Planning Account Executive

BRAND: Spark Foundry
Job Function: Client Management
Location: London, United Kingdom
Experience Level: Entry
Workplace Type: Hybrid

Company description

Who We Are in the UK

Publicis Media helps clients drive sustainable business growth by harnessing the modern media landscape to drive one-to-one consumer connections at scale. Publicis Media UK is made up of 2000 people working across market-leading media agencies including Zenith, Starcom and Spark Foundry as well as specialist practices Publicis Media Exchange (PMX), Performics, Publicis Sport & Entertainment, Publicis Media Content and NextTECHnow. Together they combine deep expertise in media investment, strategy, insights and analytics, data and technology, commerce, performance marketing and content. Publicis Media is part of Publicis Groupe and is present in more than 100 countries with over 108,000 people employees worldwide.

We're Hiring!

We're hiring Account Executives and Planning Executives across our Publicis Media agencies. Publicis Media combines media strategy, data, investment and performance expertise to deliver measurable outcomes for leading global brand.

The agencies

Spark Foundry, the Acceleration Agency.

We help brands to identify, learn and respond to opportunities faster than the competition.

Every client has an area of their business they need to accelerate, from short-term goals to long-term transformation.

We've proven our approach during the most difficult year on record. Now we're using it to provide a launchpad for their future.

Come be an accelerator with us.

Starcom

With a history that dates back over 80 years, Starcom is a global communications planning and media leader. We are an agency still grounded in our founding principle that people are at the centre of all we do. Each day, we apply this belief to harness the transformative power of data and technology to inspire and move people and business forward. With more than 7,000 employees in over 100 offices around the world, we are the flagship Publicis Media agency that uses our 'Power of One' business model, with teams that span multiple disciplines across clients such as Aldi, P&G, P&O Ferries, Primark, Samsung, Stellantis, and Visa.

Zenith UK

We help brands make BOLD MOVES

Nowadays, brands want rapid, spectacular growth and they expect media to deliver it.

Clients used to give us media briefs that said "deliver 80% awareness" or "give me an impactful Christmas campaign."

Now we hear

"Take me from 4th to 1st in my category"

"Help me grow 10% in a market declining 10%"

"Make me the most loved brand in my industry"

These are huge asks of media, that can't be met through tweaking the media plan of two years ago.

Decades of advertising research prove that without a big change, large brands stay large and small brands stay small.

This is why Zenith help brands make BOLD MOVES.

Bold moves are big, brave changes to media strategy, delivering more impact for brands and more value for consumers.

Bold moves are backed up with a solid forecast - they are a better path to growth.

Bold moves build a partnership - we believe in this approach so much we link our growth to your success.

Our Commitment

We are diverse though our experience, people and the clients we look after - and we celebrate that diversity. Our people hold us accountable to our beliefs and via regular surveys and our grass roots D&I team, The Collective, and internal next generation board, Firestarters, we hold regular events and work continually towards generating ideas, initiatives and educating our people to ensure we are a diverse and inclusive agency.

As part of our dedication to create an inclusive and diverse workforce, Spark Foundry is committed to equal access to opportunity for people without regard to race, age, sex, disability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion.

Overview

What is Media Planning?
Media planning connects brands with people in the right place, at the right time, and in the right way. Media planning is the link between the client and the teams who activate campaigns. Think of it as the bridge:

• Client-facing: Media planners work closely with clients to understand their goals, budgets, and target audiences. They translate these into actionable plans.
• Internal collaboration: They liaise with speciialist teams like digital activation teams (who run programmatic, paid social campaigns), investment teams like PMX (who negotiate and buy media at scale) and others.
• Planning & admin: The role involves creating detailed plans, managing timelines, budgets, and reporting. There's a mix of strategic thinking (what channels, when, how much) and operational tasks (booking campaigns, updating systems, coordinating with multiple stakeholders).

In short, media planners are the middle point: they ensure the client's vision becomes a well-structured plan, then hand it over to activation and investment teams to bring it to life.

The Role: Account Executive
As an Account Executive, you help turn strategy into reality. You support campaign planning and delivery, coordinate key information, and keep work moving at pace. You will build strong foundations in media, gaining exposure to clients, channel specialists and real campaign performance.

Responsibilities

• Campaign Strategy and Execution: Assist in developing and executing media campaigns that align with client objectives and target audiences.
• Client Liaison: Act as a bridge between clients and internal teams, ensuring clear communication and understanding of client needs.
• Documentation and Reporting: Create and update key documents and materials for the team and clients to ensure smooth operations.
• Cross Team Collaboration: Work closely with Digital, Partnerships, Analytics, and Strategy teams to ensure flawless campaign launches.
• Monitoring and Optimisation: Track campaign performance and collaborate with channel leads to identify areas for improvement and performance optimisation.
• Market Coordination: Coordinate with local markets, activation specialists, and channel leads to gather updates and ensure alignment.

Qualifications

• Able to stay organised and manage multiple tasks with strong attention to detail
• Confident communicator who can engage clearly with stakeholders and team members
• Curious mindset asks smart questions, learns quickly and thinks logically
• Comfortable working with data - able to interpret numbers, spot patterns and use insights to support decisions
• Confident using tools like Excel/Google Sheets to organise and analyse information
• Proactive approach to problem solving - takes ownership and looks for solutions
• Team-focused, reliable, and motivated to support collective success
• Genuine interest in media, brands and how campaign performance is measured

Additional information

Employees joining The Pack, which is an early careers programme that connects, supports and develops you to kick-start your career with us, initially start with an annual salary of £28,850.

The recruitment process

• Step 1: Apply and get started!
• Step 2: Show us what you've got - complete some fun, interactive tasks through Arctic Shores' assessment. Look out for this in your emails following your application!
• Step 3: A quick chat with a recruiter to get to know you better and for you to ask any questions and let us know if you require any adjustments.
• Step 4: Join us for a virtual assessment day where you can showcase your skills and strengths.
• Step 5: We'll give you feedback, post assessment day, whether or not we move forward with your application.

Spark has fantastic benefits on offer to all of our employees. In addition to the classics, Pension, Life Assurance, Private Medical and Income Protection Planswe also offer;

• WORK YOUR WORLD opportunity to work anywhere in the world, where there is a Publicis office, for up to 6 weeks a year.
• REFLECTION DAYS - Two additional days of paid leave to step away from your usual day-to-day work and create time to focus on your well-being and self-care.
• HELP@HAND BENEFITS 24/7 helpline to support you on a personal and professional level. Access to remote GPs, mental health support and CBT. Wellbeing content and lifestyle coaching.
• FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES We provide 26 weeks of full pay for the following family milestones: Maternity. Adoption, Surrogacy and Shared Parental Leave.
• FLEXIBLE WORKING, BANK HOLIDAY SWAP & BIRTHDAY DAY OFF You are entitled to an additional day off for your birthday, from your first day of employment.
• GREAT LOCAL DISCOUNTS This includes membership discounts with Soho Friends, local restaurants and retailers in Westfield White City and Television Centre.

Full details of our benefits will be shared when you join us!

Publicis Groupe operates a hybrid working pattern with full time employees being office-based three days during the working week.

We are supportive of all candidates and are committed to providing a fair assessment process. If you have any circumstances (such as neurodiversity, physical or mental impairments or a medical condition) that may affect your assessment, please inform your Talent Acquisition Partner. We will discuss possible adjustments to ensure fairness. Rest assured, disclosing this information will not impact your treatment in our process.

Please make sure you check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG's (Employee Action Groups).

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