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Uncommon Creative Studio is deepening its customer experience capabilities with the launch of a new CX practice.

Led by Jonathan Goodman, the former chief executive of Lida, the practice will amplify the agency's ability to deliver across the entire customer journey and apply its multidisciplinary studio model to the world of CX.

Its work will range from designing data-led customer experience to creating digital products and services, and the development of entirely new CX-led brands.

The founding team of the practice reunites Goodman, founding partner, with David Yates, founding partner, and Margaux Sloan, managing partner. The trio previously worked together across agencies including Kitcatt Nohr and Lida.

Goodman said: "Founding our experience practice is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, at a once-in-a-lifetime studio. The over-industrialisation of CX has turned it into an efficiency production line for too many brands – delivering formulaic, frictionless, forgettable experiences. We're looking forward to going beyond bland best practice and creating Uncommon moments of impact for our clients."

Goodman joined Uncommon in October 2020 after nearly two years as chief executive officer at Lida, which disappeared as an agency brand when it was merged in M&C Saatchi. Goodman entered the agency in 2010 as managing partner and was made managing director in 2014 before becoming partner and president of Lida New York in 2017. Before this, he spent five years at Kitcatt Nohr as a senior account manager, account director and senior account director.

Yates joins from Odd, where he was head of strategy for a year and five months. Prior to this, he spent more than six years at Elvis, exiting as strategic managing partner. He was head of planning at Kitcatt Nohr from 2008 until 2011 when he became planning director.

Sloan was most recently the client partner at M&C Saatchi for two years. Before this she was at Lida, entering as senior account director in 2016 and moving on to be business director in 2018.

The CX Practice has started working with existing Uncommon brands and new clients. It was appointed by Piccadilly Lights earlier in the year to transform the billboard into a multi-platform digital experience.

The first campaign of this new partnership was launched last month with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, inviting people to share their photos of London for 1.5 seconds of fame on the big screen. The practice is also partnering with a fashion tech start-up with the ambition to disrupt the fashion ecommerce experience.

“Every interaction is a chance to matter”

Natalie Graeme, co-founder of Uncommon, said: "Experience is the truth of a brand. We've always known that. This is a natural next step for the studio, as every interaction is a chance to matter."

Graeme launched Uncommon Creative Studio with Nils Leonard and Lucy Jameson, who all previously worked together at Grey London, in September 2017.

Uncommon has won clients such as ITV and B&Q and made it into the top 50 ad agencies in ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s annual School Reports in its third full year of existence.

Billings rose 41.7% to £32.26m in 2020 despite the pandemic as the agency rose to 39th from 51st a year earlier and 119th two years ago, according to estimates by Nielsen.

Uncommon also won Creative Agency of the Year at ±±¾©Èü³µpk10’s Agency of the Year Awards in March.

Customer experience has been seen by a number of agencies as a key area of opportunity.

New Commercial Arts, a start-up which was set up by Adam&Eve/DDB co-founders James Murphy and David Golding last year, has positioned itself as a brand and customer creativity agency while Havas launched its global customer experience network in October 2020, led by global chief operating officer Yann Doussot.