Speaker Q&A with Laura Vipond, Chief Growth Officer at Ogilvy UK

Can you share a little about what your day to day looks like as Chief Growth Officer at Ogilvy?

There is no more varied role in an agency than that of a new business person. With multiple pitches across multiple sectors at any one time, I can be learning about the EV market in one meeting and the frozen food category in the next. I love the variety the role brings and the chance to get to know so many different businesses.

The other part of my role is focused on attracting those businesses to Ogilvy, so my day often includes time with clients at events we host. Our biggest one of the year was last month, where we held our 12th Nudgestock, the world’s largest festival of behavioural science and creativity featuring leading academics and brand leaders from all over the globe.

How does David Ogilvy's legacy continue to influence the agency's approach to marketing?

It’s an honour to be part of an agency with a 75-year legacy. David Ogilvy’s enduring principles continue to have a profound influence our approach to marketing, in particular his belief in “a habit of divine discontent with our performance,” which encapsulates the essence of Ogilvy’s relentless pursuit of excellence.

This "divine discontent" fosters a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the agency. It drives us to constantly question the status quo, seek new insights, and refine our strategies to deliver the highest level of performance for our clients. We resist complacency and strive to exceed expectations, ensuring that our work remains relevant, effective and cutting-edge. This philosophy has become the bedrock of our agency’s success and continues to inspire us to deliver exceptional results for our clients.

Our central theme of Amplify this year is ‘marketing for good’. Can you share examples of initiatives or campaigns spearheaded by Ogilvy that demonstrate a commitment to using marketing as a force for positive change?

At the heart of Ogilvy’s mission is a relentless pursuit to create ideas that deliver real impact for brands and people. Creativity that makes a significant contribution to society can be force for positive change. Ogilvy applies the lens of Preference, Passion, Product and Policy to our marketing strategies to ensure campaigns have the biggest possible impact for brands’ bottom line, as well as for people and wider society.

The Ogilvy and Dove relationship is one of the longest and most successful in the industry, now over 66 years and counting. We continue to help Dove lead the conversation in beauty ideals, galvanising entire communities of people and inspiring influencers to take action on social media toxicity. Launched in 2004, the ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ hasn’t just made Dove a $7.3bn brand, it has transformed the way women feel about their bodies.

What trends do you see emerging in purpose-driven marketing, and how is Ogilvy positioning itself to lead in this space?

1. Moving Beyond "Cause Marketing" to Embedded Purpose: Consumers are increasingly discerning and can spot superficial attempts at aligning with a cause. Brands are moving away from one-off campaigns and instead integrating purpose into their core values, operations and long-term strategies.
2. Transparency and Authenticity are Non-Negotiable: Consumers demand transparency about a brand's social and environmental impact, as well as the diversity and inclusivity of its organisation and comms. Greenwashing or purpose-washing will be heavily scrutinized and penalized. Brands need to back up their claims with concrete actions and data-driven results to demonstrate tangible impact and build trust and credibility.
3. Leveraging Technology for Impact: Technology plays a crucial role in amplifying purpose-driven initiatives. From using data to understand social issues to leveraging social media for activism and deploying blockchain for transparency, technology can enhance the reach and impact of purpose-driven campaigns.

Ogilvy has a long history of award-winning impactful advertising that has gone far beyond “cause marketing”, and shown how embedding purpose into commercial campaigns can achieve wider positive change. As a business, we have continued to evolve our offer to better serve our clients, developing expertise in sustainability, social impact, consumer equality and technology to allow us to help our clients navigate and measure purpose-driven marketing. This includes tackling food waste for Hellman’s mayonnaise through smart jar designs, taking families to the seaside on free ‘99 bus rides with Cadbury Flake, reducing energy use with Behavioural Science nudges for Nest, recycling with Coca Cola, as well as launching the ground-breaking study into the minority ethnic consumer experience in the UK – the first of its kind, and a clear demonstration that doing good is good for business.

On a personal level, where do you draw inspiration from?

Co-founding the FUTURES Network ten years ago, a thriving community of over 300 women in the marketing and communications industry continues to be my biggest source of inspiration. Described by one member as “cheerleaders in your pocket”, it demonstrates the power in women coming together to support and inspire each other. We have used our collective experiences to open-source guidance on topics including maternity leave, equal pay and anti-racism.