Melanie Brandman’s agency is known for their ultra-luxe clientele and super-successful campaigns, and that remains true even during the continuing pandemic. The team (whose senior staff has been at the agency for as many as 7 to 14 years) opened 10 hotels in the past year, securing features on many top magazines’ best-of lists. In recent updates, the agency brought on an expert in crisis management and media training through The Brandman Agency Partner Program. The agency has also developed a fully integrated digital/social media team to handle organic and paid media channels, and with clients like COMO Hotels, Waldorf Astoria and Hotel Barriere Fouquet’s New York, the division is growing rapidly. As luxury hospitality is often the last to embrace new technology, Brandman’s team is stepping up to help broaden clients’ metaverse presence through NFT drops and other technological innovations.
Leadership team:
Melanie Brandman, Founder & CEO
Notable long-term clients:
COMO Hotels, Resorts La Mamounia, Marrakech, Raffles Singapore, Marriott International: Caribbean and Latin America, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Experience Scottsdale, Kulm Hotel St. Moritz and Grand Hotel Kronenhof, Troutbeck, Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
New client wins:
Hôtel Barrière, Fouquet’s New York, Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria Resort, Carneros Resort & Spa, The Beverly Hilton, Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead, Frenchman’s Reef, RESET Telluride
Highlight any particularly successful client campaigns and their outcomes.
“We have had highly successful hotel opening campaigns this year, but one that has really stood out as a success is the opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Maldives Fari Islands. With this opening, we achieved coverage in all of our A-list publications, hitting all of our KPIs and featuring the client on the cover of Condé Nast Traveler in addition to a digital "First-In" feature. We secured more than 70 pieces of opening coverage across other key titles such as Travel + Leisure, Robb Report, Architectural Digest, Town & Country, Fortune Magazine and CBS Newspath; reached an audience of more than 334 million including placement on Condé Nast Traveler's "Hot List," Travel + Leisure's "It List" and "Global Vision Awards," Architectural Digest's "Hotel Design Awards," TIME Magazine's "100 Greatest Places" and Hospitality Design Awards; among many others, making the opening one of The Brandman Agency's most successful to date.”
Look at the retention rates for the now-senior team at Sharp Think (think: eight-plus years on the job), and you’ll get an idea about the company’s employee-centric culture and roster of impressive client names. Over the past year, the agency solidified its work-from-anywhere policy, making hires in new cities across the country, and building up new hubs in priority markets for its clients (Chicago, Texas and Los Angeles, for example). The agency has jumped on the chance to serve clients in emerging practices, too. This year, Sharp successfully launched 1stDibs’ foray into selling NFTs, and built up visibility for Botto, an experimental AI art project sold exclusively through SuperRare. With COVID-19 and the climate crisis front and center, consumer interest in health and wellness has only expanded, and Sharp has been able to bring several new clients into this portfolio. After a few years off of live events, Sharp has resumed event planning, support and management, from intimate press dinners to international press trips, multi-day consumer brand activations and more.
Leadership team:
Jim Brodsky, Founder & CEO
Notable long-term clients:
1stDibs, Arteriors, Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens, Cosentino, Good Catch, Hi-CHEW, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), KOHLER, Legrand, TEFAF, Tenet Healthcare, The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering, York Wallcoverings
New client wins:
Home and Design - Certainteed, Four Hands, LUXITALY Group, Botto, Marla Aaron, Neha Dani, Moms Clean Air Force
How are you innovating and moving the industry forward?
“The past year has reinforced the message that we’re ‘stronger together’ in ways big and small, and it’s a mantra that we have embraced throughout the organization. In recent years, Sharp leadership has led an initiative to bring together contacts at traditionally-competitive agencies spanning home/design, luxury and lifestyle categories. We developed the concept and convened industry practitioners for networking, brainstorming, collaborating and more. This brain trust has been a valuable informal resource in navigating staffing challenges, the rapidly changing media landscape, and more. The next installment is currently in the works (in person!) for Fall.”
