Alex Morris, is the VP of Strategy at New York’s Day One Agency, author of the Strategy and Planning Scrapbook and the planner’s cult-fave newsletter, Strat Scraps. He’s also an artist and a collector of relics, trinkets, and inspiration from the digital and analog world.
Once described as “Like K Hole but with utility and skin in the game,” I’m hard pressed to put a sharper point on Alex’s incisive read of consumer culture and identity. He’s an Ad guy who doesn’t believe in capitalism, turns down bottled water accounts (“the whole water industry is convenience and identity”), and shares how creative wins can arise from defying the brief – play, novelty, and an idiosyncratic approach to audience capture are his signatures.
“Being beholden to your audience over the content that you produce is a trap,” he tells me. “It's an established truth, but we forget because we measure success based on reaction rather than personal enjoyment.”
In that spirit, I approached this episode purely for my own enjoyment. But, as is the case with much of Alex Morris’s output, there’s a very high chance that you just might enjoy it too.
Recommends/mentions:
Day One FM: This one’s good: Should My Brand Be on Substack? with Christina Loff, Head of Lifestyle on the Partnerships team at Substack
Also, Clara’s pretzel brand by women, for women (seeking angel investors, yo) bit/pitch here
Are.na, a non-profit, ad-free creative platform founded in 2014 for aggregating ideas. No algorithmic feed. No engagement metrics. Nice and chill.
Matt Klein 5 years of Zine, slow growth, audience-of-one kudos
Taste in the age of AI, The Atlantic
Hacks Excellent Major Agency Handbook as mentioned by Alex
Enjoying Niche ID? Please follow us and share with your friends. Subscribe to the Niche ID with Laura Markwardt newsletter for episode updates.