VP, Brand - Cultural Strategy & Insights

Elevate; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

401k Employer Match

Paid Holidays

Unlimited PTO

Parental Leave

Job summary

Elevate, a global sports and entertainment agency, seeks a VP, Brand - Cultural Strategy & Insights to turn client priorities into creative territories and campaign platforms. This hybrid role is based in Charlotte, NC or New York City and collaborates with creative directors, writers and experiential teams to shape bold, culturally resonant work.

You will own insights-driven briefs, identify cultural tensions, and drive integrated campaigns across partnerships and channels for existing clients

Qualifications

• 8 to 10 years in creative strategy, integrated strategy, brand planning or a related agency role.
• Experience in sports, entertainment, lifestyle, experiential and partnership marketing.
• A track record of turning research and business challenges into creative ideas that got made.
• Experience developing integrated campaigns, platforms, activations or experiences.
• A grounded understanding of culture and audience behavior and of how brands earn a place in what people care about.
• Strong writing, storytelling, and presentation skills.
• Ability to simplify complex information and find the insight creative teams can use.
• Comfortable working with both analytical and creative disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Translate brand strategy, audience insight and business objectives into clear creative opportunities.
• Find the cultural, consumer and category tensions that can drive differentiated ideas.
• Develop creative territories, campaign platforms, activation concepts and experience frameworks.
• Write focused creative briefs that give teams direction without prescribing the answer.
• Work alongside creative directors, designers, writers and experiential team from first concept through final execution.
• Lead the develop of ideas that connect ideas across partnerships, experiential, content, social, influencer, shopper, and other channels.
• Evaluate creative work against the strategy, the audience need, and the brand objective and give direct feedback.
• Shape pitches and new-business responses by turning strategic thinking into ideas and narratives clients.
• Build presentations that make the thinking easy to follow, then present and defend the recommendation.
• Stay current on culture, consumer behavior and emerging platforms.
• Make sure ideas are distinctive, ownable by the brand and able to work across multiple touchpoints.

Skills

Creative strategy

Brand planning

Integrated campaigns

Storytelling

Presentation skills

Culture insight

Partnership marketing

Job description

About Elevate

Elevate is an award-winning global sports and entertainment agency founded in 2018 and the chosen growth partner for the world’s leading brands, properties, and experience-driven businesses. Through one integrated model, Elevate serves as the trusted advisor for more than 1,000 clients, helping them solve complex challenges and drive business wins.

About Elevate

Elevate is an award-winning global sports and entertainment agency founded in 2018 and the chosen growth partner for the world’s leading brands, properties, and experience-driven businesses. Through one integrated model, Elevate serves as the trusted advisor for more than 1,000 clients, helping them solve complex challenges and drive business wins. What began in sports has evolved into a platform now serving clients across culture, attractions, culinary, and hotels. Today, Elevate brings operational expertise, data-driven intelligence, and world-class creativity together under one roof. Elevate’s more than 750 employees sit across 14 offices around the world, from North America to Europe to Asia, and speak and write in 17 different languages. For more information, visit us at www.oneelevate.com.

Position Overview: VP, Brand - Cultural Strategy & Insights

The VP, Brand - Cultural Strategy & Insights will be part of Elevate’s Brand Practice and responsible for working with brand clients to turn business priorities, brand positioning, audience insights and cultural context into creative territories, campaign platforms and experience concepts. This role will work closely with creative directors, designers, writers, experiential teams and account leaders to determine how a brand should show up, including identifying insights, finding the white space, defining the central idea, and writing the brief that gives creative teams a clear place to start for existing clients and for new business opportunities. This is a hybrid role, based in either our Charlotte, NC or New York City, NY office. Attendance at industry events, community engagements and client meetings may be required and this position may include occasional evening and weekend work based on industry events and client activations. Minimal to moderate travel is expected.

What You’ll Do

• Translate brand strategy, audience insight and business objectives into clear creative opportunities
• Find the cultural, consumer and category tensions that can drive differentiated ideas
• Develop creative territories, campaign platforms, activation concepts and experience frameworks
• Write focused creative briefs that give teams direction without prescribing the answer
• Work alongside creative directors, designers, writers and experiential team from first concept through final execution
• Lead the develop of ideas that connect ideas across partnerships, experiential, content, social, influencer, shopper, and other channels
• Evaluate creative work against the strategy, the audience need, and the brand objective and give direct feedback
• Shape pitches and new-business responses by turning strategic thinking into ideas and narratives clients
• Build presentations that make the thinking easy to follow, then present and defend the recommendation
• Stay current on culture, consumer behavior and emerging platforms
• Make sure ideas are distinctive, ownable by the brand and able to work across multiple touchpoints

What This Role Owns

• The bridge between insight and creative development
• Creative territories and organizing ideas
• Creative briefs and strategic guard rails

Who You Are

• 8 to 10 years in creative strategy, integrated strategy, brand planning or a related agency role
• Experience in sports, entertainment, lifestyle, experiential and partnership marketing
• A track record of turning research and business challenges into creative ideas that got made
• Experience developing integrated campaigns, platforms, activations or experiences
• A grounded understanding of culture and audience behavior and of how brands earn a place in what people care about
• Strong writing, storytelling, and presentation skills
• Ability to simplify complex information and find the insight creative teams can use
• Comfortable working with both analytical and creative disciplines

What Makes You Stand Out

• Creative teams get briefs that are clear and give them something to build from
• Ideas are grounded in strategy and still surprising
• Campaigns and experiences hold together across channels around one organizing idea
• Clients understand what is being recommended and why it will matter to their audiences
• Work product that is relevant, distinctive and clearly tied to the brand

Compensation & Benefits Details

• Compensation: $160,000 – $185,000 annual base salary plus bonus eligible
• Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Insurance, FSA, HSA and more
• 401k Employer Match (after meeting eligibility requirements)
• 14 Paid Holidays
• Unlimited PTO
• Paid Parental Leave

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs.

The qualifications listed above represent the credentials necessary to perform the essential functions of this position. To be successful in this position, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This position is open to all qualified candidates. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability in connection with the application process, you may contact us at [e-mail].

We are proud to be an equal opportunity/veterans/disabled/ LGBT employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.