Insider knowledge, outsider perspective

On this strategy Substack, and why it exists

In the creative industry, we’re taught to seek the outside perspective – to seek out what everyday people on the street think, and to make work that resonates with them. The assumption – we are rarified things, insiders. We sit on our pedestals and shape culture for others. We know what we’re doing.

We do not.

When you’re working in the industry, it feels less like you’re shaping culture, more like hobbling after it. Culture moves lightning fast. Trends, microtrends, ideas and aesthetics flow faster than they ever. Sometimes they’re a flash in the pan. Sometimes they’re a signal of a greater shift. 

And it’s getting harder to tell which is which, let alone keep pace with change. 

I am a brand strategist and writer. Like most, I am obsessed with culture. Particularly leftfield subcultures that others routinely dismiss as ‘a bit weird.’ I love the bizarre, the oddball, the downright strange. Buried in those subcultures, you find new communities, ideas, language and practices that can challenge and change our worldview. Important ideas that can change how we live, work, play and transact in society. 

You only find those ideas at the edge. That’s the idea behind this Substack. Going ‘out there’, getting to the heart of the new ideas that will shape how we live and work, reporting back so you can stay ahead of the game. In particular, this substack will focus on:

• Big shifts and microtrends within FMCG, how what’s happening could affect what lands on your plate (and in your glass). 

• The rise of the Nerddom, particularly gaming, and what this means for brands and businesses

• Changes in language usage, and how this could affect how brands talk

• Eclectric weirdness that I find on the internet, and think is interesting enough to share

Basically, I get weird so you don’t have to.

This substack will be published monthly, with a bi-weekly ‘weird’ update featuring a selection of interesting short reads and deep dives into assorted off-the-wall topics that you probably wouldn’t find on your daily internet trawl. 

Everything you need to connect new dots and impress in your next brainstorm.

Sound good? Jump in. Hit subscribe.

Have weird-minded friends who’re looking for an eclectic mix of culture reads, straight to their inbox? Make their day. Share this Substack with them.