Mid-Senior ATL Media Planner at Publicis Groupe

Role Purpose

• The Mid-Senior ATL Media Planner is responsible for the planning, implementation, day-to-day management and reporting of Toyota ATL media campaigns. The Planner owns the translation of approved strategy into clear, accurate and executable media plans and flowplans, and remains accountable for the campaign through implementation, delivery and post-campaign learning.
• This is not a role for someone who simply populates a flowplan or forwards media-owner proposals. The Planner must interrogate the brief, evaluate opportunities, build and defend recommendations, manage the detail and take responsibility for getting the work delivered correctly.

Responsibilities

Media Planning

• Translate approved strategy into detailed ATL channel, media owner and placement recommendations.
• Develop accurate and up-to-date media plans, schedules and flowplans.
• Evaluate reach, frequency, audience delivery, geography, timing, format, cost efficiency and the role of each channel.
• Interrogate proposals objectively rather than forwarding media-owner recommendations without a clear point of view.
• Write clear rationales explaining why each recommendation deserves investment and how it answers the brief.
• Ensure plans reflect the latest approved strategy, budget and campaign timing.
• Contribute practical market and channel knowledge to strategy development.

Flowplan Ownership

• Own the flowplan as the definitive working record of the campaign investment and approved media activity.
• Know what is approved, booked, pending, changed, at risk and still required at any point in the campaign.
• Update changes accurately and promptly so the flowplan always reflects the current position.
• Make sure budgets, dates, channels, media owners, formats, added value and status notes are correct.
• Keep supporting approvals and documentation organised and traceable.
• Follow outstanding actions through to completion rather than waiting to be chased.

Campaign Implementation

• Translate approved plans into executable media schedules and clear implementation instructions.
• Coordinate CEs, bookings, material requirements, chase lists and deadlines with the relevant teams.
• Work closely with Buying to confirm availability, cost, value, booking status and final placement details.
• Manage media-owner requirements and ensure all information needed for implementation is supplied on time.
• Monitor campaign implementation and resolve discrepancies between the approved plan, booking and live activity.
• Make sure the plan presented and approved is the plan that ultimately goes live, unless changes have been clearly approved and documented.

Media Owner Management

• Build strong, professional relationships with media owners while maintaining an objective planning perspective.
• Interrogate every proposal for audience fit, strategic role, cost, delivery, added value and campaign relevance.
• Negotiate and challenge where the recommendation can be improved.
• Request the information needed to make evidence-based recommendations and reporting assessments.
• Hold media owners accountable for confirmed deliverables, campaign data, proof of performance and post-campaign information.

Budget and Commercial Management

• Take responsibility for the accuracy of campaign budgets and the latest financial position.
• Track approved investment, changes, actual costs, added value and any potential under or overspends.
• Work closely with Buying and finance-related processes to prevent avoidable financial losses or unresolved discrepancies.
• Ensure CEs, schedules, bookings, flowplans and reporting reflect the same approved position.
• Escalate budget or delivery risks early, with a clear recommendation for resolution.
• Maintain accurate forecasting and campaign documentation.

Campaign Management and Optimisation

• Monitor live campaign delivery against the approved plan and agreed objectives.
• Identify delivery issues, missed placements, value shortfalls or scheduling risks early.
• Work with media owners and Buying to protect campaign delivery and resolve issues.
• Recommend changes where activity is not delivering the intended audience, weight, timing or value.
• Document approved changes and their impact on the wider plan.

Reporting and Post-Campaign Analysis

• Own the accuracy, completeness and timely delivery of reporting for the ATL campaigns and channels under your management.
• Collect, verify and reconcile proof of performance, final schedules, audience delivery, media-owner results and spend information.
• Assess delivery against the approved plan, objectives, KPIs and agreed media-owner commitments.
• Write clear insights that explain what happened, why it happened and what Toyota should do differently next time.
• Identify campaign learnings across channel, placement, timing, geography, audience delivery and value.
• Resolve or clearly disclose data gaps and reporting limitations before work is shared.
• Present campaign performance and recommendations confidently in internal and client sessions when required.
• Maintain a clear record of final learnings so they are carried into future planning.

Qualifications

Experience

• Approximately 4 to 7+ years of ATL or integrated media planning experience.
• Strong traditional media planning and implementation experience.
• Experience managing significant campaign budgets, multiple deadlines and media-owner relationships.

Hard Skills

• Strong flowplan, schedule and implementation skills.
• Excellent Excel and strong PowerPoint capability.
• Numerically strong, with excellent attention to detail.
• Strong understanding of reach, frequency, audience delivery, cost efficiency and media value.
• Confident negotiation and media-owner management.
• Strong reporting, insight writing and presentation ability.
• Able to evaluate and defend media recommendations clearly.

Soft Skills

• Proactive and highly accountable.
• Organised and disciplined about follow-through.
• Comfortable challenging proposals constructively.
• Calm under pressure and able to manage competing priorities.
• Collaborative across disciplines and agency partners.
• Solution-led and willing to raise risks early.

Advantageous Experience

• Automotive category experience.
• Experience across television, radio, out-of-home, print, and cinema.
• Experience working on large-scale brand launches, always-on activity and integrated campaigns.