Company description At Spark Foundry we bring HEAT to brands, Higher Engagement, Affinity and Transaction. Engagement with consumers, customers and stakeholders, affinity with brands, and transactions, that materially impact our client’s businesses. Spark is uniquely positioned to deliver HEAT because we have an aligned set of beliefs that guide how we navigate a changing media landscape, a structure that is designed for total accountability and a repeatable methodology to bake continuous improvement into everything we do. In order to bring this vision to life, we seek alignment around key values from our talent. Diverse thinkers with diverse thinking — what we call Allsorts — are essential to tackle challenges through the lens of different disciplines and perspectives. To succeed at Spark, you must thrive on the belief that great ideas are only great if they work. It’s not enough to be new, cool, or interesting; our solutions must drive business results. You need to embrace both the art and the evidence — right and left brain, imagination and activation, insight and technology in the pursuit of big ideas that are forensically measured. If you are motivated by these values, we welcome you to apply to become a Sparkie. Overview THE PURPOSE OF THIS ROLE The purpose of the Planning & Activations Executive role is to support the client and activations team in the planning and implementation of client campaigns. They support the development of communication plans through channel planning, audience analysis and environment analysis. The Planning Executive is also responsible for the management of offline and digital campaigns from buying and implementation through to reporting and the delivery of insights to drive performance for our clients. The Planning & Activations Executive ensures attention to detail in all facets of their work and will take responsibility for any errors that occur. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES Media planning and implementation Work with team to create clear and coherent plans that support client’s business objectives. Be knowledgeable of the properties and capabilities of each medium's primary strengths and weaknesses. Work with and be able to interpret research, market data and systems (e.g. Netratings, Market Intelligence, ComScore, Roy Morgan and AdRelevance) to increase planning and trading effectiveness. Take on the day to day responsibility of the implementation process - ensure media is bought and delivered to plan to meet objectives. Map out timelines and deliverables including reporting and key deadlines for creative agency and publishers. Trading all campaigns using the Spark Activation Model & Philosophy: Work with the team to brief partners, evaluate responses and provide feedback. Drive negotiations for clients with publishers and secure additional incentives over and above entitlements. Keep pace with market knowledge that will aid negotiations with publishers. Negotiate trading positions across all media ensuring all benchmarks (client & internal), trading strategies & contractual agreements are met. Assist the team to ensure all planning ideas are delivered through the trading process and relevant in-market opportunities are presented to clients. TV tracking, optimisation & reporting Finalise benchmarking and pre-trade work before booking to ensure the rate position is best in market. Complete a TV tracking sheet as soon as the TV booking is laid down. Optimise TV campaigns and utilise the tracking sheet to keep the team up to date on progress of campaigns. Ensure learnings are captured and implemented into benchmarking for future analysis. Competitor & market analysis Proactively completes regular and continuous analysis of competitor activity, market trends, economic issues and other factors affecting buys. Sources content and provide relevant insights for inclusion within competitor and market reviews and other adhoc client requests. Campaign analysis and optimisation Monitor and optimise campaigns regularly to ensure maximum budget is spent and campaigns are performing as effectively and efficiently as possible. Clearly demonstrate and report how campaign results relate to the strategic intent of the campaign and have achieved agreed objectives. Identify and recommend optimisation opportunities and ensure those optimisations are taken place promptly and correctly. Work alongside the team to create post campaign reports to demonstrate media performance, market conditions, tangible insights and recommendations for future campaigns. Deliver the reports on time and error free - manage clients’ expectations (via your manager) when there will be delays. Campaign management & finance processes Reconcile campaign delivery and ensure the final delivered plan reflects billings. Check proformas each month during invoicing time and execute any changes that may be required. Attend to account queries immediately and have zero outstanding account queries on a weekly basis. Maintain accurate budget and spend management of campaigns. Detail all campaign finance changes across media plans and systems. Complete final buy documents and enter rates into trading sheets after every bought plan - advise team of any savings that can be reinvested or returned. IDEAL SKILLS & EXPERIENCE Minimum 1-2 years experience in media buying/media planning across offline channels in the advertising industry. Qualified understanding and working knowledge of the Australian media landscape. Qualified across the following Office platforms: Word, PowerPoint and Excel. Have a full understanding and experience using the following tools: eTAM BMD Roy Morgan EMMA eRAM Nielsen Digital / Answers Sizmek and/or DCM MOVE AQX Fusion ABOUT YOU Develops professional relationships with media partners, clients and other relevant stakeholders. Attention to detail that is second to none. Confident and engaging with strong interpersonal, presentation and communication skills. Strong organisational skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities. Has a curious nature with a willingness for continuous learning and progression. Excellent planning, project management and time management skills. #LI-AZ1 Additional information Publicis Groupe benefits: Be a part of the Publicis Groupe family, recent winner of the Employer of Choice Awards and one of the world's most progressive and dynamic modern communications businesses. You can learn more about us at www.publicisgroupeanz.com. Enjoy all the perks that come with our network offering: A comprehensive Wholeself program supporting physical, mindful, and financial wellbeing. A creative, lively, and rewarding office environment where people love working with each other, supported by our Publicis Liberté flexibility approach — "working your way with us." Access to our Global AI Platform Marcel, connecting Publicis Groupe employees with opportunities for career mobility and collaboration across our global network. Extensive Learning & Development opportunities including more than 15,000 learning programs via our online learning platform, Marcel Classes. A culture of open feedback and support to reach your goals through our Career Conversations program. A committed Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion strategy driven through our Viva Women, Égalité, enABLE, EmbRACE, and Écologique committees. Leave benefits including Birthday Leave, Flexible Public Holidays, and an additional 5 days of leave after 2 years of service. Work Your World program enabling employees the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks per year. Parental leave policy with up to 18 weeks based on tenure, paid primary carer leave, secondary carer swap, and Cub Care leave. Access to counsellors, psychologists, and professionals through Sonder, an all-in-one digital wellbeing technology platform designed to support psychological, medical & safety needs. A workplace that stands together to provide a more open, supportive, and recovery-forward culture for all employees with life-threatening illnesses. Read more about our Working With Cancer Pledge: https://workingwithcancerpledge.com/ Proud partners of Diversity Council Australia, Pride in Diversity, Family Friendly Workplaces, Supply Nation, and the Australian Disability Network. If you don't tick every box in this ad, please don't rule yourself out. Research suggests that women and other people in underrepresented groups tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. We focus on hiring people who share our values of inclusion, collaboration, adaptability, fearlessness, and integrity rather than ticking boxes — so if this role resonates with you, please apply. Diversity. Inclusion. Equity. More than just words; these are part of our DNA. At Publicis Groupe, we are committed to the inclusion and recognition of all people regardless of race, age, culture, ability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, and religious affiliation. We believe that to deliver the best solutions to our clients, our people need to reflect the diverse communities in which our clients operate. We value diversity and the skills, knowledge, and experience that difference brings to our culture and solutions. Uniqueness is powerful; without it, we wouldn't be where we are today. So be you — we like it that way. We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments for people with disability or those that require additional support throughout the application process. If you need any assistance or adjustments, please contact us via recruitment@publicisgroupe.com; your personal information will be kept confidential.