Manager, Local Brand Solutions

About the Role & Team

Disney Advertising is responsible for advertising sales and integrated marketing for The Walt Disney Company’s entertainment and sports offerings through linear, digital, social, audio and ad-supported streaming businesses. This includes ABC, ABC News, Disney+, Disney Channels Worldwide, Disney Digital, ESPN Networks, ESPN+, Freeform, FX, National Geographic, Hulu, and its eight ABC-owned local stations. Disney Advertising works with media agencies and consumer brands to sell advertising via a “one-stop shop” approach across platforms representing all of the Disney brands.

Disney Advertising Local is the business unit within the Disney Advertising portfolio comprising the sales and marketing arm for Disney-owned media across local markets.  The team’s role is to drive revenue to the Disney-Owned ABC Television Stations’ powerful linear, digital, streaming and social platforms, and ABC News Streaming, Disney Streaming Entertainment (including Disney+ and Hulu) and Disney Sports geotargeted to local markets.  Local Brand Solutions (LBS) is responsible for developing strategic integrated marketing campaigns across these properties to drive incremental revenue and results.

Disney Advertising’s Local Brand Solutions team is seeking a passionate marketer who will join our dynamic team developing revenue-generating advertiser activations tied to Disney geotargeted media.

The Manager, Local Brand Solutions is an experienced, versatile and talented integrated marketing professional, reporting into Senior Manager, LBS. The Manager is responsible for developing and executing strategic, creative cross-platform geotargeted integrated brand solutions across Disney’s local media ecosystem including the ABC Owned Television (OTV) Station platforms and geotargeted Disney Streaming Solutions, leveraging assigned territory, properties and category verticals, all driving revenue for Disney Advertising. 

What You Will Do

Create and execute innovative cross-platform (linear, digital, social, streaming, event) revenue-generating integrated marketing programs leveraging local market and regional brand solutions to achieve and maximize results and renewals, securing all necessary approvals, and communicating all key details to internal and external partners.

SOLUTIONS/PRESENTATIONS:
Responsible for building proactive and reactive ideation and client-facing materials for assigned portfolio (territory/properties/verticals):

• Ideation: Collaborate with Senior Manager to drive strategic idea generation and concept development for assigned portfolio: develop saleable proactive ownership opportunities, as well as RFP-based client solutions designed to strategically deliver on client objectives.
  • Set and lead brainstorms with key stakeholders
• Secure concept approvals: Build consensus among key stakeholders to obtain concept/writeup approvals, e.g. via vetting with LBS/Management, Sales, Legal, Business Affairs, S&P, studios, producers, brand marketing, planning and research teams, ABC Owned TV Station leadership, and/or collaboration with relevant Addressable/Entertainment/Sports Brand Solutions leads
• Create compelling, innovative presentations and one-sheets to detail customized and proactive market-wide sponsorship opportunities, proofing all for accuracy.

SPECIALTY SOLUTIONS EXPERT:

Serve as a champion for Local solutions and capabilities, and as subject matter expert for assigned territory/properties/verticals, interfacing with clients, Solutions/Sales colleagues, and internal/external creative collaborators.  Help drive sponsorship strategy surrounding Disney-owned local properties/franchises to maximize revenue opportunities, including via collaboration with key stakeholders across the Disney portfolio.

CAMPAIGN ACTIVATION:

Responsible for execution of delegated sold deals aligned with assigned portfolio (territory/properties verticals), leveraging local solutions across streaming, linear, digital, social, and in-person events/activations, often under tight timeframes, and with impeccable follow-through, nimbly securing required approvals and driving superior results:

• Manage the project activation process, including timelines, project budget, contracts, approvals, production logistics, creative development and deliverables, trafficking, problem-solving, lead kick-off/ongoing status calls, and manage campaign recapping, identifying key data points/details/key assets.
• Collaborate with key partners including team members across LBS, Sales, Television station leadership, internal/external producers, as well as Legal, Business Affairs, S&P, Studios, talent and other outside partners, to drive campaign success
• Manage activation processes for creative development and approvals, which could include:
  • Collaboration with client/internal stakeholders to shape script/storyboard/mock-ups/creative elements
  • Securing appropriate footage/assets to achieve desired creative vision
  • Liaise between producer and clients at production shoots, including on-the-fly problem-solving
  • Swiftly build consensus among all key stakeholders to obtain pre- and post-production creative approvals, including balancing a myriad of creative parameters/guardrails
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders for all project-related documentation: deal agreement letters, talent agreements/releases, billing/invoices, etc.

STELLAR COMMUNICATION / CULTIVATE RELATIONSHIPS

Responsible for clear communication with internal and external partners at all levels:

• Maintain strong relationships and ongoing communication with key internal stakeholders and collaborators:  e.g. Sales and Solutions leads, Legal/Business Affairs/S&P, and ABC Owned TV Station leadership - from General Manager, News, Programming, Marketing, and Digital to Community), with particular focus on liaisons with stakeholders for assigned portfolio
• Regularly interface with Disney Advertising Local Sales team, keeping them apprised of upcoming proactive opportunities, providing regular updates for active campaigns, and collaborating to package strategic revenue-driving opportunities
• Present and pitch concepts in client/internal meetings: Conduct discussions/kickoff calls/status calls
• Clearly articulate ideas and opportunities, including how proposed solutions ladder back to stated client objectives (RFPs)

Required Qualifications & Skills

• 5+ years of marketing, sponsorship, promotion, branded entertainment, and/or business development experience, within the Entertainment, Sports, Digital or Social arena, e.g. at a television station/network, digital/social platform or promotional/media agency
• Demonstrated knowledge of integrated marketing methods, tools, tactics and strategies to develop, plan, produce and activate revenue-driving, results-driven multiplatform campaigns/events from start to finish
• Excellent written, verbal and presentation communication skills
• Experience with creation of presentation decks and one-sheets
• Skilled in seamless project execution with utmost attention to detail
• Skilled in complex problem solving and issue-resolution, with ability to work effectively in a deadline-driven ecosystem
• Proficient with PowerPoint and/or Keynote, Word, Excel, Outlook, and Microsoft Teams

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree
• Fluency in all aspects of activation across linear/addressable, social, out of home and point of sale platforms, including co-marketing with entertainment/sports properties, community partners and third parties, co-branded content creation, influencer-led content, digital and live events, and experience leading production shoots
• Highly organized; proficient at nimbly managing multiple, simultaneous complex projects and tasks
• Experience collaborating with senior level executives, and working with marketing partners, agencies and internal stakeholders
• Ability to translate verbal ideas into written presentations, and to bring written materials to life as compelling verbal pitches
• Effective team player, capable of fluid collaboration with colleagues in locations across the country
• Ability to successfully navigate a highly-matrixed organization
• Strong interpersonal skills, capable of maintaining professionalism in high-stress situations
• Positive, proactive, resilient, and flexible, with a “can do” attitude at all times
• Self-starter who operates successfully in a rapidly-changing, ambiguous and undefined environment
• Thirst for knowledge and ability to keep abreast of key industry trends, digital/social industry innovations, emerging platforms and marketing technology to bring new opportunities forward and ensure campaigns are relevant and cutting-edge
• Enthusiastic commitment to creating first-class “guest experiences” for clients and consumers
• Willingness to work flexible hours as needed, including evenings, weekends and/or occasional travel as needed for client/key stakeholder meetings and event/activations

#DisneyAdvertising

The hiring range for this position based in New York is $110,100 - $147,600 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.