Branding and Design Copywriting and Naming

I have over 20 years experience as a Toronto creative director responsible for branding and re-branding organizations and services, including United Way Canada and several Canadian universities. I also get hands-on with product naming and label/package copy, because those 30 words or so are a big, private moment with a consumer, where you can tell your story, claim your difference, and get in their cart. On this page is a wine that I wrote the label copy for; it became the top-selling Ontario-wine the year it launched with a $0 advertising budget — just word of mouth, a great name, and, apparently, the label copy. I also work with many agencies and clients on their marketing strategies, from brainstorming, to developing and writing positioning options, to presenting to the board. I love finding something powerful about you that no one else can say.

STRATEGIC NAMING: UNITED WAY CANADA

"After 15 years, I finally know what we do." Testimonial from United Way board member after a nine-month strategy and copywriting process that honed UW's dozens of interests into three areas. Copywriting and strategy.

LABEL COPYWRITING: GRAND SPIRITS DISTILLERY

Design: Shawn Murenbeeld

LABEL COPYWRITING: D'ONT POKE THE BEAR WINE, GENERATIONS WINE

Named best new product, 2017/18 Elsie (LCBO) Awards.

Top selling new Ontario wine of 2017-18, with $0 advertising budget.
Customers walked into the LCBO, read, laughed, and bought.

BRANDING AND NAMING: NORTHERN TEMPLE VODKA

Copywriting. Design: Jason Hatcher

VARIOUS IDENTITY COPYWRITING, BRANDING AND NAMING

Manifest Communications. Creative Direction, sometimes Writing.
Design: Shawn Murenbeeld, Fei Lu, Deborah Caprara.

Just a few of the many organizations I led the branding and design work for as Creative Director.

ONTARIO '24 POTATOES

Copywriting and Naming. Design: Shawn Murenbeeld

GOODWILL ONTARIO REBRANDING

Manifest Communications. Creative Direction, Copywriting. Design: Shawn Murenbeeld

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA REBRAND

Manifest Communications. Creative Direction, Writing. Design: Deborah Caprara.

Brand Guidelines: I've written and creative directed several.

WOODGREEN COMMUNITY SERVICES REBRAND

Manifest Communications. Creative Direction, Writing. Design: Deborah Caprara

COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS OF CANADA REBRAND

Manifest Communications. Creative Direction, Writing. Design: Fei Lu

NATIONAL ABORIGINAL ACHIEVEMENT FOUNDATION OF CANADA (Now INDSPIRE) REBRAND

Manifest Communications. Creative Direction, Writing. Design: Paul Bonsell

MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY (GRENFELL) REBRAND

Manifest Communications. Chief Idea Officer. Creative Team: Paul Bonsell, Trevor Mann, Joe O`Neill

The viewbook (with six different covers) opened like so:

CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP BRANDING

I led the creative development -- branding, copywriting and execution -- on corporate communications citizenship programs for Rogers, Manulife, Shoppers Drug Mart, Canadian Tire and other corporations.

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