Strategy Director

Department:  Ogilvy One

Location: London

Contract type:  12-Month FTC

Full Time/Part time:  Full Time

Reporting into:  Head of Strategy, Experience

About Ogilvy:  

Ogilvy UK has been creating iconic ideas that deliver impact at scale for clients ever since David Ogilvy founded the company in 1948. Ogilvy UK specialises in bringing together brand advertising, customer experience marketing, PR, influence and consulting, all fuelled by Behavioural Science. Our world-class award-winning creative campaigns deliver solutions for clients including Molson Coors (owner of Madrí beer), Valeo Foods UK (owner of Kettle Chips and Rowse Honey), Argos, Mondelēz International, Unilever, TK Maxx and Pernod Ricard.  

In 2023, Ogilvy UK celebrated their 75th anniversary and was the most awarded agency in Europe. Ogilvy is home to the largest influencer marketing practice globally, and hosts the world’s biggest festival of behavioural science and creativity, Nudgestock – now in its 12th year. 

The Role: 

Ogilvy One UK is seeking a Strategy Director to work on Lloyds Banking Group (LBG).  LBG is one of the largest clients in the Ogilvy One UK portfolio, which makes this role vitally important. As a Strategy Director at Ogilvy, you will play a pivotal role in leading the development of strategic plans tailored to meet each client's distinct objectives and needs. You'll stay at the forefront of the latest trends, insights, and best practices in the realm of strategy development while advocating for diversity of thought and championing inclusive approaches. Collaborating closely with clients, you'll gain a deep understanding of their businesses, target audiences, and brand values, translating this knowledge into compelling campaigns that resonate with their customers and drive tangible outcomes.

Beyond strategizing influential and innovative campaigns for high-profile clients, rooted in culture, and deserving of attention, you'll contribute your insights to shape the agency's creative output. Your recommendations and inventive solutions will pave the way for clients to amplify trends and topics effectively.

The Client:  

We’ve been working with Lloyds Banking Group as their business has transformed, with new marketing leadership client-side and an exciting new strategy, focused on driving growth by building experience-led brands. Working alongside other agency partners in brand, media, ATL creative, our overarching role is to bring the LBG brands to life through initiatives and communications that grow customer depth of relationship.

121 & digital CX (app-based, predominantly) are shifting from being used transactionally for product conversion to a more balanced approach, where we proactively help customers move forward financially, no matter where they are in their financial journey. So, whether that’s supporting customers to stay on top of their day-to-day budgeting or educating them about investing and pensions or understanding tax in retirement – our role is to ensure customers have the means, motivation and capabilities to take their next step. This builds brand love, trust and credibility and means that when we want to sell a product, it’s easier to do.  

Key Responsibilities/The Do’s: 

We are looking for someone who can help drive the LBG clients forward to deliver on the ambition of ‘experience-led brands’ – a dynamic, experienced, creatively-driven individual who can provide strategic direction, lead end-to-end thinking, nurture creative excellence and make a positive impact, quickly, on clients. 

• Development of strategy, customer journeys, connected plans and creative briefs in response to client briefs.
• Leading development of proactive responses to emerging opportunities.
• Work with research / data / analytics to inform strategies, journeys and briefs. 
• Work with data teams (internal and client side) to develop targeting, personalisation, testing and progressive profiling strategies.
• Define KPIs and measurement approach.
• Nurture creative work through to production, providing constructive, clear feedback, collaborating effectively with client services to manage client input. 

Requirements/Experience We Value:  

• Deep expertise in creatively led CRM and digital experience, with a good understanding of how to architect end-to-end experiences and comms plans.
• Numerate and highly brand and creatively literate. 
• A good understanding of data, MarTech, digital and social platforms.
• Collaborative and adaptive style.
• Able to provide relevant evidence, experience and knowledge to influence clients and give them confidence in your recommendations.
• Highly persuasive verbal and writing skills, must be a strong presenter.
• 6+ years’ experience within an agency environment (or mix of agency / client side.
• Recent experience defining modern CRM and CX strategies that demonstrate strong, distinctive creativity.
• Experience in categories such as financial services, utilities, subscriptions, where customers have a long-term relationship with a brand.

How we help you Thrive: 

•  25 days annual leave + 1 Volunteer Day  
• Bupa Healthcare 
• Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave 
• We have a Flexible Working Model with core working hours: 10am – 4pm 
• A 1.5:1 Matching Pension Structure 
• Wellbeing and Health: Up to £25.00 per month towards physical or online exercise class membership, Unmind membership, LifeWorks tool and annual eye tests and development budgets and Wellbeing incentives and activities throughout the year  
• Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme 
• Life Assurance