Merkle Media is market leading performance media agency specializing in data driven digital media planning and optimisation. With 20 year’s experience in digital media and a heritage as one of Google’s original UK channel partners, the business has evolved from a leading independent to supporting a client roster of recognisable national and global brands within the Dentsu marketing group

Our agency our mission is to ensure media delivers long-term growth, with focus on business outcomes vs individual programme/campaign/media metrics. As part of Merkle a leading data-driven customer experience management (CXM) company providing expertise in Marketing Technology, Data/Analytics and CRM, Merkle Media is uniquely positioned at the intersection of media and technology to enable the delivery of personalised customer experiences across platforms and devices.

The Role

If you’d like to be at the forefront of digital innovation, understanding the key trends and advising clients on what this means for their future marketing approach, then this role is for you.

We’re looking for someone passionate about media strategy to lead the planning & digital strategy cycle for two of our key accounts, designing award-winning media strategies for a household name brands. This is a high-profile role within the media strategy team at Merkle Media, working alongside dentsu partner brands. It’s an exciting opportunity to create a step-change for the client and get exposed to market-place leading thinking as part of a wider team of experienced strategists and planners.

We’re looking for someone who is comfortable translating business objectives to media campaigns, and developing integrated media strategies. We’re looking for digital natives but someone who is comfortable integrating with offline planning too.  An appreciation of data driven marketing is essential and the desire to progress this practice both in concept and in activation, you’ll work closely with Paid Media delivery and wider specialist teams to both achieve this and ensure we’re at the cutting edge of our field.

You will also support the wider department by actively help build our future strategic capabilities, and coaching more junior media planners and apprentices in their careers.

This role requires an understanding of general marketing principles as well as business acumen to support understanding of our clients and the digital marketing space. It supports the development of strategic and tactical initiatives designed to successfully achieve our clients’ goals. The role is diverse and requires the individual to efficiently prioritise and manage multiple work streams at once, work both individually and within a team, effectively communicate, and have an ability to continuously self-educate in this dynamic digital marketing space.

Life as a Media Planner at Merkle

• Lead the strategy for an entire business unit two of our key, high-profile clients
• Adopt Merkle planning methodology in coordination of brief responses, cross-media strategies and media plans
• Responsible for media and consumer insights collation, providing integrated brief response proposals.
• Collaborate closely with multiple marketing channel specialists to ensure optimal use of each marketing channel.
• Liaise with media owners and external agency partners, attending all agency meetings to present all channels and feedback requirements to channel leads.
• Maintain a high level of working and strategic knowledge across all channels and how they can integrate.
• Thought leadership, putting forward new topics of interest.
• Support the idea generation, cross-functional coordination and work with client management to ensure successful implementation of these campaigns.
• Ensure consistent communication during the planning period and ensure the internal teams has visibility of each step within the process.

A few of the benefits

As we progress and develop as a company, you will too. Within our fast-growing company, there’s plenty of opportunity to develop your skill set and you’ll be encouraged to be curious and share new ideas. In exchange for your contribution to our award-winning company, we make sure you take advantage of a generous holiday allowance and are paid a competitive salary. We’re really proud of our company values and culture; we have regular company / team socials and want all our employees to enjoy coming into work. Some of our benefits include:

• Friendly, approachable office atmosphere - and business-casual dress code
• Free breakfast (toast, spreads, fresh fruit, coffee, tea)
• Regular company socials (including bowling, Crystal Maze, quiz nights, annual Christmas and Summer parties to name a few!)
• On-site Games Room with ping pong and pool table
• The company pays for our lunch on the last Friday of every month
• On Friday’s at 4:30pm (Four Thirsty) everyone can help themselves to a celebratory drink
• Cycle2Work scheme, free eye tests, a company mobile phone and season ticket loans 

What we are looking for in you

• Excellent experience within digital media agency function and/or digital media vendor/ad technology platform
• Experience of leading strategy and growing client relationships at top tier levels
• Practical experience managing and directing strategy on search, social and programmatic campaigns
• Project management, demonstrable leading experience.

At the point of application, the candidate must have the legal right to work in the UK as we are unable to sponsor visas as this time.

Merkle does not discriminate against job applicants on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Experience stipulated in this job description serves as a guide only and all applications will be considered on their merits, irrespective of experience.