Who We Are
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. Initiative builds Fame and Flow for brands like Nike, Amazon, Merck, and LEGO.
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 9,000+ 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.
DISCIPLINE OVERVIEW: STRATEGY
Initiative’s Strategists generate smart and strategic brand platforms that inspire and inform the conditions needed for each brand to grow. They are the agency’s cultural architects, single-minded in both their approach and ambition to create lasting cultural impact vs. singular media moments
Future-focused and independent, they sit as an entrepreneurial, agile unit of consumer, creative and analytical experts who are cast and deployed according to Brief/skillset vs. Client. They take a holistic ‘full world’ POV to drive smarter, better and broader ‘media’ thinking that generates more interesting and rich territories for a brand to explore, working in creative collaboration with all teams - Client Advice & Management, Communications Design and Partnerships - to inspire and inform the creation and design of culturally-led brand experiences.
The Opportunity
The Strategy Director reports into the Head of Strategy APAC and is responsible for developing strategic recommendations that solve client communication challenges.
Client
- Lead (and take responsibility for) the development of regional campaign strategy from briefing to the final document.
- Collaborate with Comms Design Director to produce data-informed and culturally-relevant best-in-class connections planning, ensuring rigor by employing industry & Initiative tools/processes in the strategic process
- Connect with global strategy team to translate the global framework into regional recommendations.
- Identify longer-term communication and media innovation opportunities that are both inspiring but in alignment with pharmaceutical communication guidelines.
- Collaborate with creative agencies to translate the creative platform into engaging media ideas by infusing connections prowess to the recommendation.
- Demonstrate good understanding of consumers, their behaviours and culture, clearly communicating how the strategy delivers on the business need and KPIs
- Relationship-building with local counterparts at Initiative
- Hold both inspiring and pragmatic conversations with key clients, earning the trust to become an indispensable ally and partner who guides decision-making.
- With the Client Advice lead, maintain relevance of media planning and the Initiative media team through evolving market and brand conditions
New Business
- Participate in new business initiatives, leading the strategy for market pitches
- Ensure implementation remains true to strategic platform by working seamlessly with the implementation team
Internal
- Lead and advocate Fame & Flow for the team and client base, explaining the process and its benefits to clients and coaching its application amongst our own people
- Adherence to agency process / engage the right people at the right time – supply clear implementation briefs to the implementation team and offer support during the implementation process
- Take a leadership stance in sharing work internally, readily sharing relevant work or case studies whenever the opportunity presents itself
- Support training needs, creating a profile across the agency through involvement in idea generation sessions beyond allocated client base
- Train, guide, assist Client Advice and Management teams in development and sell-through of ideas
Ideally
- Vast experience in integrated planning role in media, creative, innovation or communications discipline (digital, content, invention, social, activation)
- Ability to think differently: creative and adaptive, entrepreneurial, independently-minded; deeply immersed in cultural understanding and driven by a desire to know more the world / to better understand people’s motivations and behaviors in the shifting landscape
- Enjoys working with multi-cultural teams
- Strong client skills, engagement is in an advisory capacity rather than to manage client relationships.
- Expert in consumer and cultural insights
Initiative is equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. People with Disabilities and all historically excluded or under-represented people are encouraged to apply.
