Strategic Account Director

Objectives of the role:We are looking for a strategic account manager to join us working across some of EssenceMediacom's most exciting client brands. You will be responsible for developing and overseeing the successful execution and implementation of advertising campaigns across multiple media channels. A key strategic partner to our clients, both locally & globally, you will be collaborating with local client marketing teams and other agency partners (PR, Creative & Digital) to deliver innovative communication solutions, whilst liaising remotely with the EssenceMediacom global teams.With global & local support, we are looking for a strategic thinker who is able to interpret and deploy media strategies on a local level. The role is very hands-on and you will be required to take ownership of the day-to-day client relationship, managing all client briefs and working with relevant EssenceMediacom teams (implementation planners, digital, social etc.) to deliver outstanding work. You will be required to align and apply insights, channel approach and creative messaging to generate media solutions and present campaign ideas and results to both the client and wider agency teams.This is a client-centric role so communication skills and an aptitude in client & project management are critical.Responsibilities:Business• Manage campaign process from briefing through to execution – interpreting client brief and aligning with global strategic approach (where necessary). Briefing internal departments and managing work-flow through the team.• Illustrate your strategic thinking (working with the strategist) by providing budget splits, recommended channel selection, and percent of budget devoted to each, whilst considering flighting specifics, and any "must have" elements required by the client. Work with the implementation planner to recommend targets, weights, and reach and frequency goals.• Represent EssenceMediacom SA at all meetings (including conference calls, individual and group meetings with the Client and agency partners).• Responsible for creating appropriate presentations for meetings and must be prepared to present at the standard expected by EssenceMediacom.• Reporting management - Responsible for tracking and reporting the status of client spending on a monthly basis, maintaining records within annual budget excel sheet that record planned and billed costs. Provision of evidence reports for media billing on a monthly basis. Completion of monthly media performance competitive report.• Manage campaign delivery process and ensure timely buying and billing of media campaigns: present media plans to the client (with assistance of implementation planning team when required), relaying required adjustments to relevant internal teams and obtaining written client authorization for booking & buying of media; answer questions, and resolve issues; review and approve billing, handle any questions and follow through to payment.• Present post campaign evaluation with the assistance of relevant internal teams: evaluate effectiveness of the strategy, plan, and media buy (across channels) along with other key success indicators (web traffic, CTR etc.), and competitive activity to determine if changes are needed to boost results.• Responsible for keeping up with media innovations that may improve results.• Other responsibilities as assigned.People• While there are no direct management reports into this role, the applicant must feel confident in dealing with experienced internal teams, as well as helping in the development of junior level staff.• Managing up as well as down – managing team and client expectations.• Must be an effective partner to clients & their agency partners, demonstrating themselves as a media expert who can be trusted and a reliable contributor to the team.• Must be adept at cultivating relationships and able to manage multiple relationships: client, agency partner, as well as media owners.• Ability to work in a team environment that promotes collaboration.• Adept at communicating effectively across all levels both internally and at the client.• Able to establish and maintain effective relationships interdepartmentally as well as with client agency partners.Strategic Skills• Identify and develop opportunities to showcase new products to clients and achieve incremental revenues.• Internally communicate and contribute to brainstorming to help generate ideas with the team. Keep up to date with media changes and alert the team of potential advantages/new opportunities for presentation to Client.• Keep up to date in using media planning measurement tools. Adex, AMPS Telmar Suite, etc. Maintain sound relationships & communications between EssenceMediacom departments, their relevant creative/brand agencies, Clients and media vendors, where necessary.• Run status meetings.• Target market insights.• Competitive reviews.• Channel evaluation and selection.• Development and management of innovative media strategies that meet client's objectives. Effective deployment of budgets.• Post campaign presentations.• Collaboration with partner agencies to deliver best product.• Keep client up to date with media developments.• Media evaluations.• Presenting all relevant ad hoc media opportunities to client.Client Account Management• Understand the dynamics of the market.• Strive to understand consumer headspace and needs (both in terms of product/service and brand) and the role of media in his/her lifestyle.• Development & presentation of media strategies reflective of communication strategies.• Sourcing of eclectic illuminating information.• Analysis & interpretation of information – turning information into insights.• Monitoring competitive media and spend activity, and delivering key learnings, thus ensuring competitive media strategies.• Scanning the media environment and commenting on developments.• Facilitating channel choice workshops with the end result of providing media strategies that facilitate the message to the customer.• Attending creative reviews to ensure that work meets the key elements of the media strategy and allows creative flexibility to the media.• Providing strategic input in market intelligent workshops via competitive analysis and post campaign analysis on quarterly bases. This will ensure the brand is on target and help identify learnings to ensure a competitive media strategy.• Keeping up to date and implementing change, if necessary, regarding the media planning measurement tools, e.g. AMPS, TGI, etc.• To arrive at superior media strategies (the best mix for the task at hand), internally refine and develop methods to manage brainstorming in order to generate ideas with the team.• Explore innovative market intelligent workshops through leveraging media owner initiatives.• Relationship building and negotiation for leveraging costs with media owners.• Looking for strategic approaches to enhancing media investment. Develop strong credible client relationships.Skills and Behaviours:• Skilled at handling fast-paced, short lead-time client requests.• Excellent internal work-flow management.• Extreme attention to detail; great accuracy and thoroughness.• Must be tenacious spending many hours doing (sometimes) tedious work (budget reporting, global reporting etc.).• Adept at high-level client presentations.• Ability to extract and filter relevant insights/research to support planning decisions.• High level communicator.• Flexible.• Proficient using Microsoft office tools suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).Qualifications and other relevant information:• Relevant Degree level preferred, in Advertising or Marketing a plus.• 4+ years media planning experience required, would consider exceptional candidates with 3+ years.
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