Media Planner

About the role

Ars X Machina (AXM) is a full-service media planning, buying, and analytics agency headquartered in San Francisco, with a remote team distributed across the U.S. We craft omnichannel, data-driven media strategies that span the entire paid media landscape. From audience development and strategic planning to budget forecasting, execution, optimization, and reporting, we manage the full media lifecycle end-to-end. Our experience spans both B2B and B2C, supporting brand-building and performance-driven campaigns.

Job Summary

The Media Planner works in conjunction with the Media Supervisor and/or Associate Media Director to develop and execute media tactics that achieve client objectives. This role sits across broad digital and traditional media strategy & planning and works closely with cross-functional team members (i.e. Analytics, Paid Social, SEM, Programmatic, Project Mgt, Ad Ops).

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Strategic Support:
• Reviews and understands client briefs and media/business objectives
• Participates in internal strategic discussions, and provides suggestions for how to reach target audiences, develop or improve upon the media mix, and how to utilize each media channel effectively
• Reviews and draws insights from research and applies critical thinking based on brand and category knowledge
• Questions the status quo and brings forth ideas to best align media plans with overall strategic approach
• Participates in plan presentations to internal teams and clients
• Campaign Management:
• Helps build media plans, utilizing tools such as Nielsen NMI, Basis, Resonate, and MRI/Simmons
• Helps to develop partner consideration and and leads rep outreach for direct buys, including RFP development and stewardship and buy negotiations
• Collaborates with internal departments on key elements of plan development, including analytics and investments
• Participates in internal and external status calls and plan presentations, as needed
• Oversees and/or leads the trafficking process, in close conjunction with ad ops. Builds naming conventions and creative mapping, ensuring messages align with client target audience and vehicles
• Responsible for campaign setup in workflow tools
• Pulls audience and data insights, as well as competitive information, to consider when planning and optimizing media buys
• Budget Oversight:
• Supports maintenance of all flowcharts, billing and budget trackers
• Approaches all decisions and reporting with strong attention to details and fiscal responsibility
• Reconcile vendor billing and invoicing against budget and media delivery
• Performance Analysis & Optimization:
• Pulls and reviews pacing reports for direct buys in detail
• Identifies areas that are over/under performing and make recommendations for optimizations
• Excellent excel skills, and strong ability to navigate dashboards
• Works with analytics team members to problem solve
• Contributes to client facing reporting presentations and calls
• Collaboration with Cross-Functional Teams:
• Work closely with internal Investment and Analytics teams to ensure strategic alignment as well as with client account and creative teams to ensure alignment in messaging and creative execution
• Coordinate with external partners, including creative agencies and media vendors, when needed for campaign execution
• Trend Monitoring & Innovation:
• Stay updated on the latest trends in media marketing and advertising

Requirements

• 1-3+ years in a media planner or coordinator role
• Strong client services skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to manage expectations and priorities, both internally with teams and externally with clients
• Acute attention to detail
• Ability to problem solve
• Strong time management skills and ability to work under pressure
• Strong experience working within Google Workspace & Tools and Microsoft Suite

Pay

The pay range for this role is: 50,000 - 75,000 USD per year (USA)

Media Planning & Investment

Remote (United States)