Strategy Director

Department:  One Unilever 

Location: London

Contact type:  12 months FTC

Full Time/Part time:  Full Time

Reporting into: Chief Strategy Officer, OUL.

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: 

As a Global Strategy Director focused on the dynamic and social-forward beauty and wellness sector at Ogilvy, you will play a pivotal role in leading the development of strategic plans tailored to meet the client's distinct objectives and needs. You'll stay at the forefront of the latest beauty and wellbeing trends, cultural insights, and best practices in the realm of creative strategy development while advocating for diversity of thought and championing inclusive approaches. Collaborating closely with clients, you'll gain a deep understanding of their global business, target audiences, and brand values, translating this knowledge into compelling culturally-driven campaigns that resonate with their customers and drive tangible outcomes.

You'll actively contribute to social and cultural insight mining to shape the agency's creative output. Your recommendations and inventive solutions will pave the way for clients to amplify trends and topics effectively.

Key Responsibilities/The Do’s: 

• Lead the development of bespoke strategic plans that align with clients' unique goals, incorporating the latest trends and best practices.
• Work in a social-first culture-forward way to build big campaign ideas.
• Collaborate closely with clients to grasp their business, target audience, and brand ethos, and formulate campaigns that resonate and yield results.
• Conduct in-depth research and analysis, using social tools, to pinpoint emerging trends, influencers, and topics that can enhance compelling content and campaigns.
• Partner with internal teams—creative, account, and media—to ensure campaign integration aligns with overall brand strategy.
• Emerge as a thought leader both within the agency and the industry at large, sharing insights, trends, and best practices with teams and clients.
• Stay updated on the latest trends, technologies, and tools in influence and social marketing, applying this knowledge to enhance campaign performance.
• Develop influential and innovative social strategies for high-profile clients, deeply rooted in culture and deserving of attention.
• Collaborate with planners, creatives, and creators to collaboratively address challenges and deliver exceptional work.
• Recognise opportunities for clients to harness and amplify trends and topics.
• Enhance the agency's creative output through insightful recommendations and inventive problem-solving.

Requirements/Experience We Value: 

• Good experience in social and influencer marketing, with a focus on formulating and executing strategic campaigns for notable consumer brands.
• Proficiency in working within a creative agency or similar setting, with a strong grasp of the creative process and effective collaboration with creative teams.
• Proven track record of driving successful campaigns that deliver tangible business outcomes for clients.
• Familiarity with the global beauty and wellbeing industry and experience working on female power brands.
• Exceptional strategic thinking and planning abilities, crafting tailored plans that cater to individual client needs and objectives.
• Experience in social-first strategic planning, leading to big 360 campaigns that drive conversion through culture.
• Strong project management capabilities, managing multiple global campaigns and priorities concurrently.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, fostering strong relationships with clients and internal teams.
• Highly skilled in creative thinking and innovative problem-solving.
• Understanding of paid media integration within influence and social campaigns.
• Strong presentation skills, effectively conveying intricate ideas and strategies to clients and internal teams.

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