EssenceMediacom is an agency of GroupM, the world’s largest media investment company and are a part of WPP. In fact, we are responsible for one in every three ads you see globally. We are currently looking for a General Manager – Strategy to join us. In this role, you will be part of the central strategy team, based out of Mumbai.

At GroupM APAC, our people are our strength, which is why fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion is important to us.  

Reporting of the role

This role reports to: Chief Strategy Officer, EssenceMediacom

3 best things about the job:

1. Working on India’s leading brands to understand business objectives and connect it to media opportunities

2. Exposure to world class proprietary tools, augmented by years of benchmarked data, own audience panel and exposure to best of AI based insight tools.

2. Access to senior decision makers, CMOs and CEOs at client end to present the EM perspective and become a trusted partner in their growth plans

In this role, your goals will be:
In 6 months:

• Creating a TV media strategy playbook for key brands in client portfolio (eg: Media penetration vs category penetration, headroom to grow on Reach, effective frequency levels, etc)
• Diagnosing concerns and new opportunities for client marketing basis client research on sales, distribution, brand health and GroupM proprietary tools and research.
• Present strategic reviews to client (mutually decided cadence and topics) including new media oppurtunities, best practices, related category learnings, etc
• Create intelligence pieces around topics related to media and ensure sharing with client top management including POV on Cultural tentpoles (IPL, Festivals), Markets (eg: How to win in Battleground states), Media Landscape update (Eg: new emerging trends)

In 12 months  

• Drive strategy awards for work done on key clients
• Develop strategic/consulting projects based on client business and marketing objectives (Eg: attribution studies, qualitative research, GTM for new launch, Portfolio architecture)
• Exclusive and first to market for GCPL including tech partnerships
• Suggest technology solves that will improve efficiency and effectiveness eg: new processes, dashboarding, automation, etc
• Client recognition for strategy contribution on key campaigns and thought leadership

What your day job looks like at GroupM: 

• Liaison with Client Account Lead for identifying and prioritising key projects/campaigns requiring strategic interventions
• Guiding internal strategy team on deliverables related to campaigns and BAU strategy projects
• Becoming the go-to person for Client for strategic thinking in media on the business
• Proactive initiatives leveraging GroupM strength and industry knowledge to create client delight (Eg: Organising strategy workshops, partner days, etc)

What you’ll bring: 

• Deep expertise in FMCG planning, having practical expertise in “How Brands Grow” model of marketing.
• Excellent presentation skills – Generating case studies, independently building a client-centric perspective, ability to confidently present to senior management
• Ability to drive conversation on improving process, bringing automation, efficiency, more intelligent reporting.
• Disciplined and process-oriented

Minimum qualifications:

• 12 years with a strategy background – exposure to TV planning is a must with knowledge of BARC YUMI/ TGI/GWI
• Proven track road of developing annual and TV media strategy on a top 5 advertiser in the country – preference to those having worked on brands across premium and rural hinterland
• Exposure to building and presenting to senior management on strategic and thought leadership initiatives – eg: Analytics, Big Integrated ideas, measurement frameworks, etc

More about EssenceMediacom

We are a global communications agency leading with breakthrough thinking, building explosive growth for brands, and helping our clients see the bigger picture. Our daring global network of 10,000 influencers help our clients breach traditional boundaries in media, uncover novel ideas, and unleash exponential growth. EssenceMediacom challenges conventional thinking to build, propel, and supercharge our clients’ businesses at scale and lead our industry in critical areas such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability. 

EssenceMediacom understands that our people are tasked with big goals: building breakthrough growth for brands and leading with breakthrough thinking in our industry. Our people are at the heart of this work because their ideas will enable us to decode the intersections of people, content, and technology to bring our aspirations to life. Our success is down to our eclectic, diverse, and talented people. EssenceMediacom is a place for us to grow our careers and expand our horizons. EssenceMediacom is committed to building an agency culture that supports our people, puts diversity at the forefront of our operations, and creates opportunity for all. This collective culture will be our “new power” where ideas are freely exchanged, and collaboration is actively encouraged in a place where you can innovate in our hyperconnected world.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, or marital status.

About India:

2020 brought opportunities for brands to innovate because of which we saw an evolving media stack. The growth of digital is set to soar high because of changing consumer habits. With approximately 500 million smartphone users, low-priced data plans, 45 to 50 million e-commerce shoppers, approximately 60 OTT offerings and a young population, India is a mobile-first internet market. It is also one of the top 10 ad spend markets in the world and is set to climb the ranks. Global big tech corporations have made considerable investments in top e-commerce/retail ventures and Indian start-ups, blurring the lines between social media, e-commerce and mobile payments, resulting in disruption on an unimaginable scale.

 At GroupM India, there’s never a dull moment between juggling client requests, managing vendor partners and having fun with your team. We believe in tackling challenges head-on and getting things done.

GroupM is an equal opportunity employer. We view everyone as an individual and we understand that inclusion is more than just diversity – it’s about belonging. We celebrate the fact that everyone is unique and that’s what makes us so good at what we do. We pride ourselves on being a company that embraces difference and truly represents the global clients we work with.