VP, Brand Strategy

We bring together the minds and passions of creative pioneers, tech innovators, and data explorers to help ambitious clients solve business challenges and rise to the top. MERGE has enduring client partnerships with American Express, T-Mobile, LG, Subway, Kate Spade NY, Coach, The North Face, Meta, Adobe, BlueCross BlueShield, Abbott, Astellas, Supernus, CSL, GE Healthcare, Broward Health, Indiana University Health, Nationwide, and Morgan Stanley. With offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Montreal, New York City and Los Angeles, MERGE uses a talent-to-task process that enables clients to think higher and feel deeper about their customers.

Promote Health, Wellness & Happiness

We are committed to promoting health, wellness, and happiness in the world by partnering with purpose-driven clients in purpose-driven industries in healthcare, life science, and consumer products. Our deep vertical expertise and category insights stem from decade-long partnerships with our top clients.

Emerge to the Top of Your Career

At MERGE, we strive to create a superior work experience where talented and ambitious people grow. An experience that encourages people to think higher and feel deeper. An experience where people engage their minds and hearts to do the best work of their careers.

As our VP, Brand Strategy, you will…

Independently lead the development of large-scale and complex brand strategy deliverables for Consumer brands, ensuring excellence across all stages of the process. This includes crafting segments and personas, producing core brand strategy outputs, and delivering insightful reports and points of view from qualitative research. You will also oversee communication and campaign mapping and develop comprehensive measurement plans. Restaurant, Retail, and/or Technology brand experience is a plus.

Be Accountable and Responsible

• Lead the development and implementation of appropriate workshops, including internal and client brainstorming and strategic deliverable workshops.
• Present a range of strategic outputs to appropriate clients, including Creative Briefs and Core brand strategy deliverables.
• Develop a deep understanding of client business and market/customer/brand information to support the development of insights and strategic solutions.
• Develop expertise in at least one of the marketing strategy disciplines.
• Demonstrate consistent curiosity about learning new products, technologies, and offerings within MERGE that can support our work for clients.
• Identify collaboration opportunities across different strategy roles and across the MERGE organization to maximize value for clients.
• Work independently to drive the development of research elements as directed.
• Conduct online research and develop learning and insights.
• Assist in aggregation, prep, and synthesis of research output for presentation.
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative data such as audience segmentation, competitive research, and market data to translate that information into insights and strategies that will impact client brands.
• Self-drive smaller stand-alone strategy tasks, own discrete units within a larger strategy, or build projects.
• Create presentations/deliverables that marry data with storytelling in support of brand goals and objectives.
• Champion and innovate upon the Strategy discipline principles, and develop unique positioning for MERGE both in front of our clients and for our clients within their industry.
• Maximize program-level collaboration opportunities across different strategy roles and the MERGE organization to maximize value for clients.
• Create large-scope narratives based on multiple data sources and present them to C-level clients on all assigned accounts.
• Integrate storytelling and present stories persuasively in support of a range of client-facing deliverables.

These are the qualifications we’re looking for

• 12+ years of experience in a relevant field with 5-7 years in a leadership role, within an advertising or consultancy agency.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred, and/or equivalent work experience.
• Strong understanding of the principles of the primary areas of the Brand Strategy discipline and experience using agency methodologies and offerings for each area.
• Proficiency with software, tools, and templates applicable to Brand Strategy.
• Research tools and platforms as available e.g. SurveyMonkey, Resonate, MRI/Simmons, Statista, You.gov, Kantar.

At MERGE, we’re committed to fostering an environment where our team members can thrive in both their careers and personal lives, ensuring they feel supported and empowered to succeed.

MERGE is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer

MERGE welcomes and celebrates diversity regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status or people with abilities. We believe that the more diverse we are, the more creative our work will be!

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