Barrows

Company Overview

Barrows is a shopper marketing agency with a singular focus: to create meaningful retail experiences. What started nearly 30 years ago has grown into a global enterprise with 700+ employees, operating across multiple continents.

Barrows is a collective of designers, strategists and managers obsessed with improving how people shop and interact with brands. We are entrepreneurial in spirit and a people-first company where every team member possesses the drive to win, be bold and think differently.

Our North American client roster is as diverse as it is prestigious, including Anheuser-Busch InBev, Unilever, Reckitt, and William Grant & Sons among others. Our company culture can be defined as equal parts collaboration and innovation. As the worlds of digital and physical retail continue to merge, we work tirelessly to answer one question: what’s next?

The Role

Barrows is growing and is seeking a hands-on Creative Director with exceptional shopper experience to lead the development of creative strategy and high-impact ideas for a variety of global brands across a range of industries and practices. This role will develop shopper marketing concepts and guide design for integrated shopper marketing programs and experiential retail designs at mass retail across the US. A deep understanding of activating in these channels will be critical to success in the role. The role will oversee the daily activities of a creative team to unlock big ideas that engage US and global audiences and produce compelling content that supports our clients’ stories.

CPG and/or Alc/Bev experience is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creation of shopper marketing programs from concept development to design and execution
• Serve as a leader, creative mind, and project manager in one
• Connect the dots between creative and strategy to tell the client’s story
• Drive creative process from conceptual thinking through to execution to develop experience-driven, connected shopper marketing solutions
• Ensure the team delivers creative excellence through structured guidance, mentorship, and inspiration; take lead role in infusing team with digital and shopper knowledge through ongoing training
• Proactively drive the process to generate and brief in creative, actionable, and unique projects rooted in a clear idea and insight, demonstrating in-depth knowledge of client’s business and the audience
• Develop creative briefs for ideation sessions and lead creative brainstorm sessions for client opportunities
• Accurately deliver design against the required brief and revert
• Work collaboratively with the strategy and client service teams to identify key insights to help drive creative programming and ensure all concepts are on brief
• Be the face representing Barrows creative to clients and agency partners, relying on deep understanding of brands and the trade
• Confidently articulate and defend our work; ideate and solve problems with clients
• Craft and deliver highly-strategic creative presentations
• Work with the client service team to identify growth opportunities with current and prospective clients
• Craft the design associated with the client’s brand/project
• Provide a strong design point of view regarding messaging hierarchy, typography, layout, and color
• Create strategically sound designs and concepts for in-store communication
• Develop and implement processes and structures to achieve creative vision
• Generate exploratory mood boards by gathering literature and internet references
• Be an effective leader with strong communication and interpersonal skills in order to cultivate beneficial relationships both internally and externally

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in product design, graphic design, or a related field
• 8-15 years of design experience
• Portfolio of prior professional work
• Team leadership experience
• Experience presenting and successfully selling creative concepts
• Proven experience in creating standout creative work
• Elevated understanding of the retail trade environment, including omnichannel and physical/digital retail integrations
• Shopper activation experience
• CPG and/or spirits experience
• Creative strategy and copywriting experience strongly preferred
• Ability to lead and drive client solutions through ambiguity
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities

Barrows

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Barrows has a singular focus: to move retail forward. What started nearly 30 years ago in South Africa has grown into a global enterprise with 700+ employees operating across 3 continents.

We’re a group of designers, thinkers, makers, and innovators, united in our obsession with improving how people shop and interact with brands. We are an entrepreneurial, people-first company where every team member possesses the ability to carve their own path.

Our client roster is as diverse as it is exciting, including AB InBev, Unilever, Ford Motors, Reckitt, and General Mills, among others. As the worlds of digital and physical retail continue to merge, we work tirelessly to answer one question: what’s next?

THE ROLE

Barrows is seeking an Art Director with a passion for retail and shopper experiences to develop high-impact ideas for global brands across a range of industries. You will partner with the strategy team to develop shopper marketing concepts and graphic designs for integrated shopper marketing programs and experiential retail designs. A deep understanding of activating in these channels will be critical to success. You will work closely with creative and strategy leadership to unlock big ideas that engage shopping audiences and produce compelling content that supports our clients’ stories. You will lead other members of the creative team, see projects through from start to finish, and sell creative concepts to clients.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own projects to completion with minimal direction and oversight
• Support in the development and execution of creative concepts and projects
• Generate exploratory mood boards by gathering literature and internet references
• Work quickly, independently, and with a can-do attitude
• Define and drive overall aesthetics for project
• Lead creative ideation and brainstorms
• Know and understand client businesses and Barrows retail strategy
• Liaise with lead creative/strategist and account team to ensure project flow
• Liaise with production on pricing, edits, and printing
• Solid technical skills and excellent sense of aesthetics
• Proven track record of delivering outstanding creative
• Lead and influence team to direct their work
• Formulate and articulate creative vision to team and to clients
• Follow process
• Exhibit expertise in local retail market, convergence of digital and physical worlds, and provide creative and design recommendations that adhere to these spaces
• May supervise graphic designers

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or related field
• 6-8 years of experience
• Portfolio of prior professional work (shopper is a must)
• Solid understanding of FMCG shopper marketing
• Shopper activation experience preferred
• Elevated understanding of the retail trade environment, including omnichannel and physical/digital retail integrations
• Experience presenting and successfully selling creative concepts; articulate creative vision to both team and clients
• Proven experience in creating standout creative work
• Knowledge of Barrows ways of working
• Understanding of pricing in execution of creative concepts
• Ability to drive client solutions through ambiguity
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities
• Lead and influence team to direct their work
• Copywriting skills preferred

Barrows