The Executive Creative Director, Brand Elevation, will help create, shape and lead the breakthrough creative communications from idea through execution and activation, bringing brand campaigns to life across the brands of Danone North America.
Brand Elevation (BE) is Danone North Americas creative Center of Expertise, encompassing Design, Strategic Storytelling, Content Creation and Consumer Engagement.
The ECD will oversee the Content Creation and Consumer Engagement areas within BE, and will sit on the BE leadership team, helping craft the vision, mission and culture for the organization, while acting as steward of outstanding content in partnership with the Brand Marketing organization.
The leader of an internal creative shop, the ECD will take strategic communications briefs from our Brand teams and be tasked with developing campaign level communications, leveraging the resources of internal and extended family creatives, strategists, account directors, and producers.
The ECDs creative vision and direction needs to inspire brand storytelling that is heart-led, emotionally and culturally relevant to our consumers, developed for brand specific media channels, while delivering against key brand messaging priorities.
Scope of Responsibility: In House Creative Content Agency Leadership
• Lead the Creative Development, Production and Activation teams
• Sit on the Brand Elevation Leadership Team
• Build relationships and trust with the Brand Marketing Leadership teams and Executive Leadership Creative Content Development
• Together with the Creative Development Director, oversee the creative work of the internal Brand Elevation Studio
• Deliver against creative communication briefs, working with the internal agency team responsible for creative strategy, content development and production management of approved ideas
• Oversee all internally developed consumer-facing communications
• Develop and steward foundational creative frameworks: Communication Context Strategy, Content Strategy, Briefing Templates Creative Content Activation
• Together with the Consumer Engagement Director, oversee the work of the Consumer Engagement team, responsible for building and executing best in class marketing activation plans Department Management and Leadership
• Partners with other Brand Elevation pillar leaders to drive organization and integration, bringing all minds to the table at the right time and enabling best in class cross functional collaboration.
• Leads agency relationships, managing scopes, resourcing, staffing conversations with agencies
• Proactively manages personal development by initiating conversation with manager regarding feedback, career goals, understanding of strengths and learning opportunities as well as defining development plans projects to provide growth opportunities
• Participates in broader Danone and Brand Elevation team building and volunteering events.
ABOUT YOU The ECD will need to inspire and realize great creative thinking and output, while also navigating a complex corporate structure across multiple levels and stakeholders.
The primary requirement for this candidate is outstanding creative sensibilities: an individual who can excel at understanding a strategic business challenge, and then build creative solutions that solve that problem, while building meaning into
– and connection with
– the brands.
The ECD will also need to balance having a strong creative POV with open mind and heart, in order to protect and steward great work through myriad opinions and inputs.
• B.A.
in Design or equivalent.
• Minimum 10 years Creative Agency experience, ultimately serving as Creative Director/ECD
• Strong plus if candidate also has client-side experience
• Strong experience leading a team and developing best in advertising campaigns
• Strong understanding of the impact and evolution of advertising in the eyes of consumers, building people first work that also meets business objectives.
• High level of Proficiency in In Design, Illustrator, Photoshop, Word, PowerPoint
• Experience in research and analysis and design cycles
• Excellent communications skills, including the ability to present concepts to marketing teams and review concepts/boards in a persuasive manner.
• Ability to work with others proactively and collaboratively in a cross-matrix organization
• A strong creative eye for aesthetics and branding
• Friendly disposition and positive attitude