Planning Associate Director

We are Zenith.We invented the media agency in 1988, and 12 years later, we were the first to put effectiveness at the heart of our work, when we became the ROI Agency. For us, ROI is about improving the fortunes of brands. All 5,500 of us come to work every day with the aim of leading our clients down more profitable paths.

We believe in exploring new perspectives. Looking at things differently. Turning structure upside down, back to front and sideways. Excited by what we might find.

So we think big. And act bigger. Stay versatile and interconnected. Approach everything with an inventive spirit and rigorous mind-set.

Individually we’re great. But as a team we’re unstoppable. Together, we seek out opportunities, frame problems and solve complex challenges.

Our collective brilliance exposes breakthroughs. Our capability unleashes creativity. We pursue a new perspective. And deliver a new kind of ROI.

We blend data, technology and brilliant specialists to:

• Find new opportunities for our clients
• Scout out new opportunities
• Grow our client business

Zenith is one of five distinct agency brands within Publicis Media, one arm of Publicis Groupe. Publicis Media is a brand led organisation powered by the scale and insight of the practices: Publicis Media Exchange, Publicis Media Content, Performics, Data Sciences and Commerce.

Our values

Driven by detail - We’re obsessed with every detail. The insight we gather helps us solve complex challenges and transform our clients’ businesses. It’s our job to know the detail so we can make our clients’ lives better.

The inventive spirit - This spirit is what sets our people apart from others in the industry. Our desire to find, create and develop new approaches and platforms to transform our clients’ businesses is where the magic happens.

Never give up - We’re our clients’ partners. So, their goals become our goals. We do everything we can to not just meet those goals but surpass them.

Our personality

Positive - We look for opportunities and celebrate solutions – we’re the type of people that make things happen.

Straight Talking - We put growth first and focus on the end result. This means keeping it simple and being confident in our insight.

In it together - We’re natural collaborators. We seamlessly work together – with our own brilliant specialists and with our external partners – to deliver better results for our clients.

About the client . ...

Electrolux is a white goods company. Their mission is to create better living, and they have done this for 100 years. They strike the right balance between brand building and ecommerce, having recently launched their own D2C platform.

Zenith have been their global media agency since 2013, and this partnership keeps on strengthening every year. In support of their recent restructure, we have secured an expanded scope which now includes being their single AOR, responsible for the media buying & activation remit across Europe, APMEA and LATAM (in support of their mission to centralise their media operation).

About the role....

The Associate Media Director (Europe) a key member of the regional planning team and will ultimately be responsible for the quality and delivery of annual/ quarterly media plans, competitive landscapes, PCAs and Audience Insights.

We are seeking a talented media strategist and experienced planner who is keen to step up and immediately have a positive impact on media planning and account management functions is managed across the team. If you are confident and value maintaining high standards of client servicing and can motivate, educate and lead the development of other members of the team, this role is for you.

You will be responsible for overseeing the planning process for multiple markets within the Europe region (allocated based on client specific Commercial Areas).

You will report into the Planning Director, alongside another 2 x Associate Media Directors (Europe) and you will be supported by Planning Managers, Channel Planning Specialists, Campaign Managers and Planning Executives who will work closely together to manage the end-to-end planning process.

Electrolux is a marquee Publicis Media account and a client with high expectations, demanding excellence, accuracy, timeliness, and first class thinking. This role is an opportunity to work with one of the most successful multinational home appliance businesses.

About the work....

• MEDIA PLANNING & ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
• Implement effective marketing strategies and lead all day-to-day aspects of planning across multiple campaigns in your specified Commercial Area
• Develop planning objectives that align with and elevate the client's marketing and business goals
• Act as the cross-team leader, integrating all aspects of media to define and execute campaigns
• Establish and grow client relationships by demonstrating an understanding of industry and client business issues
• Work with internal channel teams to gauge media performance and KPIs to determine the extent to which the original objectives and strategies were met
• Oversee the process and procedure for client set up, billing and all administrative functions
• Detailed awareness of media landscape, trends, challenges, and competition
• Strong knowledge of all cross-channel media, with a drive for curiosity and passion for the client's business
• Responsible for managing projects and resources for all aspects impacting the client's business
• TEAM MANAGEMENT
• Supervising, training and developing skills of Planning Managers and Planning Executives by managing workload, delegating responsibilities and checking work for accuracy
• Provide job performance feedback to direct reports to manage career trajectory of the junior talent and make recommendations to management
• Mentor and guide direct reports to ensure proper education for advancement
• Lead by example assisting in all levels of the planning and activation process

What you need to succeed....

• Solid media planning experience, preferably at an agency
• Systems knowledge e.g. Nielsen Suite, Kantar, Lumina, Flowchart Software, R/F and Optimization Software, Prisma, MRI/GfK, GWI
• Ability to translate data into well-articulated and actionable ideas
• Strong written and verbal skills, with ability to present to clients, maintain client correspondence and internal documentation
• Excellent team management; motivational/ organisational/ interpersonal skills
• Detail-oriented, quantitative/analytical skills and proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Understanding of Media Buying, Activation and Ad Ops team functions

DESIRED SOFT SKILLS & TRAITS

• Passionate about multi-media channel planning based on data-led insights
• Naturally interested in people, what makes them tick and how to influence their behaviours
• An assured presenter. Excellent communication skills are critical
• You are able to act as a senior team member, able to orient, train, assign and review the work of direct reports/ junior team members
• You are excited to be a mentor for others when resolving complex problems/issues
• Natural curiosity and desire to help clients achieve goals
• You are able to work independently; able to think quickly on your feet, use your experience to make judgement calls when necessary, will speak up and can defend their point of view without being dogmatic