Strategic Planning Director - Mumbai, India - MullenLowe Lintas Group

Description

1. Consumer Insight - The Brand Planner must have a knowledge of their target consumer that goes beyond statistical descriptions or 'illustrative' pen portraits. They must be able to generate a genuine empathy for the audience in a Creative who may have little in common with their values or situation. They must be able to tell the Creative things about the audience which bring the audience alive, encourages understanding, answers questions and give Creative something interesting to think about. The Brand Planner's understanding of consumer attitudes and behavior must be brought to bear at every stage of communications development via continuous involvement in the process.

2. Context Insight - The Brand Planner must be able to apply target audience understanding to the brand's 360 communication needs. He/she must fully understand the audience's brand interactions and purchase cycle and be able to identify opportunities for traditional, non-traditional/activation engagement to occur.

3. Other Marketing Knowledge - The Brand Planner should have a good working knowledge of principles and practices in other areas of the marketing mix - pricing, packaging, brand architecture, NPD, retail etc.

4. Socio - Demographic Trends - The Brand Planner should have a strong grasp of what's happening in their market, culture and society and to have ready familiarity with stimulating synopses and analyses of these trends. They should not just know what's in and what's out but be able to tell you why. The Brand Planner should ensure that strategies are developed in light of or anticipation of these trends so that their brand gains competitive advantage in capturing new 'space'.

5. Lowe Planning Toolkit - The Brand Planner will have an excellent knowledge of the Lowe Toolkit and apply it in full or part across all their accountable brands.

6. Research - The Brand Planner must have a sound understanding of research principles and techniques (quantitative and qualitative) and be able to recommend their use accordingly.

Core Responsibilities:

1. Inspirational Creative Brief - The Brand Planner is responsible for providing the strategic direction and inspiration for the creative solution to the Client's communication need. It is the Brand Planner's responsibility to create an interesting, distinctive solution which is both strategically sound and creatively fertile (demonstrated by thought starting points). The Brand Planner must write an inspirational brief to encapsulate it and brief the Creative team accordingly.

2. Strategic Persuasion - The Brand Planner must bring to bear their persuasive skills, quality of argument and experience to sell their strategy to their colleagues.

3. Developing and Evaluating Ideas - Inspiration does not stop at the briefing. It is the Brand Planner's responsibility to feed the creative process with further insight and stimulus and to provide feedback on embryonic ideas to ensure effectiveness. This should be done, wherever possible with the input of first-hand creative development research. The Brand Planner is responsible for the effectiveness of the agency's work, and should he or she have grounds to doubt the quality of the agency recommendation regarding its fitness for purpose they are duty bound to speak up and address it - first with their Brand Planning Heads, Creative heads.

4.Strategic Reviews - The Brand Planner is responsible for a full understanding of the Clients business context and the competitive strategies that they take. He / she will write, and present insightful strategic recommendations based on a solid argument of the relevant data, commissioned research, first-hand research, and their own, well marshalled, creative-strategic thinking. The Chief Strategy Officer and / or the Business Director prior to presentation must review all presentations.

5. Creative Brief Writing - The Brand Planner is responsible for all creative briefs and strategic papers that emanate from the Agency. All briefs must be approved by the Chief Strategic Officer. The Senior Brand Planner is responsible for sharing the strategic thinking leading to the brief with the CSO in advance of sign off.

6. Strategic Analysis / Consumer Insight - The Brand Planner is the repository for all consumer and strategic information that relates to his / her brand and must regularly use desk research / groups to augment this understanding and bring it to bear on the strategic direction of the business. They must keep the brand team informed of any key developments or trends in the market place.