Assistant Media Planner
At GSD&M, we’re on a mission to build First & Only brands, meaning the first to do it and the only ones who can. We’re able to do this because we set a high bar for ourselves and our work. We care about what we put out in the world. We’re humans who like other humans. Our ideas make a difference. Shift culture. Create a smile. Inspire change. Initiate belly laughs. Deepen our understanding of the world and ourselves. We grow. We learn. We get better. We do it all over again. Because that’s what it takes to build and be First & Only.
- Department: Media
- Reports to (Position): Sr Media Planner
- Supervisory Responsibilities(Y/N): No
- FLSA Status(Exempt vs. Non-Exempt): Exempt
- Travel (%): No expected travel
*Priority given to candidates with previous experience or media internship*
Job Summary
The Assistant Media Planner’s role is to help develop consumer experience recommendations by leveraging various tools and research to make informed and strategic decisions. They will actively participate in brainstorming, provide valuable input and perspective for the projects and clients they support, and will assist in the vetting of vendor partners. The Assistant Media Planner role also plays an integral role in the launch, maintenance & optimization, and wrap-up of media campaigns. Assistant Media Planners work cross-functionally across various media channels, including both online/offline channels. They report to a Media Planner or Media Supervisor for each team where they receive mentorship, guidance, and training to help grow their media skills and develop a deep understanding of strategic media planning process. Desired candidates must be naturally curious and restless (self-starter), two of GSD&M’s core values.
Primary Job Responsibilities
- Assist in creating and maintaining support elements such as: campaign flowcharts, budget reports, plan summaries, status reports, performance reports, and buy specifications
- Verify that print, digital, and out of home ads ran as purchased
- Utilize and understand proprietary and syndicated research tools used for media planning, audience research, competitive analysis, and reporting purposes
- Provide ongoing assistance on analyses and reporting of campaigns, including current performance, optimization opportunities, competitive tracking, and post buys
- Track and verify billing documentation and assist in the monthly billing process
- Develop agency point of views on media opportunities for submission to the client
- Assist in the development of media plans, launch process, and campaign maintenance
- Maintain relationships with vendor rep community on behalf of GSD&M and clients
- Create and maintain Spec sheets and timelines
Skills and Capabilities
Teamwork and Communication:
- Assistant Media Planners should have the ability to work effectively in a team environment and independently. It is important that they are able to establish and maintain successful relationships within the team, the department, the agency, and with external partners.
- Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, and customer service skills are extremely important for Assistant Media Planners. They should be able to communicate and coordinate at all levels to their fellow team members and media partners to ensure an efficient communication flow both internally and externally.
Media Planning and Research:
- Assistant Media Planners should have a basic knowledge of media terminology and the math behind it. Additionally, they should have a basic understanding of digital, print, broadcast, and out of home media. Growth opportunities with ongoing mentorship will be available to increase their proficiency across all these areas.
- Assistant Media Planners should have the ability to support the planning team in research through proprietary and syndicated tools for audience analysis, development of campaign strategy, media planning, and competitive analysis. AMPs will learn how to utilize media research tools through a combination of hands on training and self-paced training.
- Writing point of view (POV) papers to help evaluate opportunities for the client is often a regular planning function. Assistant Media Planners should be able to have conversations with media partners to understand an opportunity, use the media resources available to them to evaluate the opportunity against the media marketplace, leverage their knowledge of their client’s goals and objectives to see if this is on target and within the current strategy, and write up an informative yet concise POV for their client.
Work Management and Technical:
- Assistant Media Planners should have the ability to work on and manage multiple tasks at any given time and possess a high attention to detail and accuracy. It is also important that assistants are able to take full responsibility for their work and be able to prioritize work to meet any and all project deadlines.
- Knowledge of Microsoft Applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint is a must. Ideally Assistant Media Planner would have prior experience developing Excel spreadsheets and managing large amounts of data and digital files
- Strong analytical and organizational skills are extremely important for Assistant Media Planners; because data analysis is a large part of the job, assistants need to have the ability to think quantitatively, to work with and organize large amounts of data, and to understand nuances in data
Tools
Desirable
- Planning & Research Tools: Helixa, Clear Decisions, MRI, Nielsen, eMarketer, SRDS, SQAD, Commspoint, OMNI, comScore, Pathmatics, MediaRadar, etc.
- Buying Tools: Prisma/MediaOcean, Google Campaign Manager, Google Analytics, Paid Social Platforms
At GSD&M, inclusion is our superpower. An inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are encouraged and empowered makes the work better, makes our agency better and ultimately makes the industry better. That’s why we’re proud to be recognized by the Advertising Federation’s Mosaic Awards year after year for our efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion.
We consider ourselves lucky. Every day we wake up and get to build First & Only brands in an inclusive environment where everyone matters, all while enjoying generous benefits, plenty of time off, and opportunities for growth whether you’re just starting out or have been in the biz for a while.
GSD&M is an equal opportunities employer and will never favor or discriminate against anyone based on their age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, gender identity, expression, or realignment. If you require a medical or religious accommodation during the job application process, please reach out to keisha.townsend@gsdm.com for support.
This role requires regular in-office presence with a minimum of three days per week, to engage and collaborate in in-person team interactions and meetings as required.