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Alex Moss, Dirt & Glory Medias account director started his career in the world of film, getting a taste for a multitude of roles in the industry before trying his hand at directing, learning that he wasnt a natural in the process. This didnt deter him from his love of storytelling, which he pursued by writing several shorts and features, picking up an award for one - titled Photo Finish - in 2015.

In the same year Alex joined D&G, attracted by the companys editorial approach and position that cut through the marketing speak to get to the real story, and creating a more personal connection between people and brands. In his role as account director, Alex oversees his clients spending to ensure that their budgets are maximised in the smartest way possible. He also runs some of his clients social media accounts, balancing a brands engaging voice with the potential feather-ruffling nature of the spaces his clients exist in, like the joint pain relief gel, FlexiSEQ.

Today, Alex chats to LBB about the shifting form of digital marketing, how hes helping clients meet the evolving challenges of content production, and why he finds the recent campaign for FlexiSeq, featuring footballer Alex Scott, hugely rewarding.

Alex> I worked in the film industry for many years and did everything from running, right through to assistant directing and even dabbling in a couple of short films I directed myself. They were not good. In realising I was not a natural director I learned that I did love to tell stories and so screenwriting was something that came naturally to me. I wrote several, unproduced, features and a lot of shorts, one of which won the Grand Prize at the Reed short film festival award in 2015.

Alex> I joined D&G in May 2015. I was drawn to the way they wanted to do PR and marketing differently. They wanted to help brands tell the stories that were important to them. It felt like a very natural and magnetic way to cut through a lot of the corporate noise at a time when people want to know what brands stand for.

Alex> The key thing is to help the client make their budget work as hard for them as possible. Our clients are always in a position of wanting more budget or not having enough. So the key for us is helping them maximise their return on investment. This varies from client to client, some might only be able to social spend, others will want above the line video and print advertising. Its my job to ensure I am advising them with all the expertise Dirt & Glory have acquired over the past eight years to achieve this.

Alex> When we first started we were primarily working in words and only words. Now, with the evolution of social media the way people are exposed to content 24/7 on their phones, weve had to adapt. Ensuring video, design and the right headlines to attract the right audience is always front and centre. Many clients want to do video content as they know it has huge power, especially with the way social media is going, but to do regular video content has huge production costs. So weve found ways to streamline this and rely on a huge pool of talented designers, editors and producers to help us ensure our clients are always providing relevant and cutting edge content.

Alex> The internet is no longer something new and shiny, its part of our day to day lives and as a result most people have become immune to traditional digital marketing. How many times do you see a pop-up or banner advert and simply scroll past or click to get rid of it obscuring your view for the reason youre actually there? An editorial approach is the reason someone is there. Because youre telling them a story; be it a testimonial, an incredible bit of expert advice or a story to inspire them. Telling stories was around centuries before marketing was, if we can draw people in with a fascinating narrative we raise their awareness of what a brand stands for and looks to achieve on a daily basis.

Alex> A client I have worked with for many years now is FlexiSEQ, which is a joint pain relief gel. From very early on we realised that many people with joint pain, and specifically arthritis, have been either dismissed by a lot of healthcare professionals or have tried so many treatments they have grown weary of things not working for them. What people living with an invisible illness like arthritis will do though is scour the internet looking for kernels of advice, the smallest of nuggets that could help them better live with joint pain.

We set about putting together a catalogue of tips pieces, speaking with arthritis charities and medical experts on ways people can reduce the pain of arthritis. The end goal was to get those living with the condition to come to the FlexiSEQ website to find out about these tips and tricks and in doing so raising their awareness of the products FlexiSEQ offered. By aligning FlexiSEQ as a brand who cares and wants to help those living with arthritis, people see them as a brand to trust. In turn they become more open and willing to try their product. Furthermore, those who use FlexiSEQ cannot sing its praises highly enough so weve created a bank of incredible testimonials to showcase the transformation the product has had on those who had otherwise given up on ever moving free of joint pain again.

This in turn has led to an incredibly friendly and very close community on the FlexiSEQ Facebook page. We see people offering up tips on top of the tips weve pulled together, looking to help others through their experiences of what works for them. Its a genuine highlight of my job seeing a community come together.

Alex> The very nature of the internet is you are always going to ruffle a few feathers. Its a place where people like to be offended. The key is to be more engaging than ruffling. You have to always ask yourself; what is the end goal here? It might be to get people to click a link, in which case you need to entice them, it might be you want people to comment and engage with a post, so how do you do that? It might be asking a pertinent question or challenging their way of thinking. Either way, its about knowing and understanding your audience. And this is done not as much through data but listening to them. Social allows us to do that, it allows us to really hear the voices of potential clients. You might ruffle a few feathers in the process but when you do its important to be the calm voice in the room.

Alex> A few years ago FlexiSEQ asked us to start looking for a new brand ambassador. Wed worked with Len Goodman for many years and he was great and really spoke to the older arthritis audience but we needed someone different, someone who could speak to a wide ranging demographic. Our number one choice was always former womens footballer Alex Scott. FlexiSEQ agreed she was perfect and so we negotiated to get her onboard. What made Alexs story so powerful was that despite being in her 30s she is already living with osteoarthritis. This was not something that Alex had ever really touched on in the past so to get to tell that story, via a beautiful brand film as well as various written interviews, was incredibly powerful. Alex was lovely to work with, so open and candid about her journey and to see it resonate with the FlexiSEQ audience was hugely rewarding.

Alex> There are two parts of my job I enjoy the most. The first is the team I work with. I love collaborating with them, creating a brief and then watching our amazing designers and copywriters bring it to life. Its very like being back in the film industry, youre all working towards this single vision and when it comes together in ways you never dreamed of its hugely satisfying. Of course, it helps if the client is blown-away by the end result. The second thing is hearing from actual customers. Working in marketing youre often asked to say and write a great deal on brands and products. When you speak with the people who actually use that product is when you get a crystal clear insight into what it means to them. Whenever I get to do testimonials and hear how a product, service or brand has had a real world impact on someone there is nothing more rewarding than that.

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Dirt & Glory's Alex Moss Cherishes the 'Real World Impact' of His Role | LBBOnline - Little Black Book - LBBonline

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