Retail Strategy Manager (Shopper Marketing) - Durban

CORE PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The Retail Strategy Manager will oversee strategic retail initiatives that will support the development of growth plans and profitability goals within the Company. Responsible for conceptualising retail marketing ideas, making evaluative judgements and developing creative concepts for client. Responsible for enhancing the strategic partnership with key client by delivering relevant actionable insights, and strategic leadership.

· Developing a shopper marketing strategy for client based on shopper insights.

· Tailoring shopper marketing campaigns according to insights from consumers.

· Overseeing beginning to end multi-channel shopper marketing campaigns.

· Developing point of sale for use in store

· Project management of various marketing campaigns.

· Delivering activation plans that span the entire shopper journey.

· Tracking and reporting results of various in store marketing campaigns.

· Managing brand budgets and maximising return on investment.

REQUIREMENTS

Degree or diploma equivalent in Marketing ESSENTIAL

Minimum 5-10 year’s experience in Marketing

A background in Project Management and Marketing Management would be advantageous.

SA Citizens only

Must be Criminal Clear

Must reside in Durban or be willing to relocate

 Experience

Must have assumed a leadership role within a Creative Department/Agency.

Ideally should come from an advertising or marketing background

The candidate should have significant creative design experience as well as considerable knowledge of the retail market.

Has experience relative to conducting creative pitches to customers.

Behaviours, Knowledge, Skills and Attributes

Must be an exceptional thinker and visionary in thought

Excellent design skills, including typography, layout, colour and conceptual

Strong communication, inter-personal, leadership skills

A keen understanding of people, management processes, and customers’ needs

Must be customer focused and flexible with good relationship-building skills

Work with multiple projects under strict deadlines

Candidate must be creative, imaginative, persistent, and able to communicate their ideas in writing, visually, and verbally.

Must be well-read, open to new ideas and influences and quick to react to changing trends.

Good business sense and sales ability with strong presentation skills.

Great collaborative skills, rigorous analytical skills and strong creative drive

Technical skills

Strong technical ability in conceptual and structural design

Ability to develop project plans, schedules, work breakdown structures and to lead and coordinate projects.

Skilled in organizing resources and establishing priorities.

 Familiar with Apple Mac and Microsoft Office

 Strong ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

DIMENSIONS

 Continuous research and investigation on market trends to enhance and enrich the position and image of the client

Have a direct line and work closely with Group Strategic Director

Work closely with client’s Regional DC’s and National Marketing team

Interaction with Agency and feedback / present on opportunities to assist client

Providing inspiration and guidance to the National Sales Manager & Head Office Account Manager to assist in conceptualizing relevant retail marketing ideas

PRINCIPLE DELIVERABLES

 Strategy

Develop retail and shopper strategy for ad-hoc specialised projects, working closely with the client to create innovative and focused strategies that drive long term partnerships, brand, category, shopper and retailer opportunities and growth.

Provide strategic direction for relevant retail marketing solutions, including but not limited to selecting and influencing appropriate shopper messaging, visual cues, recommended display solutions and in-store zoning to achieve the client’s brief requirements.

Ensure that the National Sales Manager and Head Office Account Manager are aligned to the sell-in strategy

Manage and drive a customised Shopper Marketing Model that systematically handles specialised projects for client in a collaborative and unique manner distinct from workshop brainstorming.

 Internal Marketing and Value Add

Regular internal presentations that pertain to key areas of interest and value such as Trade and Trend reports, relevant research findings and key business learning’s.

Work closely with the Group Strategic Director to keep up to date with all of marketing initiatives through all touch points (such as sales tools, website, indoor and outdoor branding).

Create pro-active trade, shopper and retailer innovation reports for client, driving a deeper and more strategic relationship with them by offering unique and relevant intelligence that benefits their brands and creates future collaborative partnerships and business opportunities.

Create an on-going dialogue with client and Agency through innovative initiatives.

Ensure pro-activeness in responding to client brief’s to solicit business.

Briefing

To interpret client''s brief requirements and develop cutting edge strategy, outlining required solutions & shopper communication that are aligned to the client’s objectives and that maximize the potential of the client’s brand in-store.

Be available for client briefings

In conjunction with sales staff align and strengthen the brief through a combination of trade inspection, general research and the creation of pre-brief assumptions that can be used to guide the strategic direction, path to purchase, recommended solutions and zoning, and the shopper communication platform for the brief.

Lead brainstorming sessions for project kick-offs, clearly communicating the brief and research findings with the design team to guide design direction and required outputs.

Create and maintain best practice briefing principles that arm and guide the manner that sales staff captures the data and how this is disseminated into a structured summary template for design staff during all briefing or brainstorm sessions. These templates must be used as a guideline and checklist during the design and review process.

Design Collaboration and Reviews

 Works closely with the Group Strategic Director & Creative Director (structural and design) and creative team to review and ensure that work in progress designs and concepts adhere to the brief.

Anticipate challenges and resolve by using appropriate resources and/or solutions.

Act as the visual Brand guardian responsible for setting, maintaining consistency and driving quality work for client presentations.

Alert studio management of any timing, strategic and creative concerns noted during the development and review stages and escalate to senior management if necessary.

Be available for a final presentation review and ensure the relevant sell-in strategy is handed over and correctly imbedded into the presentation.

Research

Understanding of the South African retail trade landscape, channels and retailers, with specific focus on the in-store environments, shoppers and activity within the stores, both retailer and manufacturer based.

Continually search for trends that pertain to the South African retail trade, with specific focus on retailer activity and the shopper behaviour and dynamics from both a macro and micro perspective.

Utilise this information to add clarity, relevance and strategic direction on structural, graphic, communicative and zoning perspective for key pitch or strategic briefs.

Partner with Regional and National  Sales team to conduct background client research that enables division to solicit business.

Analyse the data captured in the trade to decipher key retail activity trends that outline brand behaviour in channels, retailers and categories that can be used to inspire and shape briefs, and to add value to clients in the form of trade trends reports.

Align this data to DAS promotional tracker, and where possible sales data supplied by client, to bolster research findings.

Keep abreast of developments /new technology, processes and equipment.

Meet regularly with Group Strategic Director to ensure content & information flow surrounding trends / consumer insight and shopper marketing stays relevant with International and Local markets.

 Communication

Interact at all levels with management, clients, sales representatives to gain insight and understanding of client briefing and requirements.

Share knowledge with others to draw on skills of experts where required to fulfil customer requirements.

Pioneer client presentations for pitch, strategic or specialised briefs, using the research and strategy sell in to drive a more dynamic and convincing presentation proposal.

Feedback to the Management team on the presentation outcomes and learning’s where relevant.

Prepare and supply relevant reports and input for meetings.

Attend required review and client meetings/presentations.

Must be able to conduct presentations at executive and board level