Senior Manager: Media Buying (Paid Media) - Johannesburg at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

• Within the specialist role of Senior Manager Paid Media you will manage the overall paid channel strategy across segments within the group. The paid media space includes paid ATL (traditional/offline) and paid digital (online) channels. You will be tasked to develop and deploy the overall paid media strategy (aligned to the Digital Marketing Strategy) across the group whilst acting as support for technical paid media expertise. Working in partnership with segments/clusters and media agency partners, you will be tasked to develop and deploy an integrated channel strategy across ATL and digital media with consumer channel consumption at the core of all recommendation

Job Description

Paid Media Strategy:

• Develop and execute comprehensive group paid media strategy & complementary segment/cluster media strategies to support marketing objectives and drive revenue growth

Overall paid media budget and activity management

Paid Media Process:

• Development and implementation of paid media process aligned to overall campaign management process

Paid Media Campaign management & implementation

• Across segments/clusters partnering with paid media agency partners and supporting agency partners. Overall management of paid media agency and performance thereof

Collaborative & Integrated Approach:

• Work closely with cross-functional teams including marketing, analytics, creative, and web development to align paid media efforts with overall marketing objectives and ensure a cohesive customer journey. Developing principles for increased and improved ways of working between segments/clusters and agency partners, driving integration and collaboration

Media Efficiency, Savings and additional value:

• Group media owner commitments and deals including savings and added value inclusive of tracking and reporting. This also includes alignment and value enrichments with Corporate Communications, additional added value from media owner partnerships and increased share of voice whilst Leveraging paid media spend into the earned media space

Developing deeper and valuable partnerships with media owners and publishers across online & offline channels/platforms

Audience Targeting:

• Conduct research and utilize audience insights to identify target segments for each campaign. Develop tailored messaging and targeting strategies to reach and engage the desired audience.

Collaborate with the creative teams (online & offline):

• Develop compelling ad creatives that align with the brand's messaging and marketing objectives. Continuously optimise ad performance by conducting A/B tests, refining targeting parameters, and implementing best practices.

Performance Tracking and Reporting:

• Monitor and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs) for paid media campaigns, providing regular reports on campaign performance, insights, and recommendations for improvement and optimisation. Measurement and data analytics on channel performance and optimisation across all paid media channels and segments/clusters within the group

Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO):

• Collaborate with the digital marketing & digital channels development teams to optimize landing pages and user journeys to improve conversion rates and overall campaign performance

Remarketing and Retargeting:

• Develop strategies for remarketing and retargeting campaigns to maximise conversions and nurture

Stay Abreast of Industry Trends & shifting media landscape:

• Stay updated on the latest trends, tools, and best practices in paid media advertising. Continuously explore new opportunities and emerging platforms to drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge. First to market paid media innovation in shifting media landscape across ATL and digital channels

Competitor Analysis & Benchmarking:

• Conduct regular competitive analysis to benchmark performance, identify opportunities, and adjust strategies accordingly. This is inclusive of Category Paid Media Benchmarking across all channels and competitor categories

Cross Paid Media Channel Content Management & Tracking:

• Advise on appropriate messaging and content in line with channel roles within overall brand marketing strategy

Skilling & Capability Building:

• Paid training and upskilling across categories and brand teams

Risk Mitigation, Governance & Compliance:

• Best practice paid media process to ensure risk mitigation and campaign implementation. Development of risk, compliance and governance frameworks for paid media

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, advertising, media or a related field.
• Proven work experience as a Paid Media Manager, Business Unit Head, Paid Media Strategy Lead or similar role, preferably in an agency or corporate
• Paid Channel Strategy (Online & Offline) – Channel strategy experience of at least 8-10yrs+ (Financial Services, Telco and FMCG preferable)
• In-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with platforms such as Television Channels, Outdoor, Radio, Google, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and other paid media platforms
• Experience with A/B testing and conversion rate optimization strategies
• Solid understanding of digital media metrics and KPIs
• Familiarity with website analytics tools such as Google Analytics or similar
• Stakeholder management (internal and external stakeholders, media owners, media, agencies and production houses)
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex concepts and data to stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented mindset with a focus on delivering high-quality work.
• Knowledge of the South African and Rest of Africa market and the ability to adapt paid media strategies accordingly
• Experience with e-commerce platforms, digital sales, performance media and social commerce is a plus

Key attributes and competencies

• Ability to influence
• Analytic skills
• Strategic aptitude
• Commercial edge

Education

• Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Marketing (Required)