Associate Director, Strategy

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. We are currently looking for an Associate Director – Strategy to join us in Bangalore office. In this role, you will be responsible for crafting the digital narrative for brands on scaled digital platforms, leading to successful brand outcomes. This role reports to: Associate Vice President Strategy.

Responsibilities

Crafting the digital narrative for brands on scaled digital platforms, leading to successful brand outcomes; Building India-centric cultural and audience understanding relevant for the brand through superior storytelling, leveraging local insights, trends & socio-economic shifts; Unlocking category, consumer cultural, competition and shopping insights that lead to improved media recommendations for existing clients; Leading strategic conversations with senior clients on identifying growth levers – new audiences, platforms and media models to drive brand metrics; Research and building a strong foundation that elevates discussions with senior clients; Crafting narratives that address the business/brand problem statement with strong insights; Working with cross-functional teams including content and media planners to land the implications of these insights into action plans; Serving as strong overview and custodian of the account's strategic direction, business challenges and emerging opportunities; Presenting deep dives on audience behaviours, attitudes and emerging trends; Engaging directly with clients on key projects and delivering regular strategy engagement; Delivering breakthrough work through new thinking around audiences, consumer journeys and platforms; Setting up client strategy workshops, partner days and regular client reviews; Contributing to central strategy projects that deliver thought leadership with articles and whitepapers

Requirements

5+ years with a blend of account planning and media agency exposure; MBA++ with marketing specialization; Must understand fundamentals of digital marketing including Google, Meta certifications; Extremely well-read, well informed about marketing trends especially in the travel sector, having a strong POV on culture, audiences, localized insights, brand building and emerging role of technology in marketing; Extreme curiosity – investigating the why of something, being able to draw patterns and learnings from multiple industries and adjacencies; Excellent presentation and storytelling skills – independently building a client-centric perspective, ability to confidently present to senior management, make executive level visually stunning presentations; Familiarity with digital marketing principles including OTTs, Video, Social and KOLs; Must be able to articulate consumer journey, key touchpoints/platforms and brand behavior on platforms needed for brand growth; Optimistic and collaborative – being able to successfully work across functions, disciplines while being seen as a valuable contributor and enabler

Nice to have

Preference for working on global brands in senior roles presenting to top management

Benefits

Competitive medical insurance; Group retirement plans; Vision and dental insurance; Significant paid time off; Preferential partner discounts; Employee mental health awareness days; Access to the global WPP Media & WPP networks for growth and learning; Employee resource groups; In-office events