Alexa Beck’s Post

It’s Quick Study's 2nd birthday. And what do we do for birthdays? We cheers, eat Momofuku birthday cake truffles, and reflect. Here are some of those reflections (sorry I can’t hand out truffles.) 🙏 The trust we place in others and the trust they place in us is almost overwhelming. When you’re at a bigger shop, there is a level of distance in your relationships. Yes, you bond with direct clients and sincerely work towards the best outcomes, but part of that relationship is deferred to the entity rather than the person. Part of that trust rests in the name on the door. When it’s your metaphorical name on the metaphorical door and your DNA in the work, you are deeply grateful for the belief, support, and patronage shown to you by these wonderful people you respect. 💪 Put your self-talk through a positivity boot camp. Running your own business is a humbling rollercoaster. I may never know why I thought it a good idea to ride both the entrepreneur and toddler rollercoasters at once, but both require you to constantly push forward in the face of challenges and uncertainty. If you pile on negative self-talk, you’ll drown and never see the tiny lights that can be cracked open into new opportunities. Having a nonjudgmental practice of sensemaking to reflect on what’s working and what’s not is critical for progress. 🤝 I chose the right person to take the leap with. Yes, Rob Engelsman's skills and resume are there, but that does not a partnership make. His reliability, clear-headedness, positive outlook, vulnerability, and dedication to evolution are his innate intangibles that have led to a successful and enjoyable venture. “Sturdy” is a popular word in the parenting world, and I think that’s fitting for this guy. ❤️ The recognition that I’ve always operated like it’s personal. Yes, the activities and outcomes at Quick Study are directly attributable to choices Rob and I make, but even as an AAE at McCann updating the daily status doc for Applebee’s, my work product has always been a direct reflection of me. Now I guess the stakes are just higher (although we did have a “days since crying” whiteboard above our cubicles at McCann…) 🤔 The last is a prompt that I revisit regularly—if your career were to wrap up today, how would you feel? Not “what accomplishment boxes did you check,” but what emotions would it stir? If you don’t like the answer, what can you do to address that disconnect? I’ve always preferred to set goals in terms of feelings rather than accomplishments, so this framing helps converge my conduct with the life of consequence I want for myself. Ok, now where are those truffles.

If everyone's "disrupting," is anything really disruptive? A few thoughts on this, the power of hiding in plain sight, and titrating control in the brand-consumer relationship in Quick Study's latest From the Library roundup here: https://lnkd.in/gRqs2CmV

How do we balance what we know with what we feel? When do we trust vibes more than stats as the cultural signal? In the 2nd edition of Quick Study's "From the Library" series, we round up some articles that ask similar questions, and others that are pointing towards an interesting internet talent migration that brands should be paying attention to. Check it here: https://lnkd.in/gCF4Q-hG

Because libraries are cool again. Subscribe to Quick Study's newsletter to read what we're reading (and think is worth sharing): https://lnkd.in/gUGAVpgM

Who doesn't love a whitepaper, especially when it explores a topic we all need to be aware of so we're more effective at our jobs as marketers. Link to download in the comments. #soloculture #culturalinsights

Brands aren’t doing a good job of connecting with people on their terms. We feel this in the industry: 72% of marketers say brands struggle to respond to cultural changes (study via ADWEEK). And consumers feel this every day: 30% of Americans struggle to name a brand that is relevant in their life today (study via Quick Study). As we’ve explored throughout Quick Study's 4-part series, #Soloculture is the silent driver of these stats, and the gap between brands and consumers will only continue to widen. In this final dispatch, “The Only Way Out Is Through,” we have some advice for brands on recognizing and cooperating with the world(s) of Soloculture. Find the link to read in the comments. #brandstrategy #advertising #marketing #consumerbehavior

At Quick Study, we've explored the phenomenon of #soloculture, hearing that people are increasingly in their own bubbles and that time is subjective. All of these support the popular idea of #fragmentation in today's marketing world. But on the eve of the biggest mass viewing event in the country, we'd be remiss not to look at how sports have the unique power to consistently unite people and synchronize into something like a monoculture. In part 3 of our 4-part Soloculture series, "Zero Blitz," we spoke with a range of experts in the sports marketing arena to unpack why sports are able to dominate cultural conversation. Link to read in the comments! And go niners. #strategy #culture #marketingresearch #sportsmarketing

Marketers can’t defy the physics of time, but consumers can. In today’s tech-orchestrated, content-jammed, devices-everywhere world, most of your advertising will be consumed in different ways and at different times by each person. That complicates the playing field for brands trying to forge connections, increase personalization, and be contextually relevant. In Part 2 of Quick Study's 4-part Soloculture series, “Time is of My Essence,” we have fresh research showing how people are increasingly disconnected from time and explore how that affects each person’s Soloculture and culture more broadly. Read more at the link in comments! #soloculture #marketing #marketingresearch #time 

Blown away by the chatter happening around Quick Study's Soloculture concept. It's resonating w folks in and out of the advertising world because it's novel, accurate and useful. Check out part 1 of our 4-part series here if you haven't already: https://lnkd.in/gQWxMaUh