ADGEEK

Timeless brands, deliberate friction and the value of design

Matter Of Form’s Anant Sharma questions luxury as a label, discussing customer friction, human imperfection and how a design consultancy can price strategy beyond hourly rate cards.

18 Jan 20261 hr 15 min

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The conversation

Episode 17

In a world obsessed with 15-second micro-trends and "zero-click" conversions, Anant Sharma (CEO of Matter Of Form) is making a radical case for slowing down. In this episode of The Indian AdGeek, host Vishal Mehra sits down with Anant to deconstruct why the term "luxury" has become a marketing crutch and why "timelessness" is the only metric that matters in 2026.

We dive deep into:

* The Anti-Luxury Stance: Why calling a brand 'luxury' is a sign of creative laziness. * Positive Friction: Why making your customers work a little harder can actually increase brand loyalty. * The AI Paradox: As "perfect" AI content becomes cheap, why is "human imperfection" the new premium? * The Pitch Secret: Why Matter Of Form records private podcasts with clients (under Chatham House rules) to win the deepest insights. * Value vs. Time: How to move away from hourly rate cards and capture the true value of strategy.

What The Luxe Podcast

Topics

Design & Experience Brand Strategy Creative Leadership

Guests

Anant Sharma

Anant Sharma joined The Indian AdGeek as Chief Executive Officer of Matter Of Form. His conversation examines design consultancy, brand longevity and the use of friction in customer experience. It also considers how agencies charge for value and learn from their clients. The interview asks what makes a brand distinctive when polished execution becomes easier to obtain.