Director - Strategy

Media Futures Group is part of WPP Media , the worldlargest media investment company and is a part of WPP. In fact, we are responsible for one in every three ads you see globally. We are currently looking for a Director Strategy & Partnerships to join us for one of the biggest global brands . In this role, you will drive the e nd - to -e nd strategic planning for all brands in the portfolio, including content partnerships, brand activations and consumer media journeys to deliver brand goals.

Reporting of the role

3 best things about the job:

1. Application of business growth models, brand media mapping and marketing frameworks to design a custom marketing roadmap for brands that will deliver ambitious business growth short term and long term.

2. You will work with client specialist teams and external partners in conceptualizing, developing and bringing partnerships idea to life in the form of IPs/ Program , platforms and Partners.Interaction with senior decision makers, CMOs and CEOs at client end to present the EM perspective and become a trusted partner in their growth plans

3. W ork with regional & local cross-functional specialist teams on planning , activation , data and measurement to make sure it is addressing the strategic roadmap laid out for the business. Youll own strategic projec t approval & closure till execution handshake.

Measures of success

In three months, you would have:

• Be fully immersed in strategic brand challenges & campaigns , AI -led audience profiling, media understanding, cultural context & best campaigns in the competitive set nationally and globally
• Bringing superior understanding of audiences, category, competitive landscape, best practices and growth models to the client portfolio we handle. Eg : Rising rise of live experiences in GenZ impacting content consumption and hence reduced impact of digital investments.
• Distilling this understanding into implications on brand & campaign strategy & partnership s for upcoming campaigns, product launches and regional activations & reviews.

In six months, you would have:

• Demonstrate strong understanding of brand challenges, consumers, cultural activation/partnership spaces and regional nuances
• 4 key client engagements with senior stakeholders delivering strategic roadmaps
• Collating audiences x brand learnings and creating strategic playbooks by brand
• Land 3 super-sized partnership projects on the large brands (IP/ Programs/ Platforms) along with buzz- worthy innovations on individual touchpoints and as standalone/ integrated campaigns
• Recommend and drive content partnerships as part of overall brand strategy.

In 12 months, you would have:

• Interpret insights, learnings, data/tool outputs and drive brand strategic recommendations
• Interact with diverse specialist teams, engaging them to work on your brief, curate and enhance their ideas so that they are on brand goals .
• Mentor the team to proactively & reactively work on Strategy & partnership briefs within deadlines
• Communicate emerging opportunities and best in class work with client teams to keep them engaged and responsive

Responsibilities of the role:

• Demonstrate strong understanding of brand challenges, consumers, cultural trends and regional nuances.
• Interpret data/tool outputs and drive storytelling to develop E2E briefs on brands.
• Interact with diverse specialist teams, engaging them to work on your brief, curate and enhance their ideas so that they are on brief.
• Mentor the team to proactively & reactively work on E2E briefs within deadlines.
• Communicate emerging opportunities and best in class work with client teams to keep them engaged and responsive.

Skills and Experience

At WPP Media, we believe in the power of our culture and our people. Itwhat elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embrace WPP & WPP Mediashared core values:

• Be Extraordinary by Leading Collectively to Inspire transformational Creativity.
• Create an Open environment by Balancing People and Client Experiences by Cultivating Trust .
• Lead Optimistically by Championing Growth and Development to Mobilize the Enterprise .

Skills and Experience

• Ability to work under pressure
• S trong ability to dissect complex brand, market, competitive, and internal data to build brand strategy and achieve brand goals
• Expertise in tools like TGI, GWI and AOP & scenario planning
• Experience in Media & platforms
• Strong communication & presentation skills
• Presenting a compelling strategic narrative to diverse audiences: senior leadership, client teams, and external partners.
• Persuasion and negotiation to gain stakeholder buy-in
• Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking
• Minimum ~710 years of progressive leadership in strategy, planning, consulting, or media roles.