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Tom Kerr’s LinkedIn bio bills him as a “new age advertising account service specialist.” So, of course, we had to ask him what that means.
“I really haven’t updated that in a while,” he laughs, “but what it means is I’m not just the sales guy … you know, old school account executives. All they really did was go out, go to dinners … they didn’t always have a lot of substance. I’m much more of a strategic person. I’m not just there to sell. I really invest in and spend a lot of time trying to improve my client’s business with my own thoughts, instead of just regurgitating what somebody behind the scenes is telling me.”
As you might expect, Kerr has a knack for branding. He came up with — and trademarked — the term “TraDigital” as a slogan for CK Advertising, his Cape Coral-based agency that specializes in marketing campaigns for auto dealers.
“We are a one-stop shop,” he says. “We can handle all traditional and digital advertising needs. We handle both facets equally well, and by doing that we create synergy throughout entire advertising campaigns.”
Despite his new-age approach to doing business, many of Kerr’s clients remain decidedly old school. They need face time to discuss their advertising needs, which means Kerr, a father of five, spends more time than he’d like on the road.
“It’s the business we’re in — we handle car dealers and only car dealers,” he says. “That personal relationship is still very, very important.”
Kerr, by the way, drives an Audi A7. “My wish-list car is an Audi R8,” he says. “Not a Ferrari or a Lamborghini or anything. I really like the Audi brand, but if I were to change, I would probably get a BMW 650.”
— Brian Hartz
Name: Tom Kerr
Age: 38
City of residence: Cape Coral
Twitter handle: kerr_tom
Employer: CK Advertising
Title: Co-Owner
Birthplace: Ashland, Ohio
Years on the Gulf Coast: 14
Marital status/children: Married/5
Alma mater/degree: Ohio University/Public Relations
Best place to network: Conventions
Messy desk or clean workspace: Clean
Eat lunch out or at your desk: Now I eat out, but I used to always eat at my desk
Best business lesson ever learned: Do the right thing for the customer first and the compensation will follow
Weirdest job you’ve ever had: I spent a summer promoting a 1962 Thunderbird giveaway on the radio. I had to drive the Thunderbird from location to location recording commercials via a cell phone to get people to the location in order to sign up.
A website that makes your job easier: Concur
App you use the most: Facebook
One thing you do everyday: Zero out my inbox
Community group you’re most involved with: Harry Chapin Food Bank
Favorite off-hours activity: Watching my kids in their youth sports/activities
Two people, dead or alive, you’d like to have dinner with: My grandfather and Ronald Reagan
What you would be doing if you could pick another career: Sportscaster
Top item on your bucket list: Going to Scotland to learn more about my ancestry/clan
Your happy place is: Playing golf
Your biggest fear: Disappointing my family or employees
Skill you’d like to learn: Computer programming
Who would play you in a movie about your life: John Hamm or Tom Hardy
Describe yourself in three words: Demanding, generous and driven
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