Jason Ferguson interviews Jason Ferguson about the future of Buy Now!
Jason Ferguson is a writer, creative director, and the creator of Buy Now!, a newsletter that may or may not still be operating. We asked him to interview himself about the fate of Buy Now!, a newsletter he launched with high hopes and now intends to salvage through stubborn reinvention. Below is a lightly edited transcript of that conversation, which took place in his head.
JASON: Hi, Jason.
JASON: Hey, Jason.
JASON: You may not remember, but we’ve actually met before. It was at your last anxious spiral about whether to go freelance again or stay in your full-time job.
JASON: Yes, of course. Right, yeah. And I went freelance, which was probably not the smartest–
JASON: It’s going great!
JASON: Well, it seems to be working out, yes.
JASON: So what’s going on with Buy Now!?
JASON: It’s still happening! But I admit that I’ve been trying to do too much. Being part of the Ad Agency Cinematic Universe requires most of my energy. Squeezing in indie side projects like a newsletter is just...a lot. So I’m going to change things up. Again.
JASON: Walk me through that.
JASON: I love Substack. One of the best parts of the platform are the “voicey” newsletters that curate the most interesting news. The traditional outlets like AdAge and Campaign do a great job highlighting campaigns and breaking news about holding companies, but it felt like there was a space for creative industry news told creatively. But news requires consistency, and consistency is hard to come by when you’re a freelance creative working long hours, leading teams, and dropping portfolio links on every LinkedIn cattle call. I hope someone else gives it a try. Maybe a trust fund kid will have more time.
JASON: It’s interesting you mention trust fund kids. Didn’t you have a newsletter called Poor Things that also lasted only a few posts? I think it was about class issues and inspired by your experience of growing up poor?
JASON: Yeah.
JASON: That newsletter’s longevity, or lack thereof, feels relevant to this conversation. You seem to have a habit of–
JASON: I hope she knows you only like the beginnings of things.
JASON: Sorry I don’t know–
JASON: Mad Men. Faye Miller says to Don Draper: Well, I hope you're very happy. And I hope she knows you only like the beginnings of things.
JASON: Do you only like the beginning of things?
JASON: I think I preferred the beginning of this interview.
JASON: OK. Tell us why we’re here today.
JASON: Buy Now! isn’t dead. It’s just entering its unbothered, barely monetized era. I don’t have much passion for writing weekly updates about the advertising industry, even though I would love to read someone else doing it. So Buy Now! is turning into a place where I can occasionally write about advertising or class or *gasp* capitalism or…honestly whatever the hell I want. A sharp essay on propaganda. A weird theory about QVC. A rant about persuasion and why we’re all trying so hard to seem cooler, smarter, richer, or more lovable than we actually are. I don’t need to scale for growth. I can be anti-growth. Not everything needs a funnel. I don’t have any clients to answer to with this newsletter. Whether you pay or not, I’m doing what I want, and maybe what I want is to take a couple months off sometimes. I’m not chasing subs and open rates and “cadence”. I’m chasing liberation.
JASON: AdAge if it was going through a depressive episode.
JASON: …
JASON: You got a lot of subscribers with just a few posts. Do you worry people will unsubscribe?
JASON: One unsubscribe is one step closer to the right readers…or reader.
JASON: Last question. What are your thoughts on AI?
JASON: [Stands up and walks out.]
