ROLE:

Account Manager

ACCOUNT:

Brand Culture Partnerships Team / Universal Pictures Theatrical (UK)

CONTRACT:

Permanent

REPORTING TO:

Account Director (Universal Pictures) 

BACKGROUND: 

Brand Culture are a uniquely creative promotions and partnerships agency that uses cultural passion points to light up the path to purchase.

From orchestrating international shopper campaigns across 40+ markets to identifying and negotiating multi-million-dollar brand & entertainment partnership campaigns, Brand Culture are one of the leading agencies in their field with an enviable client roster and a truly international reach.

We have been working with Universal Pictures for 8 years as their go-to brand partnerships and promotions agency across the UK and Europe.

We’re tasked with seeking out and negotiating ground-breaking promotional campaigns, that are designed to drive interest and awareness (and sometimes revenue) around their blockbuster cinematic movie releases.

A rare opportunity has become available for an Account Manager to join the team.  

THE CLIENT:

NBCUniversal are one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience.

NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, world-renowned theme parks, and a suite of leading Internet-based businesses.

Universal Pictures are responsible for the marketing and box office success of all theatrical releases in the UK. Key titles for 2020 include Trolls: World Tour and Minions: The Rise of Gru.

JOB SPEC:

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Campaign Management – ownership of the creative process on all UK brand promotions with the appropriate Universal contact/s, ensuring all relevant guidelines and legal requirements are applied.  Organisational and project management skills are key.
  • Advocate Brand Partnerships & Promotions – champion Universal UK’s needs, wants and mandatories as priority in all brand partnership negotiations and creative approvals.
  • Universal Team Liaison – work with the Promotions & Partnerships Manager at Central Saint Giles and the Creative contact at Universal’s International HQ, to build and maintain relationships with the team and all other important and necessary stakeholders in the UK brand partnerships arena, liaising with these stakeholders directly when appropriate and necessary.
  • Streamlining Agency requests – efficiently utilise time in the office at Central Saint Giles to minimise emails and workload for Universal’s Promotions and Partnerships Manager.
  • As well as working on the Universal account, the candidate will be required to assist with agency new business pitches, on-boarding new accounts and providing account management support to existing clients when necessary

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Creative / Campaign Management

  • Creative Controller – be attuned to the evolving creative guidelines of the filmmaker and Universal UK’s marketing guidelines and apply these combined rules to each creative piece, backing Universal’s wants and needs. Manage the creative approval timeline efficiently directly with the brands and flag, within good time, any unavoidable shortening in this process to the relevant creative approver, or push back on brands in unacceptable situations. Attention to detail and time management is key.
  • Key Stakeholder Communication – ensure and manage approval of key creative pieces with the Promotions & Partnerships Manager and Head of Marketing and then supply finalised artwork in an efficient manner for their reference once complete.

Pitching / Team Support

  • Brand Research – support the agency pitching team in their efforts to find appropriate partners on a film-by-film basis and share knowledge of past campaigns/activities and research.
  • Universal relationships – build and maintain relationships with members of Universal’s wider business units that can help support and maximise the effectiveness of brand partnership campaigns. Keep up to date and informed on marketing guidelines, marketing plans, film tracking information, box office results, PCAs and any other pertinent film campaign information, by communicating consistently with key Universal contacts.
  • Be in attendance at key Universal meetings as requested and support the team as necessary; taking minutes, completing research, developing decks, sourcing creative etc.

Brand Partner Management

  • Attendance and/or project management of ad hoc brand events including screenings and special events.

COMMUNICATION:

  • Roll up updates and queries into the weekly Brand Culture / Universal email.
  • Submit creative to the relevant approval party in succinct, clear and short emails which always include honest and realistic deadlines that are clearly highlighted.  Ensure creative is collated into one email / presentation, ensuring quick and easy review by stakeholders.
  • Minimise email communication and utilise time at Central Saint Giles efficiently to achieve sign off face to face with the Promotions and Partnership Manager, Head of Marketing, Marketing Director, the wider marketing team.
  • Participate in the bi-weekly face to face brand catch up meeting at CSG.
  • Attend and contribute to relevant Universal meetings.
  • Ability to manage key relationships between Brand Partner and Universal, keeping Universal’s requirements front of mind, whilst maintaining client relationship with Brand Partner.

REPORTING:

  • Verbal update to Promotions and Partnerships Manager, during bi-weekly on-site meetings at the Central Saint Giles office.
  • Verbal update at bi-weekly face-to-face brand catch up meeting.

SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES:

  • Strong project management: management of multiple project deliverables and often across a number of projects; developing timelines and ensuring timings are on track; management of multiple stakeholders (often senior)…
  • Clear, concise and BC friendly communication: Solid written and verbal communication in order to manage a project through successfully. This is particularly important when working with multiple parties (e.g. Universal/Illumination, Brand, Brand Agency..) to maintain and indeed build relationships.  Furthermore, this is key to internal communication to ensure the rest of the BC Universal team/other BCers are kept up to date and informed.
  • Ability to multi-task – As the role will be split between Universal and other BC projects, we will need the AM to be able to work on different projects at the same time.
  • Mature and professional attitude
  • Collaborative and team focused attitude
  • Passionate about entertainment-led marketing (film, gaming, sport etc..)