Designing with EQ: Alex Brezzi, Senior Director, Strategy
Welcome to Designing with EQ by Carat. In this series, Carat will take a closer look at the unique backgrounds, passions, and talents that make up the agency team and how they come together to design for people and brands.
For July's edition, we sat down with senior director of strategy, Alex Brezzi. Have a read to learn more about a day in the life of a strategy lead (spoiler alert: it includes watching TikTok), Alex’s cross-continental move, and what she’s designing for today.
Q> What does a typical day look like for you?
Alex> My role revolves around understanding people and culture, and how brands can connect with them. It involves a lot of reading, watching and listening – following a hashtag on TikTok to understand a trend, reading articles to understand a category, or even listening into things like quarterly earnings reviews to better understand my clients. I’m always learning something!
Q> What was your first job? What was the most important skill/lesson you learned?
Alex> My first job was working at a juice bar at the height of the 2000’s health craze. In retrospect, it really taught me about the importance of branding; in this case, how buying a juice or smoothie was a bit of a ‘status symbol,’ inferring that you were into the latest health and food trends (and were proud of it!). That being said, my first adult jobs were a series of internships. One was as a marketing coordinator, and one was a PR role. Coming straight from university, it was rapid fire, learning what it means to be solutions-oriented and not just problem focused.
Q> How has your career evolved since you first joined Carat?
Alex> I have had quite a trajectory; I have been with the agency for almost 10 years. I started in Australia and transferred as an associate director to New York. It has been such a great experience to work in different markets and meet people from all over the world. This job exposes you to people and opportunities you wouldn't necessarily get to experience otherwise.
Q> What is your favourite aspect of working here?
Alex> The people are what make the job so great. I've made amazing friendships and had some of the best bosses ever, especially women! The company champions women in leadership roles and that is wonderful. Secondly, the flexibility Carat has offered over the last few years has been amazing. I love being able to work from home, in the office for a team meeting, or to meet face-to-face with clients. The personal flexibility has also been wonderful. An example is when I needed time off to visit Australia after not seeing my family due to lockdowns and I was met with positivity and support from my team.
Q> Tell us about an accomplishment you’re most proud of during your time at Carat
Alex> I believe my biggest accomplishment has been following my career and moving to the US from Australia. This move was huge for me, and I am proud that I took the leap. In addition, Cannes 2019 was an incredible experience because I got to represent dentsu at the Young Lions Media Academy.
Q> At Carat, I am designing for _________?
Alex> I am designing for a divided American customer. What covid initially made apparent and has become clearer as we head towards a likely recession, is that we’re all in the same ocean but in different boats. As we’re trying to create valuable experiences for audiences, we need to understand that two people who look the same demographically, and even psychographically, could be faring completely differently. This also furthers the need to look to buying behaviour vs. demographics to determine our core audience.
Carat is uniquely positioned to design for people on behalf of brands. Our people are our greatest asset, bringing diverse backgrounds together to bring insight and emotion to marketing. Interested in learning more? Check out the Carat LinkedIn page here.
