Hybrid Strategist

About WPP Media WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.  WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working. For more information, visit wppmedia.com . Job Title: Hybrid Strategist Company: WPP Media South Africa Location: Johannesburg, South Africa Reports To: Client Lead Role Summary and Impact The Strategist, together with the internal team, works hand-in-hand with the clients’ marketing department and creative agency to ensure the development of effective and unique media campaigns. The strategist is to immerse themselves within the clients business gaining an acute understanding of the client’s needs and goals, as well as the brands’ customers, in order to provide clear and consistent input into the media strategy. Based on given objectives, the strategist applies their knowledge of media and communication platforms to identify the most appropriate vehicles for building awareness of a client’s brand. Objectives: Strategy • Create strong, compelling and strategic media recommendations on how different channels can be used to integrate the consumer journey and define the role of media use to the consumer. • Strive to deliver media solutions that drive key objectives to ensure budget efficacy and performance. • Work in collaboration with the client lead, planing, as well as implementation groups to develop budget allocations across media mix scenarios. • Use client data and technology architecture to provide strategy solutions to clients. • Have a good understanding of Mindshare/GroupM trading/proprietary offerings and ensure that these offerings are considered in recommendations, where relevant, to delivering on client objectives. • Provide insights on emerging media and new opportunities • Build competitor/brand reviews to ensure execution of strategic actions. • Ensure regular media update presentations to client e.g. trends, landscapes, hot topics etc. • Collaborate across the Strategy Hub to drive continuous improvement. • Actively participates in client/ vendor initiatives/ workshops ensuring media strategies receive the benefit of continuous research. • Understand the competitive context within which brands operate (from SOV, SOM, pricing and distribution) providing insight into the competitive set that is beyond the required quantitative data. • Use agency research and implementation planning tools to set overall communication/channel objectives for the campaign e.g. ARs, GRPs, reach, freq, etc. utilising industry & Mindshare tools/methodology e.g. threshold analysis for setting reach curves & max/min buying points. • Coordinate & complete annual plans for all brands for the assigned categories • Collaborate with the implementation team on reporting to deliver insights and optimization recommendations. Relationship Management • Be the key day-to-day contact for Clients and the Account Leadership team. • Develop strong relationships at all client levels. • Maintain and develop strong symbiotic relationships with media partners/ vendors to contribute to best of business media strategy. • Ensure you update and maintain your knowledge of the client’s organizational structure, planning process, marketing calendar and the needs of key stakeholders. • Ensure that client relationships continue to be strengt