Sandy Carlson, 59; Longtime Ad Exec on Ralph Lauren Account

Sandy Carlson, 59, an advertising executive who handled the Ralph Lauren/Polo account for 23 years, died Tuesday of lung cancer at her home in New York City.

Carlson was working as a partner and creative director at Kurtz & Tarlow, an advertising agency founded by her husband, Richard Tarlow, when she acquired the Ralph Lauren account in 1979.

In 1989, Carlson launched her own agency, Carlson & Partners, with Ralph Lauren/Polo as its single account. Valued at an estimated $10 million, the account included the print and broadcast advertising for the company’s clothing, home furniture and fragrance divisions.

In 2001, DDB Worldwide in New York, part of the Omnicom Group, acquired Carlson & Partners, which had more than 100 employees and billings at an estimated $165 million. Carlson kept her post as president and her husband, who had joined Carlson in 2000 after dissolving his agency, remained as chairman.