Senior Insights Strategist

Karla Otto is a renowned public relations and communications agency with offices across 14 locations in the UK, EMEA, US and Asia. Established in 1982 by Karla Otto herself, the agency has since grown to become a global leader in luxury brand PR and events.

With offices in major fashion capitals such as Milan, London, New York, and Los Angeles, Karla Otto represents some of the most prestigious fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands in the industry.

In 2017, Karla Otto and K2 merged to form The Independents, a global group of agencies for industry leaders across luxury and lifestyle. Currently this group comprises of Bureau Betak & Bureau Future, Karla Otto, K2, The Qode, Lefty, Prodject and CTZA, Atelier LUM, INCA Productions and Atelier Athem, Kennedy and Sunshine

Our network of expert strategists, designers, planners and publicists work tirelessly to deliver exceptional results and establish long-term partnerships with our clients. We are passionate about the world of fashion, beauty, and luxury, with everyone bringing their unique expertise and insights to the table. We are driven by a shared commitment to excellence and a deep understanding of the ever-evolving industry landscape.

The Senior Insights Strategist will be based in our London office, as a part of the Insights team and work alongside the global creative strategy team. This role involves collaborating across various departments and markets to implement insights effectively within Karla Otto divisions from communications to events.

Key responsibilities include supporting the Head of Insights in integrating insights into pitches and strategies to drive business development. This entails fostering commercial opportunities for the Insights department, aiding in new business acquisition, and co-spearheading the development of new service offerings based on insights capabilities.

The role necessitates building and nurturing relationships and opportunities with global clients and the client services team, as well as collaborating with internal teams and external partners across projects and reports, particularly agencies within The Independents Group.

Ideal candidates will possess a seasoned background in consumer and market insights, with agency experience, preferably in trend forecasting or research forum. They should have worked across various verticals such as fashion, lifestyle, beauty, and large FMCG brands, demonstrating expertise in translating market and consumer data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.

Candidates should excel in strategic and creative thinking, with a deep understanding of cultural and social landscapes and complementary verticals. They should be analytical, collaborative team players with a drive for business growth and innovation in client servicing.

Additionally, candidates should be proficient in creating compelling pitch decks and editorial documents in response to client briefs and RFPs, adept at verbal and visual communication of ideas.

As part of project execution, candidates will lead on smaller insights projects and externally, requiring strong negotiation, organisational, numerical, and analytical skills, along with meticulous attention to detail.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

• Assist in strategically launching and implementing a new range of insights client services and experiences.
• Drive new business acquisition and support upselling opportunities with existing clients by identifying strategic and creative insights-driven opportunities
• Provide support in creative strategy pitches, leveraging insights to shape strategic vision and client servicing.
• Collaborate with the Insights editorial division as needed to enhance synergy between content and consultancy, optimising findings for new business and consultancy work.
• Support in optimising outreach to our subscribers to grow awareness of Insights services to drive business growth
• Work closely with the marketing and social media team to deliver a successful and consistent insights awareness plan to drive growth
• Liaise closely with internal and external teams and partners, proactively managing workflow, resolving issues, and responding to client and consumer feedback.
• Support the development of an internal upskilling program, enabling the business to confidently discuss insights services and capabilities, and integrating research findings into day-to-day operations.
• Articulate research findings effectively in visual, written, and verbal formats.
• Utilise experience in ethnographic research methodologies.
• Analyse data and assist the Junior Data Consultant in translating findings into compelling stories and forecasts.
• Demonstrate strong attention to detail and numerical proficiency, including overseeing administrative tasks and collaborating with the Karla Otto finance team on accounts
• Manage and develop the assistant level team on a day-to-day basis.
• Stay updated on emerging trends to challenge and share learnings across teams

Key Attributes

• Fluent in English additional languages are advantageous
• 8+ years working in trend forecasting, consumer insights or a insights-first agency
• Proficient in both the creative and analytical side of the communications and marketing work, able to demonstrate why their ideas are analytically sound
• Clear understanding of consumer, market and cultural trends and how they impact brand strategy
• Excellent working knowledge of social platforms / trends predominantly Instagram and TikTok as well as emerging platforms
• High level execution skills and meticulous attention to detail both aesthetically and organisationally
• Collaborative team player with the ability to work autonomously to deliver to brief and on-time
• A positive, can-do attitude who can work under pressure and likes to solve problems
• A creative, innovative thinker with an open attitude and eagerness to learn
• Excellent copywriting, communication, and presentation skills
• Ability to juggle multiple projects and work to stringent deadlines
• Management experience
• A real team player who will excel in a dynamic and fast-paced environment
• Good listening and diplomacy skills
• Strong knowledge of and experience with Influencer Marketing, monitoring / tracking tools
• Experience with design programs (Adobe Photoshop / InDesign) a plus
• Strong proficiency in Keynote, PowerPoint
• Strong numerical proficiency, including use of Excel

At Karla Otto, we are always looking for personalities with positive charisma who are enthusiastic, self-motivated, and have a keen sense of aesthetics.

Karla Otto embraces and celebrates diversity, inclusivity, and equal opportunity. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Karla Otto provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join our team