SHARP-BLACKMORE
By Adnews Staff
Toronto-based Robins Sharpe & Associates has has been re-named and re-organized. It is now the The Sharpe/Blackmore Partnerships, with a senior partner operating structure wherein each account is managed by a partner. The newly named agency is modelled on shops such as Merkley Newman Harty of New York and Goodby Silverstein Partners of San Francisco, both in the fold of New York-based Omnicom Inc.'which is also Sharpe/Blackmore's parent. The Canadian shop's minority owners and managers, Bill Sharpe and Tom Blackmore, are looking for more senior partners. Sharpe is president and co-founder of the agency, and Blackmore the managing director. Before the agency was renamed, it was part of Omnicom's DDB Needham Worldwide network. Now it reports directly to Omnicom. Sharpe/Blackmore's client list includes Xerox, Sainsbury & Co., Paarl Wines, RJR-MacDonald, Steelcase and Mr. Lube. Two recently-acquired clients are Square One shopping centre in Mississauga, Ont., and the Money Concepts financial planning franchise chain, based in Toronto. The ad agency is launching a TV and outdoor campaign next week for Square One, positioning the mall as a fashion centre. Sharpe/Blackmore has been working with Money Concepts for about seven weeks, running print ads in The Globe & Mail. The agency won the business in a competition with four other shops. Previously, individual franchises did their own advertising.