Planning Director

Reporting to a Head of Planning and working closely with both a Junior / Senior Planner and Social Strategist, you will be a trusted right hand strategist with many chances for independent and original thought. You will also work closely with the Accounts and Creative teams to build strong client relationships, demonstrating an advanced ability in presenting your ideas and looking for opportunities to bolster profitability.

The role is all about creating exciting, compelling strategies through the line for our clients and for our pitches. It will suit someone looking for autonomy, creativity and a chance to lead the strategic output of the projects they work on. But who works well collaborating with the wider team. While the key output will be brand/ATL/integrated planning they will need an understanding of and passion for digital and social too.

We have a number of different ways of working with our clients. Some are retained and require regular creative briefs for varying different tasks, as well as ongoing strategic steering sessions throughout the year. Other clients are more project-based and require brand, campaign or advertising strategies on an ad hoc basis. There will be a range of projects: ATL, TTL, Social / Digital and a good mix between existing clients and new business. One thing is fair to say and that is every day is different.

Responsibilities

• You will proactively ensure a thorough understanding of the brand, product and overarching strategy for the project you are assigned to – ensuring your research is appropriate to the campaign’s direction.
• You will work with the wider team and Head of Planning to lead in strategic activity and ensure that the team’s outputs are in line with client expectations.
• You will take responsibility for shaping and delivery of the research and insights for your own projects.
• You will proactively liaise with the relevant Account Handler to identify how research findings will be used to inform campaigns KPIs.
• You will use this information to plan, conduct and report on activity.
• You will perform competitor analysis reviewing activity, behaviour and data to identify strengths and weaknesses.
• You will make informed recommendations based on your findings that support the strategy.
• You will develop strong collaborative relationships with Account Handlers and Creatives on your team, in order to push the brief to its full potential.
• You will help to grow and utilise the strategic toolkit and have a strong knowledge of the research tools we use in order to support in any research you conduct.
• You will proactively work to ensure that for the projects you are involved with, the strategy is considered and adhered to throughout all stages of the project’s life cycle.
• You will adapt to working across digital projects, extensive research projects, brand development and workshops depending on your client’s needs.

Minimum Requirements

• Advertising Strategy Expertise in advertising and how it works (well read/practised in effectiveness).
• Passion for great creative campaigns and helping inspire, shape and strengthen them.
• Understanding of comms planning and working with media plans/mix – joining it up.
• Incredible ability to hunt for and use revelatory consumer insights (from desk & primary).
• Concise yet passionate creative brief writing – simple but original and compelling.
• Brilliant creative WIP and constructive creative development skills.
• Responding to client briefs to establish a clear requirement Business Strategy.
• Understanding of client’s business, their workings, challenges and opportunities.
• Comprehension of how marketing, comms and advertising fits in with wider objectives.
• Passion for (and confidence in) getting to the heart of the business problem.
• Responding to client briefs to establish a clear requirement for/from the agency.
• Conducting Q&A, bringing the right people into the room and if necessary challenging assumptions.
• Brand strategy passion and flair for constructing original and compelling brand narratives.
• Ability to create clear and exciting brand positionings – that can ensure our brands are distinctive.
• Comfortable with research, workshop design/running and brand guideline/template construction.
• Turning brand pyramids/architectures into simple, inspiring and helpful creative briefs.

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