Initiative is different to other media agencies.
Initiative unlocks business growth for the world’s most ambitious brands. We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different. When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow. Initiative builds Fame & Flow for brands like Nike, Amazon, Merck, LEGO, and T-Mobile.
Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability. Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.
Position Summary
The Audience Strategy team is a function within the Strategy craft, built to strengthen our data led products and services throughout the agency and evolve and future proof the client’s audience first, data driven and outcome-based approach across all media buys.
The Director, Audience Strategy is a digital native and an expert in leveraging agency’s proprietary data and platforms and play a pivotal role in accelerating client’s audience centric and data driven efforts. To be successful in this role, the person needs to be eager to learn and leverage emerging tech and data solutions, uncovering the insights and have an entrepreneur mentality to bring and develop new ideas and solutions to the team. This is a client facing role and the person will work closely with client to help connect client’s MarTech and AdTech solutions to provide consultancies across paid, owned and earned media ecosystem and develop the foundation for client’s addressable media approach.
Key Responsibilities
- Leverage agency’s proprietary data and platform to identify the highest value audiences and develop audience first, addressable strategies that reach the highest value consumers and maximize business goals and outcomes
- Conduct business and audience analysis and provide the insights and outputs to planning teams that can help define audience profiling and segmentation
- Identify channels, tactics and data sources (across 1P, 2P and 3P) that help accurately translate key audiences in media and maximize the performance outcomes of the campaigns
- Familiar with outcome-based planning to forecast and deliver on specific business KPIs
- Guide development and management of client’s data driven marketing by educating clients on how data and tech can hep unlock consumer insights and activation/engagement
- Collaborate with Client Solutions team to develop a clear Audience learning agenda and measurement framework and KPIs
- Pioneer new approaches and work to best frame the use of data in all use cases from understanding and helping on client’s 1st Party data roadmaps, activating omni-channel addressable strategies, guiding dynamic creative strategies and defining closed-loop audience measurement approach
- Champion in innovation and help client educate and develop forward-thinking digital roadmap and testing plan in facing the cookie-less world
- Understand value proposition for key data and media vendors and partners and manage the relationships and help evaluate and provide recommendations in partner selections
- Be on a forefront of the latest industry developments (changes in privacy laws and regulations, cookiesless, etc.)
Required Skills & Experience
- Intellectual curiosity and solid understanding in data and digital media ecosystem with the ability to see from the brand’s business lens
- Experience working on holistic, cross-channel media recommendations and optimizations that is tied to business outcomes, from both a strategic and birds eye view to a technical implementation.
- Experience in building audience based and performance-based media plans using outcomes and KPIs to determine digital partner and channel splits
- Hands on experience working on a DMP, CDP, CRM platform, onboarding partners, other ad tech platforms for audience development, onboarding or/and syndication and taxonomy structure maintenance strongly preferred
- Proven experience in developing data-driven insights for clients
- Experience in managing or developing a team and can delegate and oversee direct reports
- Excellent written, verbal communication and presentation skills including the ability to develop story-telling presentation decks
- Required PC proficiency and solid working knowledge of Microsoft Office (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
Desired Skills & Experience
- Extensive experience in audience development, data driven marketing and/or digital marketing with a strong understanding in ad tech landscape and biddable media ecosystem (across search, social, or programmatic)
- Expertise in all media activation channels (programmatic, social, search, TV, OOH, etc.) and understand full funnel addressable activation best practices
- Understanding of audience strategy approach in health industry, understanding of privacy regulations and restrictions
- Experience driving omnichannel strategies for clients
We See You
We embrace diversity, and our responsibility to maintain an inclusive environment is core to our culture and values. We see diversity of people and experiences as fuel for creativity and innovation needed to bring about the best experiences and services. A diverse workforce means we can grow together, be better problem solvers, and bring about long-term, meaningful change where we will achieve above and beyond our business goals. We are better together..
When you join Mediabrands, you join a global community and are valued for who you are – your lived experiences, the contributions you make, and the distinct perspectives you bring. Here, what you think and who you are is just as important as what you do. As we recruit, we are dedicated to looking beyond what a resume can show. If you think you’d be a great addition to the team but don’t have the exact experience or skills, we encourage you to apply and share your unique background with us. We see you at Mediabrands.
Wage and Benefits
We offer a Total Rewards package that includes medical and dental coverage, 401(k) plans, flex spending, life insurance, disability, employee discount program, employee stock purchase program and paid family benefits to support you and your family. To give you the ability to better meet your personal needs, and in support of your physical and emotional well-being, you will receive discretionary time off days and company-wide Appreciation Weeks and Wellness Days.
We also offer a competitive Total Compensation package, including a competitive salary and eligibility for an annual discretionary incentive award or a relevant incentive award.
The salary range for this position is posted below. Where an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on, among other factors, actual ranges for current/former employees in the subject position, market considerations, budgetary considerations, tenure and standing with the Company (applicable to current employees), as well as the employee’s/applicant’s skill set, level of experience, and qualifications.
Employment Transparency
It is the policy of Mediabrands, division of the Interpublic group, to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, veteran status, disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. The job description will be reviewed periodically as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity. Essential and other job functions are subject to modification. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
For applicants to jobs in the United States: In compliance with the current Americans with Disabilities Act and state and local laws, if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position with Mediabrands, please email [email protected].
About Mediabrands
IPG Mediabrands is the media and marketing solutions division of Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). Mediabrands manages approximately $40 billion in marketing investment globally on behalf of its clients and provides strategic services and solutions across its award-winning, full-service agency networks UM and Initiative and through its innovative marketing specialist companies Reprise, Magna, Orion, Rapport, Healix,
Mediabrands Content Studio and the IPG Media Lab. Mediabrands clients include many of the world’s most recognizable and iconic brands from a broad portfolio of industry sectors. The company employs more than 13,000 marketing experts in more than 130 countries representing the full diversity of humanity. For more information, please visit our website: www.ipgmediabrands.com.
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