Strategy Director

Who We Are
TBWA\Media Arts Lab (or MAL as you’ll hear us called) is the bespoke global advertising agency dedicated solely to Apple. Our mission is to create smart, simple and iconic work that transforms business and makes culture for the world’s best brand.
We believe that what MAL creates belongs to everyone; and everyone belongs at MAL. We think creativity lives in open, safe and brave spaces, where diverse perspectives can come together, free of prejudice and discrimination. We strive to be a partnership of equals. Everyone has a role to play here, and we invite you to bring your fully authentic and crazy selves to this space. Together, we’ll do the best work we’ve ever done.

We’re headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with 5 further international hubs and over 800 people making great work for Apple in 26 markets around the globe. We’d love to meet you!
Role

We are looking for a highly experienced, prolific leader to join our growing team of talented strategists. This person is a culture vulture, with a passion for tech and all things new and trendy. They are curious about cultures, hungry for data and knowledge, and has a flair for translating them into insights that will help the wider team tell and produce beautiful creative work that is effective for our client.

Leveraging this and being commercial savvy, they are able to spot new business opportunities for the agency and the client. They are natural leaders who are able to run projects on their own and have the maturity and cultural-sensitivity to work alongside colleagues from all over the world, specifically in the Asia Pacific region.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the strategic initiatives for India, bringing cultural understanding and knowledge together to answer local business needs of the client
• Write sharp, inspiring creative briefs & presentations; conduct and synthesise research; and manage campaign reports working closely with a junior strategist and media agency.
• Develop knowledge and insights about consumers, competitors, behavioural trends and culture in India and turn them into rich strategic opportunity and creative springboard.
• Identify strategic opportunities to leverage social and digital platforms in addressing local client business challenges. Increase our ability to create online content that supports global and local campaigns.
• Be the strategic guardian of the work but engage collaboratively with creatives to push for excellence. Apply your expertise to upskill the agency in creating smart, effective work.
• Interrogate global campaigns to find ways of amplifying their impact in local markets.
• Integrate with media teams to analyse and assess the impact and effectiveness of campaigns.
• Add value to the APAC strategy department by driving process, sharing inspiration, being a mentor, being a collaborator with other markets.

Who will thrive in this role?

• Substantial experience working in marketing or advertising agencies with an inherent understanding of the functions within a creative agency.
• Experience of advertising and the cultural landscapes of our core markets: India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Broader Asia Pacific, South Asia and Africa regional experience (i.e. beyond our regional markets) to understand the complex interplay of cultural trends and how they travel internationally.
• Experience working within an international holding company environment and the ability to navigate complex matrix structures.
• Experience working on global brands with establish brand position and guidelines to protect and work within.
• Experience within the technology and telecoms products and services sector.
• An intuitive strategist with a curiosity for human truths and a champion of creativity.
• A storyteller.
• An entrepreneurial approach.
• Substantial relevant experience in comms planning including digital, social and content strategy, analytics and data science, customer experience and consumer journey insights.
• An established reputation as a strategic leader, evidenced by relevant industry effectiveness award wins and judging panel appearances.
• A person willing to get their hands dirty and who draws satisfaction from going the extra mile for the good of the work.
• A collaborator and influencer with the ability to effectively integrate with a number of different departments, across multiple time zones.
• Understanding of Apple products, services and their capabilities is an asset.
• Possesses a sensitivity to different cultures, languages, communication styles and business practices.

Diversity + Inclusion

Without inclusion, we won't be diverse. Diversity brings a richness which we believe enables innovation & creativity. As such, MAL is committed to maintaining an open, welcoming and inclusive culture which allows everybody to bring their whole selves to the workplace and simply be who they are at all times.



Media Arts Lab is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team.

If you need reasonable adjustments at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know. In your application, please feel free to note which pronouns you use (for example, she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, etc).