5 Minutes with… Claire Lambell
Claire Lambell’s tenure with Southpaw spans almost 16 years so it’s safe to say that she knows the agency’s business inside and out. Last January, Claire became Southpaw’s MD, a move she calls “challenging and fulfilling” as she's seen the company evolve in tandem with her own professional development, and has helped shape its direction along the way. Right now, that involves assessing the practical applications of AI while ignoring buzzwords and gimmicky uses of new tech.
Fuelled by a challenger spirit, it’s perhaps not surprising that Southpaw works with a number of challenger brands, finding symbiosis across each other’s aims and objectives. A firm believer in data-driven decision-making, Claire says that the agency never creates just for the sake of creating and instead, embeds strategy at every stage — which helps to drive measurable results.
Today, LBB finds out more about Claire’s—and the agency’s—approach to working with global clients, the applications and limitations of Southpaw’s neuro-mapping methodology, and what plans Claire has for the company’s future.
LBB> Claire, you’ve been with Southpaw close to 16 years and you’re the MD as of last January! What has it been like to watch the company grow and develop as you yourself rose to the MD position?
Claire> It’s been incredibly rewarding to witness Southpaw’s evolution over the past 16 years. When I joined, the company was already well-respected, but we’ve evolved significantly since then, both in terms of our strategic and creative capabilities and our global and European client base. Personally, rising through the ranks to become the first female MD of the business has been both challenging and fulfilling. I’ve had the privilege of shaping our direction and culture alongside my senior leadership team, ensuring we stay true to our core Southpaw values while adapting to an ever-changing industry landscape.
LBB> Do you have any key principles or an overarching professional philosophy that you’re applying to your role as MD?
Claire> My guiding philosophy is to foster a culture that allows us to channel our Southpaw challenger spirit, helping us to create opportunities and hustling hard to find ways to deliver true success for us and for our clients. I believe in empowering our teams to take ownership of their work, encouraging creativity at every level, and maintaining a client-first approach. Being a strategic creative agency, I’m a firm believer in data-driven decision-making, ensuring that our creative strategies are always informed by robust insights. I try to lead with transparency and integrity to create an environment where everyone feels valued, motivated, and inspired to achieve excellence, so that I can support them in building a thriving career at Southpaw.
LBB> Helping challenger brands is one of Southpaw’s aims. Why the challenger category in particular and what main challenges do they face today that you’re helping to address?
Claire> The brands that think with a challenger mindset have always held a special appeal for us at Southpaw because we too are a challenger brand and thrive on channelling our underdog spirit to create exciting opportunities to outsmart our competitors and create cut through. Many of our clients face the challenges of breaking through the noise in highly competitive spaces, with fewer resources than their larger competitors. We help them by creating bold, strategic creative work that amplifies their unique voice and differentiates them in the marketplace. A great example of one of our clients doing this brilliantly is e.l.f cosmetics. One of the biggest challenges brands face today is the need to build brand loyalty in an age where consumer attention is scarce. Our role is to craft compelling narratives and experiences that resonate with target audiences and foster strong emotional connections.
LBB> ‘Our offering is high impact strategic creativity’ — can you elaborate on this statement and what it means in practical terms?
Claire> High impact strategic creativity encapsulates our commitment to producing work that is not only visually and emotionally compelling but also rooted in solid strategic insights. In practical terms, this means that every creative decision we make is guided by a deep understanding of our clients’ business objectives, target audience, and market dynamics. We’re very fortunate in having a brilliant head of strategy, Niki Jones, who is a highly creative strategist and works incredibly closely with creative director Glenn Smith, who is a very strategic creative. They both make sure that we don’t create for the sake of creating, but instead deliver work that drives measurable results, whether that’s increasing brand awareness, boosting sales, or shifting brand perception. This approach ensures that our creative output is both imaginative and effective, leading to tangible outcomes for clients.
LBB> Global clients represent somewhere in the region of 80% of the agency’s clients. How does the agency balance global trends versus local ones to ensure that ideas and creative really land and resonate for them?
Claire> Balancing global trends with local nuances is an important aspect of our work. We achieve this by maintaining a deep understanding of both global market dynamics and local cultural contexts, utilising tools and our global network, Hakuhodo. For our global clients, we often start with a universal insight or big idea that can be adapted across different markets. From there, we work closely with local teams or experts to tailor the creative execution to ensure it resonates on a local level. This approach allows us to maintain brand consistency while ensuring relevance and effectiveness in each market.
LBB> Southpaw’s neuro-mapping methodology is certainly unique. How do you utilise it in client work and what benefits does it offer? Are there any clients/campaigns that it’s most suitable for and vice-versa?
Claire> Our neuro-mapping methodology is designed to delve deeper into consumer behaviour by understanding the emotional and cognitive responses that drive decision-making. We use it to identify the most effective triggers that can influence consumer action. This methodology is particularly beneficial for clients and campaigns that aim to create strong emotional connections with their audiences. For example, it’s highly effective in brand positioning and campaign development where understanding the emotional impact is crucial. However, it’s less applicable in cases where the client is looking for us to adopt their existing brand positioning and platform to deliver a creative campaign.
LBB> As a fully integrated agency, which industry trends and developments are you most attuned to right now? And which ones are you ignoring?
Claire> Right now, we’re staying close to the continued advancements in AI and machine learning in the creative processes, the increasing importance of sustainability in brand messaging, and the ongoing shift towards personalised and immersive experiences. These trends are reshaping how brands interact with consumers, and we’re keen to leverage them in our work. We’re cautious of not jumping on fleeting trends or buzzwords, such as overly gimmicky uses of emerging technology that don’t add real value to the consumer experience or the brand.
LBB> Finally, what’s next for Southpaw under your leadership as MD?
Claire> I hope that under my leadership, Southpaw will continue to push the boundaries of strategic creativity while deepening our relationships with existing clients and expanding into new sectors. I’m focused on nurturing our internal talent, ensuring that we continue to be an agency where our brilliant talents feel that they have a in chance to progress and thrive, ultimately supporting our continued growth ambitions and staying true to our ethos of delivering high-impact, emotionally resonant work that drives real business results for our clients.
