Audience & Data Planning Manager

About Us 

Initiative unlocks business growth for the world’s most ambitious brands. We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different.  

When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow.  

Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability.  

Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.  

Department Overview

The Cultural Insight and Analytics (CIA) team in our Global London hub is a group of 30+ specialists covering multiple areas of expertise: Consumer Insights (Research), Audience & Data strategy, Business Intelligence & Data Governance, Advanced Analytics and Client Consulting. Through a range of paid-for-projects and FTE on accounts, the team supports the UK agency as well as the EMEA hub that is based in London. Client Consulting is responsible for curating the skills in the CIA teams to provide advice and solutions to clients’ business, marketing and advertising challenges.

Role Description 

Audiences are at the heart of all successful communications. By identifying the right audiences to communicate with, marketeers increase the opportunities to grow their brands in competitive markets. By understanding how to reach these same audiences effectively and efficiently through media, we support our clients to convert this opportunity. Data – and the integration of Kinesso, Acxiom (an IPG agency) and Lotame data into our planning tools and systems - is the key enabler of this understanding and approach within the agency.  The role will need a solid understanding of both the research and strategic side of audience planning, as well as activation.

The role sits in the EMEA Cultural Insight and Analytics (CIA) team in London and is a group of 30+ specialists covering four principal areas of data and analytics: Business Intelligence, Audience & Data Strategy, Research & Insights and Advanced Analytics.

Our Audience & Data Strategists also work as part of integrated client teams (encompassing client advice and management, strategy, and comms design) to ensure that their brands know who their key audiences (Growth Audiences) are and that these Growth Audiences are connected by data, tools and systems to our planning approach and buying and measurement systems.

They also work directly with their clients to ensure that Growth Audiences encompass the brand’s own 1st party data. As such the role requires strong knowledge of the adtech and martech eco-systems.

Successful Audience & Data Strategists marry the strategic skill-set needed to identify Growth Audience opportunities through data-led products and service (including a client’s own martech), with the hands-on experience of managing and delivering projects and campaigns for clients. They are used to working across disciplines and building strong relationships with specialists to deliver the best outcomes for clients.

Key Relationships

• With their client team colleagues across client advice and management, strategy, and comms design to deliver on client briefs
• With activation specialists in our sister agency Kinesso to ensure seamless audience activation to drive performance objectives
• With their Audience & Data Strategy colleagues across other UK, EMEA and Global clients for best practice sharing
• With the wider CIA team disciplines (Insight & Analytics etc.) on client projects
• With the UK CIA leadership to understand UK Initiative product adoption
• With their client’s data leads to incorporate/activate their 1st party data

Key Responsibilities

• Audience Research: Support the Director in conducting in-depth research to understand the target audience for a campaign. This includes demographics, psychographics, interests, behaviors, and media consumption habits.
• Audience Segmentation: Working with Kinesso and Director to segment the audiences into distinct groups based on shared characteristics, allowing for targeted messaging and campaign optimization.
• Audience Insights: Analyze data to identify key audience insights, such as their motivations, pain points, and preferred communication channels.
• Audience Profiling: Create detailed audience profiles in Fusion that provide a comprehensive understanding of the target market.
• Data Collection and Management Consultation: Support in the consultation of the collection and management of data from various sources, including CRM systems, website analytics, social media platforms, and market research.
• Data Analysis: Data analysis to identify trends, patterns, and insights that can inform campaign strategies.
• Data-Driven Recommendations: Provide data-driven recommendations to inform campaign planning, targeting, and performance optimization.

Desired Skills & Experience

• Knowledge of the digital advertising eco-system, including the programmatic landscape
• Light understanding of CRM data technology solutions, e.g. Salesforce, Adobe etc.
• Experience working with 1st Party Data and CRM data an advantage
• Performance media background and experience a bonus
• Good knowledge on European data governance
• Strong project management skills – the ability to see projects through from inception to successful delivery
• Excellent communicator – able to simplify the complex and support senior leads with delivery of content to clients

Employee Transparency 

At IPG Mediabrands, we celebrate differences and believe this makes us stronger. IPG Mediabrands are equal-opportunity employers committed to championing an inclusive culture that provides a sense of belonging for all our employees. We do not discriminate against any applicant based on age, disability, race, colour, ethnicity, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, belief, marital status or any other characteristic protected by law. 

Please reach out to our Talent Inclusion Specialist Jess at [email protected] if you would like to have a confidential conversation regarding any adjustments that would ensure our recruitment process is accessible for you. Please note requesting a reasonable adjustment will not affect your application. 

The Perks 

We aim to provide all our people with a supportive and fun work environment where you can develop your full potential and benefit from the broad range of opportunities within the agency. When you join us, we want to make sure you feel valued – and that you are rewarded for your fantastic work. So, we also offer a range of benefits:

• Flexi–leave, with 25 days annual leave to be taken as minimum. In addition to your holiday entitlement, the office usually closes between Christmas & New Year 
• Free breakfast and free lunch
• Early finish Fridays
• Core Hours (Mon-Thurs, flexible start/finish times)
• Retail discounts
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice car scheme 
• Wellbeing programme, including Headspace & flu jabs 
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Paid time off for Volunteering
• Group Income Protection
• Life Assurance
• Private Medical Insurance or Health Cash Plan (dependent on level)
• Group Personal Pension Plan with matched contributions from 3-6%
• Generous Parental Leave & Pay
• Independent mortgage advice
• Financial education
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Free eye tests
• Flexible benefits including Dental, Travel insurance, Cycle to Work, Gym Discounts and many more!