32 GEORGIANVIEW SPRING 2022
BUSINESS
When asked what their international agency, JKR Canada,
does for its clients, Paulo Cardoso and Melissa Pauli-
Cardoso will tell you they deliver communications and
digital marketing services for big brands and global
celebrities, as well as individuals and small- to mid-sized
businesses.
JKR operates under three pillars – strategy, branding
and performance – to ensure success for the companies
and people they represent. The digital marketing
agency operates in Canada, the United States and Brazil,
supporting brands such as Airbnb, Stella Artois, Dell and
Peugeot.
But what really stands out about JKR are the bonds that
Melissa and Paulo nurture with their clients and 53-person
creative team.
"Our relationships are what make our company so
successful. Our team feels they are actually being listened
to. Our work with our clients is the same," notes Paulo,
Chief Operating Officer, who graduated from the Business
– Marketing program at Georgian (class of 2018).
After graduating from Georgian, both Melissa and Paulo
launched their own successful endeavours. Melissa, was
a digital marketing consultant and mentor to businesses
at the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre and Paulo
helped over 500 small businesses through Digital Main
Street. They then decided to join forces and incorporate
the company Joker, using the moniker JKR Canada.
"We saw an opportunity to help many businesses within
our network and beyond who were struggling with
strategy, branding and performance" says Melissa, Co-
founder and Chief Marketing Officer, who graduated from
the Tourism program (class of 2018). "We also saw a lot
of people having to pivot their online marketing efforts
due to less foot traffic and more online and e-commerce
purchases. Digital marketing strategies are still shifting
for these business owners; they have learned that they
have to adapt and learn new ways to attract and retain
customers online. "We saw this opportunity with JKR
because we have connections with the big brands, but
also have a strong passion for working with Simcoe
County businesses and additional local brands."
Nurturing relationships is important to Melissa and Paulo.
Earlier this year, they relocated to Brazil for 12 months to
connect with their international team and clients, and to
reconnect with each other and themselves.
"It's a total cultural exchange and I see a lot of what
we learn coming back to Canada," says Paulo. "We're
still going to be operating in Canada while we're there
because we have people helping us in Canada. That's not
going to change."
To pay their success forward, the couple recently launched
two scholarships to support the next generation of
students at Georgian: The JKR Visionary Scholarship
for Social Innovation and the JKR Marketing Innovation
Scholarship.
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Melissa and Paulo received the Best New Club
award in 2018 for creating the Go Abroad Squad.
Big presence
that delivers
results
