Welcome to another edition of HERstory, where we delve into the fascinating journeys of marketers who are redefining the marketing landscape. Today’s conversation is with Lisa Alexander, the Senior Brand Partner at Morning Brew, the daily newsletter that’s in everyone’s inbox.
From her beginnings as an advertising sales intern at MTV Networks to her current role at Morning Brew, Lisa’s career has taken many exciting twists and turns. She shares the secrets to her success, crediting the incredible mentors she’s encountered along the way and stressing the importance of building relationships within the industry.
Lisa takes us through her experiences working on a variety of branded partnerships with companies like Hulu, Movember, and Apple. She emphasizes the crucial role of excellent customer service in fostering successful collaborations and building trust with clients.
Navigating the complexities of cross-functional teams and a dynamic career trajectory, Lisa has gained valuable insights into the types of people she wants to work with and the importance of balancing work and personal life. Let’s dive in!
Career paths are rarely linear, and yours is such a fun example of that. You started out as an advertising sales intern at MTV Networks, and now you’re the senior brand partner at Morning Brew, everyone’s favorite daily newsletter. What were some of the most impactful career steps that got you to where you are today?
By far the most impactful factor that helped me get to where I am today are the amazing mentors I’ve been fortunate enough to come across throughout my career. I feel very grateful that I had smart, successful leaders to learn from and lean on from the very beginning of my career. I went out of my way to form relationships with both internal leaders and external mentors and coaches. I highly recommend leaning on senior leaders or team members, and soaking up all the knowledge you can.
Enquiring minds want to know: how exactly did you land that internship at MTV? Any tips for today’s budding marketers on how to get their foot in the door for their first internship?
Connections! A friend in my sorority who was 2 years older than me at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles was working as an Ad Sales Assistant at MTV at the time. She knew they were looking for interns, and she texted me to ask if I would be interested – the rest is history, and I don’t know if I would be where I am in my career today if it had not been for her and that text. Don’t underestimate the power of connections and relationships in this industry!
During your time at Imgur you had the opportunity to work on a ton of branded partnerships with brands ranging from Hulu to Movember to Apple. While there’s a lot that goes into successful brand partnerships, what is one thing that sets a partnership up for success?
Excellent customer service. I always take great care when it comes to client services, and aim to provide the best, white-glove service possible. There will inevitably be bumps in the road when managing a partnership, but it’s all about how you handle those obstacles, and building trust with your clients so they know they can 100% rely on you to get them what they need and make their lives easier.
Since early in your career, you’ve collaborated with teams across sales, account management, creative, marketing, and ad ops. How did those experiences inform the direction you wanted to take with your career?
I have gained insights, knowledge and advice from every internal relationship throughout my career. I have identified the type of people I want to work with, and the type of people I would prefer not to work with. At the end of the day, we are all people living lives outside of work, and we spend so much of our time with coworkers – I believe that the people you surround yourself with are the most important factor to happiness and success in a job/career.
Career turmoil is real, and the support we need throughout our careers varies. What is the most important piece of mentor advice you’ve ever received that helped you move forward in a profound way?
Always do what’s best for you and your family. You do not owe a company anything, so making sure that you look out for yourself and your family should be the most important thing. We work to live, we do not live to work, which is not to say that I have not worked my butt off throughout my career, but I work smart, and always aim to find that healthy balance so I am able to enjoy life and spend time with family and friends.