why is this?
Three reasons:
Video offers the richest sensory experience with sound and moving pictures.
Video is the easiest and most convenient to consume. Just sit back, watch and listen. We have become addicted to ease and convenience.
Today, every significant online platform is either video-based, or allows you to embed or link to video. So with one video, you have many outlets for your messages.
Some brands, companies and organizations we’ve worked with over the years
Building your brand. What we believe.
To build a successful brand, you need to start by telling an engaging and compelling story about your true essence and purpose. We work with you to mine deep and define your core brand values and unique qualities, reinforce your brand culture, and develop a meaningful and authentic story. Then we create images, video and communications that touch people's hearts as well as appeal to their logic, to create a connection and build brand love.
Conformity is boring
Be clever, be rebellious. Be emotive. Just please dare to be different. Conformity is brand death. Far too often, companies look at what others are doing and simply mimic. Don’t be a sheep. Rock the status quo, make some noise, and celebrate what makes you unique.
Create a unique experience for your customers. With so many similar competing products and services, a key differentiator should be in the experience you provide.
Own your identity from your logo, tagline, tone of voice, marketing materials, to how you connect and engage through social media.
Be your best self
Oscar Wilde once said:
“Be yourself; everyone else is taken.”
What is your core truth? Being authentic is more than simply positioning your brand or filling a gap in the market – it’s about defining its true purpose. Your purpose determines the path you take your business in the world, and the culture and community you build along the way.
Your story needs to be authentic, and that authenticity is the foundation to developing a unique brand positioning.
But here’s the thing, the word ‘authentic’ is too freely used these days, and the consumer isn’t a fool.
You need to truly believe in what you say and do, and stand behind it at every touchpoint, including staff interaction and customer service. If you do, you build trust, create a value-added brand, and loyal followers and supporters.
Emotions are more important than facts
What is your brand’s purpose? What does it stand for? Why should someone choose your brand over brand XYZ? Great branding is first about creating an emotional connection with your customer.
When engaging with consumers, emotions trump facts. But that’s not to say facts aren’t important too. They are, but should typically play a supporting role.
A deeper level of connection fuels a stronger brand experience, making it so much easier to build trust, inspire people, secure enduring relationships... and turn your customers into brand advocates. In other words, it’s the path to creating brand love.
What People Are Saying
“Put this man behind the lens and watch any setting, vignette, plate of food or person—even a shy one, come to life. Simon is a master at capturing the spark that makes a moment worth recording.”
— Kimberley Seldon, Interior Designer, TV Personality, Keynote Speaker
“I hired SDB Creative Group for a number of direct marketing projects and they has never disappointed me. I was constantly looking for fresh ideas and never able to get them from one source; Simon put an end to my search. His work is creatively unique and never stale, he is flexible and versatile, and puts his heart and soul into all of his work. I love journeying through a new project with Simon, it's always a great adventure!”
— Diana Sisto, Director, Brentwood Classics Ltd
“SDB Creative Group have an amazing ability to distill down exactly what we stand for, what we believe, and how we wanted to present ourselves as a brand. They nailed it!.”
— Fabrizio Natale, Chef, Soup Du Jour
Custom Content
Video production
Photography
Writing & editing
Editorial design
Communications
Digital marketing
Packaging & point of purchase
Product & promotional literature
Branding
Competitive & comparative analysis
Brand expression & positioning
Naming & logo design
Brand identity design
Strategy
Brand strategy
Marketing strategy
Social media strategy