Media and Digital Team – Account Manager Opportunity

As an account manager in the media and digital team you would be required to provide specialist media insight to internal and external stakeholders. You will suit this role if you have an in depth understanding of media strategy across online and offline touch points and solid quantitative research skills. As this is a role in a specialist research team, any direct experience in a media agency working with media buying tools will be hugely advantageous.

This role requires a key focus on meeting new business targets through selling Millward Brown Media Research Solutions. This includes (but is not limited too) consumer TV tracking projects, reach and frequency projects across various media touch points and digital research solutions. Strong communication skills, presentation skills and team management skills are essential in the success of this position.

Main responsibilities

Client management and consultancy (20%)

• Apply expert level of media knowledge and understanding of the media landscape in all your client interactions. Deliverables and analysis conducted applies this knowledge and commercial implications and realities. Knowledge including;
  • An in depth understanding of the South African Media environment, including media planning, buying and post evaluation reporting.
  • In depth understanding of media buying strategy and the ability to showcase your knowledge of different media concepts: top and tail, prime time viewing, squeezebacks etc.
  • Key clients, agencies, key stakeholders and their needs
  • The client’s business and strategy
  • Client brands and media activity
  • Client markets and competitors
• Deliver effective advice and consultancy for your clients
  • Instigate and facilitate client discussions to better understand their media issues
  • Expert interpretation of media data, research data and ability to articulate insights clearly and impactfully
  • Provide a comprehensive point of view on brand, media and communications issues aligned with Millward Brown philosophies

• Develop strong relationships with clients to the extent they are first port of call across all accounts for strategic opinions and advice
  • Present impactfully regularly across all accounts
  • Demonstrate confidence and strong interpersonal skills in client facing situations
  • Chair client and agency meetings

Media analysis and research expertise (25%)

• Designs appropriate research solutions to drive meaningful insight for clients’ needs and their business
• Applies advanced costing, sample design, questionnaire design, data spec and chart spec principles
• Formulate, articulate and validate hypotheses to help build appropriate, relevant and impactful stories
• Understand, interpret and synthesise data from various sources
• Translate insights into engaging stories with clear and concise implications that will help clients make better marketing decisions
• Integrate knowledge of MB tools, philosophies and techniques and applies these appropriately to the design, analysis and interpretation of research projects to deliver meaningful insights (specifically in relation to pre-testing, tracking, equity and media measurement)
• Identifies opportunities to deepen insights for clients using further analysis including MB learnings as appropriate
• Fosters media analysis and research skills, along with brand and advertising knowledge across reports on all accounts

Business development and financial management (25%)

• Actively helps sell Media Research solutions to ensure sales targets are met.
• Shows proactive attitude in finding new business (can include “cold calling” at times)
• Builds strong relationships and delivers to account responsibilities sufficiently to retain clients and maintain existing business
• Identifies and pursues opportunities to grow existing client business, revenue and profitability
• Responds to new business opportunities through:
  • Liaising with clients to understand their needs
  • Designing research solutions
  • Preparing accurate costs
  • Preparing proposals
  • Presenting in pitches
• Review account and project profitability to understand opportunities to maximize financial performance for future projects
• Completes timesheets accurately and on time

Account management (15%)

• Manages accounts to ensure as a team all account deliverables are met while working to agreed budgets
• Accountable for the accurate and timely delivery of account outputs including data tables, KPIs, presentations, reports and workshops –balancing own analysis and creation of deliverables with delegating within the team
• Responsible for accurate analyses, data checks, writes, checks and crafts reports and presentations to ensure deliverables meet client/seniors needs and generate strong insight and impact for clients business
• Delegates to team effectively, providing constructive feedback and support for other account members to ensure account responsibilities and deliverables are met to a high standard in agreed timelines
• Maximises account efficiency and profitability by reviewing, improving and streamlining processes and systems without compromising quality
• Resources and plans accounts to meet client objectives within budgets
• Develops and implements account management plans for key clients with support from directors
• Develops case studies to demonstrate value we bring for clients. Conducts and creates impact reviews for all presentations
• Responsible for managing and monitoring junior team to ensure accurate and timely delivery of scripts, charting, fieldwork and data provision from relevant departments
• Fosters good relationships with third party suppliers and provides constructive feedback to improve relationships. Challenges third party proposals where appropriate to achieve a better business outcome.

People management (15%)

• Maximise individual and team performance and efficiency through effective people management
• Manages one to three line reports, giving ongoing feedback, conducting monthly catch-ups and annual appraisals
• Identifies, sets and communicates clear objectives to develop and nurture line report’s careers, and articulates performance against these objectives
• Coaches and develops account team members through constructive feedback to identify areas of strength, and areas required for improvement
• Effectively delegates tasks where appropriate
• Participates in the recruitment and training of more junior team members as appropriate
• Completes all Kantar Connect & LearningWorks responsibilities on time

 

Requirements

Technical Competencies

Analytical skills

• Advanced media knowledge, including media spend analytics (across all touch points, this includes but is not limited to Nielsen ADEX, ARS, GRPS and post evaluation digital reporting)
• Advanced analytical abilities to answer client questions with data
• Experienced problem solving abilities
• Experienced ability to synthesise disparate and sometimes contradictory learning’s

Brand and advertising industry knowledge

• Basic knowledge of media issues and challenges
• Experienced knowledge of advertising philosophy
• Experienced knowledge of how to build brands

Business development skills

• Strong sales drive. Ensuring sales targets are met
• Experienced in recognising opportunities to generate revenue from existing clients
• Basic ability in winning new business
• Experience in achieving revenue targets on specific account/s
• Experienced negotiation skills

Computer skills

• Basic knowledge of Word & Outlook
• Experienced knowledge of PowerPoint & Excel
• Advanced ability to use a data analysis system

Consultancy skills

• Experienced in uncovering key client issues
• Experienced in applying knowledge and experience to give an informed point of view on client issues
• Basic in challenging client mindset

Finance knowledge

• Advanced ability to read and understand job profit reports
• Experienced ability to resolve job profitability issues

Presentation/workshopping skills

• Advanced in delivering engaging presentations
• Experienced ability to facilitate constructive workshops focusing on actionable outcomes
• Experienced ability to maximise impact through effective delivery
• Experienced ability to engage senior and varied audience
• Experienced ability to manage challenges in presentations

Process review skills

• Advanced ability to drive efficiencies and process improvements across accounts
• Advanced ability to drive a research project through the operational process

Project management skills

• Advanced ability to manage multiple projects under tight deadlines
• Advanced ability to manage and deploy internal resources effectively
• Advanced ability to manage reports to deliver outcomes
• Advanced ability to proactively identify and resolve project management issues

Research knowledge and understanding

• Experienced knowledge of media research methodologies
• Basic understanding of research methodologies and statistics
• Experienced ability to design quality research studies that meet client needs

Strategic planning skills

• Experienced ability to recognise opportunities above and beyond own business unit
• Experience ability to challenge status quo and position accounts for long term success
• Experienced ability to implement business strategic initiatives to team

Attributes

Supportive

• Letting people know that you are there to help out if they need it
• Being patient with other people’s mistakes
• Delivering feedback in a tactful manner

Proactive

• Action-orientated, results focused
• Doesn’t wait for others to tell them what to do
• Ability to explore and identify opportunities

Purposeful

• Passionate about their purpose
• Ability to define their purpose and communicate it
• Ability to lead a team through a process of developing and executing something

Required experience and skills

• Minimum four to six years relevant media or communications experience with direct involvement in analysis of research or interpretation of data sources
• People management experience.
• Educated to a degree level, preferably in marketing or business

 

Personal Skills/Attributes

Core competencies

People leadership

• Invests personally in people
  • Is beginning to act as a coach to juniors
  • Motivates others to give their best
  • Creates opportunities for others to grow/develop
  • Is not self-oriented — genuinely values others and shows desire to help others succeed
• Ensures depth of talent
  • Sets high and clear standards for talent without compromise
  • Builds high performing team(s) around him/her
  • Retains talented people — does whatever he/she can to prevent them from leaving
• Cultivates high performance culture
  • Fosters an open, honest, and transparent culture within team(s)
  • Recognises and rewards strong performance
  • Takes necessary action on under-performers

Client leadership 

• Acts as trusted advisor
  • Develops strong relationships through relentless client focus, fully embracing and acting on the “trusted advisor” philosophy
  • Always has the client’s interests at heart above his/her own interests
• Develops new opportunities
  • Identifies and develops new opportunities from both existing and new clients, constantly searching for ways in which to add value
  • Takes initiative with clients — proactively acts quickly and decisively to respond to opportunities
• Is committed to collaboration across Group
  • Understands how latest Group client tools and methodologies can be used in client situations
  • Works well with colleagues from across the Group

Business leadership

• Sets clear direction
  • Sets clear, compelling direction for team(s)
  • Provides concrete implementation plan and ensures decisions are quickly and successfully implemented
• Delivers outstanding results
  • Follows through on his/her promises and commitments and is trusted by the team(s) to deliver
  • Consistently delivers strong business results
  • Implements more efficient ways to achieve results and measure outcomes
• Demonstrates strong business acumen
  • Can complete accurate project estimates and understands impact of pricing decisions
  • Manages costs and uses company resources efficiently
  • Understands importance and implications of completing accurate and timely timesheets
  • Manages client base to target profitability levels and ensures team reaches desired chargeability levels

Thought leadership

• Drives insight
  • Is able to drive meaningful, impactful insights using multiple sources of information
  • Seeks to provide new approaches to problem solving and brings different viewpoints to bear
• Stays ahead of the game; forward looking
  • Ensures learning’s are captured and implemented
  • Anticipates issues and opportunities of strategic value
• Inspires innovation/creativity
  • Consistently demonstrates intellectual curiosity and eagerness to learn and encourages others to do the same
  • Embraces change and the excitement of doing new things in new ways
  • Provides opportunities for individuals to challenge the status quo and contribute to new ideas
  • Is beginning to demonstrate the confidence to take calculated risks

Leadership effectiveness 

• Is an inspiring role model
  • Models and reinforces company values throughout the teams and behaves consistently with what he/she says
  • Treats others with respect and fairness and fosters a similar climate throughout the team(s)
  • Is passionate about the work/company and generates enthusiasm.
  • Takes full responsibility for actions and does not blame others for his/her mistakes, using those incidents as an opportunity to learn
  • Can be relied upon to exercise sound judgment and discernment in dealing with difficult situations and is willing to make tough decisions even at the risk of being unpopular
  • Is self-aware — understands and always considers how his/her behavior impacts others/the team(s)
• Communicates effectively
  • Uses a variety of influence approaches as the people involved and circumstances warrant
  • Listens effectively, suspending own point of view or agenda
  • Provides timely, objective, effective feedback
  • Seeks real solution to conflicts rather than superficial agreements to avoid tension
• Demonstrates adaptability, agility
  • Adapts well to changing conditions, modifying behavior and work style as necessary
  • Can manage some level of complexity and ambiguity in situations
• Displays high level of resilience
• Is able to cope effectively with pressure, maintaining focus and persistence
• Is able to deal with unexpected obstacles and does not allow them to derail him/her
• Is able to recover from setbacks, using learning’s as opportunities to develop

Posted on 14 Jul 16:08