“I Want to Build a Brand that Triggers Envy”: Zach Klein Explores No Fixed Address’ Strategic Mandate
In November last year, it was announced that No Fixed Address (NFA) had promoted its long-serving strategic leader, Zach Klein, to the position of chief strategy officer. A moment of well-deserved recognition, his is a name that goes hand in hand with the agency itself, having not only been instrumental in shaping the business’ corporate ethos, but also having defined NFA’s positioning as a creative growth engine for challenger brands.
But what does this actually mean for the future of the agency? In some ways, more of the same – Zach will continue day-to-day leadership of the strategy department – but what cannot be overstated is his mandate of blurring the lines between the art of brand strategy and the science of experience planning. Two disciplines that have historically separated at creative agencies, this pursuit sums up just what it takes to compete in the world of modern brand building – something the team is determined to do in order to continue finding success for its clients. And, coming off the back of a record growth year, it’ll be exciting to see just what this approach unlocks for NFA in 2025.
To learn more about all of this, as well as the importance of internal culture, ethos and flexibility, LBB’s Jordan Won Neufeldt sat down with Zach for a chat.
LBB> Zach, congratulations on your new position at No Fixed Address! What does this appointment mean to you?
Zach> This appointment means a lot. It means I can impress my mom with a fancy title. It means I’m getting old. It means that hard work can pay off. It means more responsibility and a larger platform for impact.
On a personal level, it’s deeply meaningful. Yes, career growth is rewarding, but the best part has been the love and support I’ve received from the friends I’ve made in this business over the last two decades. That’s what has meant the most.
LBB> What are you hoping to accomplish in your new position, both personally and agency-wide?
Zach> Oh man, where do I start? At the agency level, there are two core areas of focus.
First, our agency’s reputation. Specifically, I want to build a brand that triggers envy. Why envy? Because envy is a signal – it means we’ve created something others want but don’t currently have. And in a competitive, creative industry like ours, envy is a magnet for ambitious clients and top-tier talent. So yeah, one goal is a deep-seated envy.
Second, the brand of strategy within the walls of this envy-inducing agency. It shouldn’t be a surprise when I say strategists can catch some flak in our business. My goal is to ensure our strategy department remains indispensable to our three core audiences: creatives, accounts, and (obviously) our clients. I’ve got a lot of thoughts on how we do that, but not the word count to dive into them here.
On a personal level, I want to have actual fun – the kind of fun that feels like the antithesis of work. I want to wake up every day looking forward to going to work and hanging out with my peers. Beyond my own satisfaction, I’ve found the work is always better when it’s developed in an environment of play and laughter.
LBB> What have the first few weeks been like? Has there been much change in your day-to-day compared to your previous role?
Zach> Besides the occasional dopamine floods, a lot feels familiar. My mandate and partnership with the amazing leadership team continue. At a department level, it’s all about creating an environment where strategists can thrive and develop work that unlocks the best in our creative teams and drives growth for our clients’ businesses. At a craft level, it continues to be about being a student of strategy – always exploring new ideas that lead to better work and ways of working.
LBB> Let’s talk a little more about the business. It’s noted that you’ve hugely influenced the agency’s ethos for the past eight years. Can you tell us a bit about this evolution? How did No Fixed Address get to where it is today?
Zach> It all started with the founders, who set the direction for the brand when NFA was first launched. Standing on the shoulders of giants, their original vision continues to form the foundation of who we are today. After returning to the office after the dreaded P-word, we saw an opportunity to evolve our story to better reflect the shifts in workplace culture and the broader world. As part of this evolution, we clarified our proposition to crystallise what we offer both existing and potential clients.
With an agency name like ‘No Fixed Address’, we’ve always stood against being fixed or stagnant. We believe that no matter where a business is in its journey, there is always room for growth. So, anchored in our roots as an explorer brand, we defined our purpose: to uncover growth in unexplored places. This ethos positions us to help any business – but especially those that see themselves as challengers – to discover their greatness.
LBB> Clearly this approach has worked very well – you’re coming off a record growth year! To what do you attribute this success? How did your ethos and strategic insights enable this outcome?
Zach> The old saying, ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’, couldn’t be more relevant here. Yes, our brand story has played a role in our growth, and we’ve got some great cases that excite prospective clients about what we can do for them. But the real driver of our success has been the culture we’ve been fostering over the last 18 months.
Time and time again, we hear that our chemistry and team dynamic are what win people over. There’s no grand strategy behind it; it’s the byproduct of a tight-knit team of people who genuinely like each other, aren’t afraid to speak their minds, and are happy to grind it out in the trenches together. Of course, culture isn’t a substitute for a strong proposition, compelling cases, or solid strategic thinking. But it’s an intangible that makes all the difference and it’s proven to be a powerful force behind our success.
LBB> You’ve also shown a tendency to ride key cultural currents in the work. Why is this so important for NFA’s strategic approach? And can you give us some examples of this?
Zach> I’d say it’s crucial for any agency to have a strategy for tapping into fleeting cultural moments that align with their clients’ brands. When our currency is measured in the awareness and appeal we create for our clients’ brands, connecting with what people are engaging with at the moment is a powerful way to earn our seat at the table.
Conceptually, I think we’d all agree with that statement. But in practice, it’s a wee bit of a challenge given the fragmentation, chaos and speed of modern culture. Like any creative endeavour, there is no magic formula that guarantees success. And the reality is, it’s a volume game – you strike out more than you succeed. But, when you connect, the results can be extraordinary.
A perfect example was our work for Field Roast, a vegan sausage brand. Playing off the ‘brat summer’ phenomenon, we generated billions of earned media impressions with our ‘brat-wurst’ campaign. It was a full-court press (last sports analogy, I promise) that went from concept to execution in just about a week. Moments like these show the power of cultural relevance done right.
LBB> Looking to the future, it’s said that you’re aiming to blur the lines between the art of brand strategy and the science of experience planning. What made now the right time to bring them together?
Zach> Two key forces are driving this shift.
First, people are more likely to experience brands and form opinions about them in environments beyond paid media channels or traditional advertising. As stewards of our clients’ brands, we need to understand how people interact with them across the entire user journey, to ensure it shows up in the right way, in the right places. In other words, communication is playing a relatively smaller role in brand building. That means we need to be mindful of all the environments where a brand’s reputation is forged – something experience planning plays a huge role in achieving.
Second, we’re increasingly working with clients who engage us for projects well beyond communications. Take a DTC start-up, for example. They need everything from brand strategy to design systems, packaging, digital infrastructure, advertising, and CRM. These clients require a fully integrated marketing services ecosystem to support their business ambitions. For them, the partnership between brand and experience strategist is essential.
And, I’d argue these two strategic disciplines are equally critical for agencies that currently focus only on creative or comms. The lines between brand strategy and experience planning are blurring because modern brand building demands it.
LBB> Notably, this is something that hasn’t historically been done before. So, how are you approaching this goal? In your mind, what does a fusion between the two look like?
Zach> I’d actually argue this has been done before… It's just hard to do well. Thought leaders like Tom Morton have been discussing the importance of aligning brand and experience strategy for nearly a decade. At NFA, we’ve fully committed to the partnership.
We like to think about our strategy department as a yin and yang. I have two lieutenants: one VP of brand strategy (Brittany Dow), and one VP of experience strategy (Thomas Wilkins). We collaborate closely on every project, and we’re thoughtful about casting to ensure the right strategic expertise aligns with the task.
For younger strategists on our team, we expose them to a wide range of strategic tasks (brand, creative, social, comms, experience). This approach allows them to discover what they enjoy most while equipping them with a holistic view of the strategic work. As they gain more seniority, they hone their expertise and build their personal brand as strategists.
While we’ve already seen a lot of good come from this partnership, we’ve only begun to see the benefits; the seeds are just starting to sprout.
LBB> Finally, as a whole, where are you trying to take things in 2025?
Zach> We’ve spent the past 12-18 months laying the groundwork and refining our approach. This year, we shift our focus to scaling our model and continuing to grow the business.
As I’ve mentioned, we’re a close, tight-knit team. And, as an independent agency, we’re not beholden to a rubber stamp from a holding company. This independence, combined with our culture, means we can quickly adapt if something isn’t working or could be working better.
In short, we have the advantage of a more informal and fluid working environment – one that avoids rigidity and politics that often slow other organisations down. This flexibility allows us to stay nimble, respond to opportunities, and build a business that evolves with the ever-changing demands of the marketing landscape.
