Maybe it’s just the spring weather here in New York, but we’re beginning to see a sunny future for the media as new titles and property extensions are cropping up across the luxury landscape.  The economy is starting to show small signs of recovery, luxury media ad page counts are up in Q1, and we think the… read more>>

In 1984, as part of his re-election campaign, Ronald Reagan ran a now-famous commercial titled “It’s morning again in America,” which was written and narrated by legendary adman Hal Riney.  The spot, which in a very soothing and optimistic manner spoke to economic prosperity, was in short a hit, and while it did not single handedly re-elect… read more>>

People often ask me if I watch Mad Men.   Well, do you think Texas oil men in the early 80′s watched Dallas?  The funny thing about Mad Men is that the advertising business is just used as, what we call in the business, an executional device to tell a cultural story about the period from 1961-1966,… read more>>

This past week the New York agency BBH made headlines when it turned homeless people at SXSW into “Homeless Hotspots”.  The general consensus was that it was degrading to give human beings the function of a an inanimate object.  There were choruses of “Have we lost our humanity?” “How could they do that to homeless people, haven’t… read more>>

The Cartier brand has a lot to be proud of after 165 years, and their recent short film is no exception. Not only is it gorgeous and a testament to luxury goods branding but it is unusually strategically sound for a category where often we get lost in beauty (and why not?). So what’s the big fuss… read more>>

Forget about the slew of Super Bowl spots that everyone in the ad world and beyond, was talking about for just a sec. Barring a few exceptions, they were a step down from years past anyway. What wasn’t a step down by any means, was the brilliant thought and execution that drove the new Nissan Leaf spot, which I… read more>>

So there I was just minding my own business trying to read an ArtInfo (now brought to you by Blouin) piece on the 2013 budget proposal for NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) when a Mr. Porter (men’s Net-a-Porter) skyscraper banner caught my eye. Was it the handsome man, the clean art direction, his name, or just the… read more>>

As with fans from all over the place, here at Sharp we’ve been counting down the days till Mad Men is back up and running (48 days to go!), and as with most New Yorkers, we have a special place in our hearts for those subway graffiti artists making us chuckle on our way to work each… read more>>

Well now that the smoke has cleared and it’s just a mild haze (blue not purple) I suppose it’s time to weigh in on the events of last night.  If only the commercials lived up to the game – but wait one (or some) did.  As far as everything else, well it was pretty typical save for… read more>>

Well, last I left you chewing on Snickers, frogs, Darth Vadar, Cindy and a padlock.  So you must be asking what’s next?  A sock puppet, kick to the groin, monkeys in the workplace?  None of the above if you recall my simple guidelines, but rather more spots resonating with emotional connections to drive brand affinity.  Here we… read more>>