Biography of Andrew Sacks

"As owner and President of an advertising agency, I've always been interested in the luxury category," notes Andrew Sacks, 39, President of AGENCYSACKS, the mid-sized independent New York shop that specializes in marketing premium goods to the affluent and the aspirational. 

"To me, it is the most challenging and stimulating brand category.  Luxury marketers have relatively small budgets.  Consequently, an agency must do more with less.  Moreover, the rich are different.  They are the world's most 'oversold' consumers.  To reach them, execution is critical.  You must respect their intellect and acuity and speak to them one customer at a time.  While there is license in luxury, never underestimate the importance of the tactical."

As a professional, these are the watchwords Andrew Sacks lives by.  Personally, his life has mirrored these beliefs as well.

Andrew Sacks literally grew up in the advertising business.  His father had his own agency (which Andrew eventually bought); and both of Andrew's siblings head their own shops. 

"Our dinner table conversation often centered around a client's most immediate marketing challenges and how to address them," Andrew recalls.

After a brief foray into commercial real estate, where he literally took on the General Motors building as his first project  ("I went to the top floor and worked my way down, floor by floor, tenant by tenant, to find out who ran each company.  Then I'd run back to the office and make 100 cold calls to identify tenants who needed more space"), Andrew joined what was then Sacks & Rosen Advertising, in account management.

By nature, Andrew tends to question.  "Trust your gut" and "Don't complicate it" are mantras he lives by.  One client described his approach to the advertising process with the following formula:  Calmness + clarity = creativity & consistency. 

This kind of emotional and business intelligence may have accounted for Andrew's being elected, at 27, to the Board of Trustees of his boarding school (the youngest member in recent history) and fueled his success at Sacks & Rosen.  Within three years of his arrival there, he was named a partner.  In 1999, at age 31, he purchased the agency.  Since then, Andrew has repositioned and renamed the organization, doubled both the space and staff and tripled the billings, adding such world-class brands as Baccarat and The Peninsula Hotel Group.  Andrew's end game:  to make AGENCYSACKS the U.S. beachhead for global luxury brands looking for that unique understanding of the most affluent part of the American market.

Even his public service work speaks to this commitment:  He has served as Chairman of the annual Cartier Grand Slam, a tennis tournament in East Hampton, Long Island benefiting the American Cancer Society.

SPEECH TOPICS

Luxury: The Grand Offender 
The affluent resent the word “luxury.”  Not only does it not resonate with them, but more importantly, it actually turns them off.  Andrew Sacks explains why – and what to do about it.

More Product Intelligence, Less Hype
Eighty percent of today’s American wealth is New Wealth, earned within the last ten years.  These affluent folks are themselves learning how to live with money.  Andrew Sacks explains that marketers can play an important role in educating these newly rich consumers  – and, in so doing, forging a powerful connection with them.

The License of Luxury
Certain premium brands live on the edge.  They can push boundaries and do things other brands can’t.  In fact, it’s expected.  According to Andrew Sacks, marketers can take advantage of this “License of Luxury” to do more, be bolder – and significantly more profitable.  He explains how.

They Are Connected and They Talk! 
Among the affluent, word of mouth is the primary means of learning about new brands.  A brand can earn trust, but a friend is someone who is trusted implicitly.  Word of mouth, from the right lips to the right ears, can mean a lot.  Andrew Sacks explains how – and why.