111: Strategic Direction in Marketing with Alex M H Smith

What if 90% of what businesses call "strategy" is actually just expensive to-do lists?

Alex M.H. Smith didn't set out to become a strategist, and definitely didn't take the traditional path to get there. In fact, he started his strategy consultancy before ever reading a single book on the subject. What he did have was curiosity, a knack for pattern-spotting, and a frustration with how often businesses skip over real thinking in favor of surface-level tactics.

In this episode of the Marketing Umbrella Podcast, Alex shares how his outsider perspective led him to discover the universal patterns that drive the world's most successful companies, without ever reading a strategy book. He breaks down why businesses like Tesla, Lush, and Monster thrived without traditional advertising, and how any company can build something so compelling that customers can't help but notice.

Alex also talked about the difference between doing strategy and just calling things strategy. He shares how small agencies, founder-led companies, and even big brands often run on autopilot, making choices without realizing they even had options. He also gets into what makes a company truly compelling, why bravery is underrated, and how being interesting at the core beats clever marketing any day.

 

Here are the key takeaways from the conversation: 

• Accidental Expertise Beats Academic Theory. Sometimes the best insights come from NOT knowing the "right" way to do things. Fresh eyes can spot patterns that experts miss.
• Strategy Increases Risk, Not Reduces It. The opposite of strategy isn't failure, it's mediocrity. Playing it safe keeps you small; swinging for the fences creates both massive success and massive failure potential.
• Strategy Is One Thing, Not Ten. Real strategy is the single mother insight that determines how you'll create unique value in the market.
• Don't Outsource Clarity. If your business can’t stand on its own without clever messaging, your foundation might be shaky.
• Observe Before You Read. Strategy isn’t invented—it’s discovered. Alex found his path by watching what worked in the real world.
• Simplify the Stack. One core insight should inform all your actions, not the other way around.
• Marketing ≠ Strategy. Ads might attract attention, but strategy determines whether that attention leads anywhere meaningful.

As a closing thought, "Strategy means creating something so wildly different that your competition becomes completely irrelevant.”

 

Listen to the full conversation here:

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@umbrellamicroenterprises 
• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-marketing-umbrella-podcast/id1564111428
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4CoiR10nazd9zVIStLkcjk

 

Connect with Alex:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-m-h-smith 
• Basic Arts: basicarts.org 

 

 

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To learn more about Umbrella and to connect with CEO Itamar Shafir, go to ⁠https://umbrellaus.com