Sugar Hill Strategy

10/29/2024

I’ve left Saatchi & Saatchi in 2016; this old video from a decade ago reminded me what a vibrant, creative, fearless, fun environment an advertising agency could be.

The people were always full of surprises and delights (and tantrums and breakdowns, but hey!). I only worked tangentially with these two but they were considered some of the best, and we kept the creative juices flowing by giving our people opportunities to work in other countries; it had the effect of opening hearts and minds and stimulating creativity. This video is about just one such inter-office staff swap.

Our heartbreaking farewell to Saatchi & Saatchi Milan.

07/23/2022

A wonderful program Saturday and Sunday.

Week 2
BAROQUE MASTERS
Sponsored by Sugar Hill Strategy

Baroque music enjoyed a resurgence of interest during the 1970s and has never looked back. The works of German, Italian and English masters like J. S. Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Purcell, and Quantz have never been more popular. This program combines familiar and unfamiliar examples, but they are all pieces that display, in abundance, the instrumental virtuosity, the long flowing melodies, ranging from hauntingly beautiful to unabashedly joyful, and the compelling harmonies, that have kept us listening for nearly 400 years.


“One of the outstanding cultural resources in the state of New Hampshire”
– NH State Council on the Arts


Saturday, July 23 - 4:00 pm - Dow Field Pavilion, Franconia
Sunday, July 24th - 4:00 pm - Dow Field Pavilion, Franconia


FREE TICKETS

Susan Nidel, flute Ronnie Bauch, violin
Kemp Jernigan, oboe Gabriela Diaz, violin
Cynde Iverson, bassoon Ah Ling Neu, viola
Bernhard Scully, horn Chris Finckel, violoncello
Bernard Rose, harpsichord Donald Palma, double bass


Henry Purcell Fantasias for Viols
(1659-1695) Fantasia in G minor
Fantasia in Bb major
Fantasia in F major “Upon one note”

Antonio Vivaldi Concerto in G minor, RV 107
(1678-1741) Allegro; Largo; Allegro

Johann Sebastian Bach “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” from Cantata BWV 147
(1685-1750) Trio Sonata in G major, BWV 1039
Adagio; Allegro ma non presto; Adagio e piano; Presto

George Frideric Handel Aria, “Ombra mai fu” from ‘Serse'
(1685-1759)

Johann Joachim Quantz Concerto for Horn in Eb major, Op.7, No.9
(1697-1773) Allegro
Siciliano: Larghetto
Allegro

07/05/2021

WHAT SAYS *SUMMER* MORE THAN BOOKS AND ICE CREAM? This, a pairing of “Epidemic Empire” with a custom creation—named All-Inclusive—from Sugar Hill Creamery? This ice cream/book pairing can be found at , or you can follow the artist at or maybe even sample some of this rice pudding, mango and Maduros combination at .

03/25/2021

WINE AGED IN SPACE MIGHT BE BETTER THAN WINE THATS SUBJECT TO CLIMATE CHANGE HERE ON EARTH. A case of Chateau Petrus 2000 and some vines were sent to the International Space Station(ISS) for a year. Upon their return they were tasted side by side with their earthbound relatives and were found to be more “open” and “aromatic”. The vines not only all survived in space with limited light and oxygen, they budded and began blossoming early. The conclusions? Either the climate here on earth is less beneficial to growth or the stresses of surviving in space make you more resilient (what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger). For more, here’s the link: https://youtu.be/TAAu2PFmtUQ.

Château Pétrus: does a case of top-notch Bordeaux really taste different after being in Space?

03/11/2021

WHAT THE PAST YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY HAS TAUGHT US: technology can help us be more human. Listening to Chris Foster’s podcast “A Punch Above” this morning I am struck by the notion that operating during a global pandemic may just have been what corporations and entrepreneurs needed to pivot from the old profit-only business models to successful future-facing purpose-led endeavors. Whether it is a company that retooled its production capabilities to produce masks, or a technology company that enabled simple contactless payments and donations, purpose is at the heart of the company’s ability to pivot, to be resilient and adaptable in the face of a changing world.

Here’s a quote that rings so true: “when a company is able to activate their purpose and put it at the heart of what they do—so it’s not tangential to their business, it’s not a CSR program that sits separately and apologizes for what you do—it is what you do.”

Thank you for your continued insight and inspiration in the world of innovation and entrepreneurship.

“Whether there’s a pandemic or not people still need help.” — Lt. Kyron Newbury, The Salvation Army The spirit of generosity was what led Chris Greenfield to start tiptap, a touchless giving company that serves those who are being left behind in an increasingly cashless world. In this second...

10/05/2020

RIP KENZO. It was almost fifteen years ago, the last night after a week of workshops in Paris, and we decided to go to Kong, the Kenzo restaurant at 1 rue du Pont Neuf. This restaurant which sat atop the Kenzo building was a glass-enclosed bubble decorated by Philippe Starck overlooking the Seine and the Louis Vuitton Headquarters. I was with Robert Lobetta, the global art director of Sebastian Professional and creator of the “Stop Mediocrity Tour”and Elizabeth Olson, global Design Director for PG Beauty (was Jo Wilby with us that night?). It was a magical space and experience, as was everything Kenzo created. Featured here is the “Flowers by Kenzo” perfume, another ingenious concept, this one of creating a fragrance based on the red poppy, a scent-less flower. Ingenious. Magical. Truly creative mind.

08/09/2020

PROTECTING THE SOCIAL LIVES OF ELEPHANTS. Joy Bunson’s “Culture Club” brings together many of us who once gathered for coffee at her apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and have now been flung by COVID-19 like a splatter painting to European cities and rural enclaves on the East Coast. We hear stories that New York is a ghost of it’s self. The culture of New York and much of its vibrancy is in peril as non-profit programming and fund-raising that contribute to the arts, theatre, music, historical societies and philanthropies have been dispersed as well. Joy, acting in a very gracious version of “rage rage against the dying of the light”, has arranged for these institutions to share their missions, programming and fund-raising innovations and insights into culture with us. Two weeks ago we heard from Save The Elephants founder Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton and CEO Frank Pope who shared a story of Luna, a young elephant whose family was nearly all wiped out by poachers ten years ago. Enlisting the aid of 7 foot Chinese basketball star Yao Ming, the program was able to reframe ivory carvings from luxury items sought out by China’s newly wealthy class to cheap crimes against our wildlife and environment. Why do elephants matter? Forests with elephants clear 7% more carbon dioxide from the planet than those without elephants. Other groups who shared their stories with us include The South Street Seaport Museum and the off-Broadway MCC Theatre and their outrageously successful Miscast fundraiser.

08/08/2020

Front page! Happy Friday, My Grandson headlined the lastest issue of The NJ Times today! It is both an honor and privilege creating connections with local platforms as we watch our humble idea improve the lives of those most affected by Covid-19. Please help us further provide our health-conscious concierge service to the 65+ and immune-compromised by continuing to share if you know anyone who would benefit from our service. Thank you for helping keep your community safe with My Grandson!

07/01/2020

FINDING OUR WAY TO THE FUTURE WITH PURPOSE, HOPE AND CREATIVITY. This was the third night of the Aspen Ideas Festival and speakers included Bill Gates speaking of this pandemic, future pandemics, vaccines and his book recommendations (he recommends the book “The Splendid and the Vile” about Churchill’s leadership at a time of dire straits), playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith and opera director Yuval Sharon discussing how today’s time requires us to attend to current events and learn from the “chorus of voices” (as in a Greek drama), and Secretary of State Madeline Albright perspective on fascism, democracy, collaboration and diplomacy as she finds her voice and intends to use it. Always something new to think about. Two things struck me: 1) the parallel between statue toppling and Harvey Weinstein toppling (“it’s necessary to uncover where all the cockroaches were hiding, to get things into the open in order to move forward); and 2) the recognition that the older one gets the more you learn from younger people.

05/30/2020

CREATING A BIAS TOWARD ACTION. The trend in marketing is to move consumer learning practices toward behavior science practices, and we are seeing the appointment of Chief Behavioral Officer as an indicator of how increasingly important this capability has become. What’s been fascinating to see is how we’ve shifted from fact-based decision making to emotion-based decision making to behavior modification practices. The reason why? According to The Marketing Society(www.marketingsociety.com “The assumption that consumers were rational turned out to be unrealistic.” Isn’t that the truth?

05/07/2020

HABIT CHANGE. One of the most difficult objectives in marketing is to encourage a habit change. In its infancy, we had a most difficult time encouraging people to wear daily UV protection even though the science was clear... burning UV rays—even incidental rays from walking out to the mailbox or waiting outside for the kids to get out of school—could weaken skin’s protective function and could lead to skin cancer. And yet, we heard “I look better in a tan” or “I’m not going to the beach”. What we did find was that appealing to one’s vanity helped do the trick. Instead of lecturing people about cancer, we promised skin would look younger as UV protection protected against aging rays (also true). We were never able to get 100% compliance but now SPF and UV protection are fairly common. During this pandemic and period of isolating at home, we found our habits evolving. We turned to the use of dish towels in order to conserve our paper towels. And now I love these cheery cloths as they emerge from the wash newly bleached and full of good cheer with prints of birds, bicycles, herbs and vegetables. If you’re looking to trade people into, up or over in your business segment, it’s important that you understand what makes people tick. That’s where we come in.