Mars United℠ Commerce is a global commerce marketing practice that aligns people, technology, and intelligence to make the business of our clients better today than it was yesterday. Our worldwide capabilities coalesce into four key disciplines — Strategy & Analytics, Content & Experiences, Digital Commerce, and Retail Consultancy — that individually deliver unmatched results for clients and collectively give them an unparalleled network of seamlessly integrated functions across the entire commerce marketing ecosystem. These disciplines are powered by our industry-leading technology platform, Marilyn®, which helps marketers understand the total business impact of their commerce marketing activation, enabling them to make better decisions, create connected experiences, and drive stronger, measurable results. Learn more at https://www.marsunited.com/.

The VP, Commerce Strategy is the owner of a key client relationship, who leads key client initiatives, annual planning activities and identifying growth opportunities. Can coordinate a connected, cross-agency approach, partnering with teams across the Publicis network.   

This person develops shopper-focused intelligence gathering and insight development to guide strategy and leads development of all program strategy with insightful and inspiring creative briefs. Collaborates with senior client leads to drive overall direction of the business. Candidates must reside within a commutable distance from our Chicago or New York office.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as a senior-level, global contact across a key client business
• Demonstrate an expert grasp of current industry dynamics and be able to provide perspective to the agency on the impact, influence, and implications of these dynamics on brand or agency health.
• Partner with Client Leadership and other cross-functional teams to develop and deploy shopper-focused program development for agency clients.
• Provide long-term perspective for brand, segment, and business growth that exceeds the scope of individual projects. Be able to clearly articulate a strategic vision in a confident and persuasive manner to clients and teams; connect the vision to business imperatives and measures.
• Ensure proactive strategic thought-leadership across the integrated marketing mix; be able to effectively apply and integrate strategy into the OneMars agency process, working with Groupe leadership peers to continually improve process.
• Lead and develop working hypotheses and methods to test/apply thinking to a variety of marketing challenges that leads to the discovery of new insights.
• Play a leadership role in annual planning activities and identifying client growth opportunities.
• Raise the bar of OneMars work for clients. This includes instituting research and testing approaches using consumer/shopper, retail, media, and brand insights to inspire, guide, develop, and evaluate work, along with appropriate analytic approaches.
• Develop and lead client workshops, leading to effective outcomes.
• Champion best practices throughout the organization, productively mentor members of cross-functional teams on our approaches, and agency outputs.
• Master of the Marilyn Predictive Commerce Intelligence technology, drive opportunities and adoption with both the internal team and clients.
• Identify unmet research/planning/analytics needs and knowledge gaps. Identify revenue opportunities for OneMars. Lead the development of a successful solution.
• Grow the role of Strategic thinking with clients through the development of effective working relationships with key senior clients and internal contacts throughout the Publicis Groupe.
• Cultivate strong working relationships with Consumer/Shopper Insights and Marketing Research Directors within client organizations.
• Manage any Strategic Planning staff across the business that you oversee, including their happiness and success, career development, and skill building.
• Guide the Executive team on effective staffing and resource solutions, staffing utilization, and scope.
• Drive an understanding of macro business context and environmental influences (i.e., retail landscape, changing shopping behaviors, digital technology, AI, etc.) that affect agency products and deliverables at the client.
• Intellectual property – develop and adapt to clients, ensuring it helps to deliver on the agency’s goals and positioning.

Demonstrations:

• Develops and maintains productive senior-level client relationships.
• Develops and maintains productive relationships across the Publicis Groupe Network.
• Develop and merchandise Strategic Planning and Analytic “products”.
• Identifies growth opportunities within client.
• Drives knowledge sharing through internal communication events, training, and other written materials.
• Uses proprietary strategic models, their development, use, and institutionalization. Leads, develops, and participates in client presentations.
• Oversees, directs, inspires and where appropriat,e conducts primary research, client or agency.
• Oversees, directs, and inspires white papers, agency “points of view”, blog posts, etc.

SKILLSETS REQUIRED:

• 10 plus years of hands-on experience working with qualitative research and or ethnography experience, or of advanced quantitative methods.
• 7 plus years of demonstrable experience working with communications within digital communication channels.
• Strong workshopping and facilitation skills.
• Branding fundamentals.
• Strong analytical skills. - Strong intuitive skills.
• Ability to conceptualize an integrated marketing mix (advertising, promotion, retail, packaging, digital, media, PR etc.).
• Ability to inspire creative process.
• Ability to recognize and develop creative ideas.
• Excellent professional presentation skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrable team development experience.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal).
• Collaborative.
• Organized and detail-oriented - (must demonstrate attention to detail and ability to handle multiple tasks/projects).
• Solution-oriented.
• Positive attitude towards the role, the department, agency and it’s clients.
• Positive professional team player who takes ownership of tasks and who seeks and accepts other responsibilities.