Getting to know... We Are Social's Lore Oxford

Socially-led creative agency We Are Social recently appointed Lore Oxford as its first global head of culture and insights.

In the newly created role, she will help the agency to more effectively respond to questions around society and culture while also fostering collaboration between its offices in global markets.

Below, Oxford explains her job, why she’s suited to it and how she stays motivated and prepared in her line of work.

Explain your job title and what the role entails…

My role has been introduced to maximise the agency’s thought leadership and diversify our research and insight function, bringing a qualitative specialism on board that can scale our existing expertise in understanding culture and consumer behaviour.

I’m part of the global team, but I’ll be working closely with local markets to achieve this. I’ll also be designing global methodologies that will allow for cross-market collaboration, maximising the benefit of our network of offices to generate research and insights that are truly global.

Tell us about your background and how it has equipped you for the role…

I began my career at London-based research agency Canvas8, where I worked across multiple markets on bespoke cultural research projects for a diverse roster of brands.

Whether helping Google understand how teens use their phones globally or supporting MTV in understanding the science of boredom, this kind of work has earned me an extensive network of research and insights specialists worldwide, as well as experience in building insights from multiple markets into unified reports that have both global and local commercial applications.

While Canvas8 was where I gained experience as a researcher, it was during my time in UK agencies (first at AMV BBDO then Karmarama) where I gained a better understanding of how to communicate insights effectively when working with strategy and creative teams directly.

If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?

I’d like to think I’d have monetised a career as a meme admin, but I’m probably not that witty. So… a failed meme admin?

Tell us something about your professional life we don’t already know…

Before I got into cultural insights I worked as a freelance journalist and was commissioned to write multiple articles about K-Pop style icons because I was so completely obsessed with them.

What’s your secret to staying inspired?

Making time to think (and scroll!). I don’t always manage it, but taking the time to catch up on Twitter, read a few newsletters or go through Instagram – even if only for an hour every week – always makes me better at my job. It’s impossible to communicate in the digital space effectively if you don’t know what’s going on.

What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?

During my time at Karmarama I worked with Nando’s on a piece of youth insights work designed to enable the brand to maintain cultural relevance among Gen Z over time – not just for the marketing team, but across the business. It was an incredibly thorough piece of work enabled by a brilliantly smart and collaborative client, and probably my favourite to date!

How do you forget about work away from the office?

Do people do that!?

What’s your one big hope for the future of the creative industries?

I love working in cultural insights because, when applied effectively, it ensures creativity serves a purpose in people’s lives and genuinely contributes to wider culture. My hope is that the industry continues to embrace and invest in understanding who people really are, how they behave and why.