Digital Media Strategist at Starcom

About the job

• To demonstrate real passion, care and vision for the brands in your portfolio.

• Lead the account strategically

• Lead the agency integration with the creative team and other external 3rd Party Agencies.

• Together with traffic and Ad Operations, you will be required to drive the team to deliver media-related deliverables and client contracted KPI’s  

• Together with the strategists \on the account, you will be accountable for the successful delivery of digital media strategies, touchpoint recommendations, media opportunity evaluations and case studies.

• As an estimate, 50% of your time will be dedicated to the operational and management requirements of the account, while the other 50% of your time will spent managing your personal portfolio and leading the account strategically.  

• Together with the Data Science team, the dedicated Reporting Analysts and Digital Ad Operations team, you will be accountable for the timeous delivery of weekly, monthly and campaign performance reports, as well as driving the outputs of the delivery and maintenance of the live digital dashboard.  

• Together with the planners and buyer, you will be required to keep track of media spends and deliver regular monthly spend reports internally and to the client.

• Together with the planners and buyer, you will be required to monitor and track commitments.    

• Drive ongoing incremental media optimizations and make thought our recommendations for further optimization, with the platform specialists and strategists on each portfolio.

• Ensure that optimization recommendations are back to the client and to the creative teams.  

• To deeply understand the market, audiences and segments that will unlock market growth and opportunity on your portfolio. Work with the research, analytics and strategic teams.

• Adopt the use of Publicis tools to ensure optimum results are obtained.     

• To unearth and deliver the best media owner relationships, partnerships and JBP’s that deliver business outcomes and creative media opportunities. You will be required to lead the JBP discussions with the Head of Digital at Publicis Media.   

• To produce award-winning entries and case studies that demonstrate real impact and results for our clients – for internal and external pitches and awards.

• Together with the team, successfully meet the client’s contracted KPI’s and the commercial targets.

• Work closely with the Integrated Digital Traffic Managers that manage creative and media delivery to ensure the smooth running, operations and output of the account are maintained in the most frictionless manner possible. Work with the account operations team to refine and ensure the smooth running of digital operations across the account.  

• Lead internal team status meeting and unlock administrative and operational roadblocks together with the Head of Operations at Publicis Media and the Operations Manager at Digitas.  

• Resolve digital media related issues with a solution driven mindset, whilst maintaining strong relationships with colleagues, agency partners, media owners and clients.  

• Interface and work collaboratively with the Data Science team.

• Manage the portfolio’s digital planning team and the timeous and accurate delivery of media schedule, creative matrices, CMPID tracking tag requirements and Media tool planning environment accurately maintained.     

• Ensure budgets are properly managed and financial losses mitigated due to under / over-spends.

• Maintain highest taxonomy standards.

• Work with the Head of Digital at Publicis Media, to develop and arrange digital media training media and creative teams on Nedbank.  

• Drive the client’s digital transformation journey in Personalization @ Scale and their path to conversion optimization.

• To grow the strategic reputation of the agency by delivering world-class strategic excellence.

• To produce at least one thought-leadership article per annum.

• Contribute to at least one pitch per annum.

You will have the following people report to you:

• Media Strategists x 4/5+

• Media planner x 3+

• The Reporting Analysts,  Campaign Managers, Platform Specialists will report directly to Ad Operations, Data Science and the creative team.

• All campaign managers and traffic controllers will report to the Ad Operations.

• You will be required to manage your team’s leave and timesheets - together with the creative operations team.

• You will manage their career conversations and reviews

• Help the teams prioritize workloads  

• You will be required cohesively manage the team, driving the Starcom culture   

What you can expect in an average week:
 

• You will be involved with numerous brand managers, so it’s important to develop a good understanding and identify specific business needs for each one.

• Your average week may include:

• Attend key strategic briefings, status meetings, integration meetings with agency partners  

• Produce and present media strategies

• Prepare and deliver insights decks on consumer and media trends, digital landscape, COVID impact and eCommerce landscape - in partnership with the Research & Insights team and the Head of Digital for Publicis Media.

• Share pertinent and relevant insights reports, from anyone of our long list of resources.   

• Be present and on time, to all required meetings.

• Work collaboratively with our colleagues, global teams and creative agency partners.

• Review and direct all offline and online media outputs.  

• Collaboratively work with and direct the digital media planners, campaign managers, DV360 and search specialists.

• Work collaboratively within the Digital Advertising Operations, Client Success, Media Buying, Creative and Strategic Power-of-One Teams

• Write and present internal briefs across all digital disciplines, monitor progress, direct optimization changes, avoid under / over-spends and add provide insight to post campaign reports.   

• Sign off all digital media billing packs relevant to your portfolio, to ensure alignment and avoid under and overspends.

• Update monthly forecasting reports.

• Ensure the Media tools platform is kept up to date and digital integrations are added and maintained.      

• Keep your Google, Facebook, Twitter and any other required media owner certifications up to date and participate in required training sessions.

• Ensure that your time sheets are maintained and timeously updated.  

Qualifications
A marketing / media / communications degree, diploma or certificate

• Google Fundamentals of Digital Marketing

• Google Analytics

• Google Ads Video

• Google Shopping Ads

• Google Display Ads

• Google Ads Search

• Facebook Blueprint Planning

Experience:
 

• At least 7 years of digital media experience in agency.

 Hard Skills:
 

• Be strategically strong

• Able to effectively project manage

• Comfortable Presenting

• Numerically strong and analytically able

• Strong communicator with effective interpersonal relationships across team and clients

• Advanced IT skills including Microsoft Word, best-in-class Power Point, Excel, Outlook and web-based applications.

• The ability to synthesize and reduce different inputs to create a well-considered and accurate representative view.

• English fluency and language skills for effective business writing

• Strong presentation skills

• Solid data interpretation and analytics skills

• Be able to exercise strategic principles and structured thinking to tackle business development projects assigned by client

• Be able to select appropriate frameworks, tools and approaches to use in solving client problems

• Develop strategies that interpret cultural and social trends as well as data relevant to client business 

 Soft Skills
 

• Is open to constructive feedback and challenges accordingly.

• Is effective at building relationships and working as a team

• Shows leadership and decision-making ability

• Manages change well – adapts and remains flexible to business priorities

• Ability to collaborate without ego as well as work effectively independently

• Is willing to transfer skills and share knowledge openly

• Ability to self-start and self-manage