Senior Manager Brand Communications Lifestyle- EM South

adidas; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

adidas in Cape Town seeks a Senior Manager Brand Communications Lifestyle- EM South to translate global strategies into locally relevant narratives, partnerships and activations. You will drive brand heat and consumer connection, owning the Lifestyle marketing budget and leading a high-performance team.

You will collaborate with global and local teams, create emotionally compelling campaigns across Originals, Sportswear and PR, and guide experiential initiatives and events that deepen adidas'

Qualifications

• Extensive experience across the brand communications mix, including media, PR, events, sponsorships, retail and experiential marketing.
• Deep understanding of local sport, fashion, music and creative communities.
• Proven ability to localize global campaigns to drive consumer impact.
• Strong written, verbal and presentation communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing collaborative teams.
• Strong stakeholder management with agencies and partners.
• Experience managing marketing budgets and performance tracking.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Experience working within market and above-market structures preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the localization and execution of the EM South Lifestyle Brand Activation strategy across Originals, Sportswear, Statement, PR and EIM.
• Own and drive the Lifestyle Brand Activation calendar, leading campaign planning and execution to deliver against business and brand priorities.
• Leverage insights to inform strategy and guide decision making.
• Develop locally relevant communications and activations that resonate with consumers.
• Guide conceptualization and scaling of experiential marketing initiatives and events, including Originals Studio.
• Act as custodian of Lifestyle's intersection with other sport categories, creating cross-functional synergies.
• Manage strategic relationships with agencies, contracted partners and external stakeholders in collaboration with Sports Marketing.
• Own the Lifestyle marketing budget and ensure ROI and spend optimization.
• Lead and develop a team, setting vision and driving high performance.

Skills

Brand communications

Stakeholder management

Budget management

Team leadership

Campaign localization

Experiential marketing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing

Job description

Senior Manager Brand Communications Lifestyle- EM South

Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization

Inspired by our heritage, adidas is rooted in sport and the culture born from it. This role is responsible for leading the Lifestyle category across EM South, operating at the intersection of sport and culture to translate global strategies into locally relevant narratives, partnerships and activations. The role is accountable for building adidas' cultural relevance across the market, driving brand heat and consumer connection through best-in-class brand building initiatives that deliver against both brand equity and commercial growth objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the localization and execution of the EM South Lifestyle Brand Activation strategy across Originals, Sportswear, Statement, PR and EIM.
• Own and drive the Lifestyle Brand Activation calendar, leading campaign planning and execution to deliver against key business and brand priorities.
• Leverage consumer, cultural and market insights to inform strategy, identify opportunities and guide decision making.
• Develop locally relevant communications and activations that resonate with consumers and strengthen adidas' cultural relevance.
• Guide the conceptualization, development and scaling of experiential marketing initiatives and events, including Originals Studio.
• Act as the custodian of Lifestyle's intersection with the broader sport categories, creating cross-functional synergies that leverage the brands ecosystem, partners and assets to enhance brand credibility.
• Manage strategic relationships with agencies, creators, contracted partners and other external stakeholders, in close collaboration with Sports Marketing.
• Own the Lifestyle marketing budget, ensuring effective investment allocation, measurable ROI and optimisation of spend across key moments and initiatives.
• Lead and develop a team of direct and indirect reports, setting a clear vision, fostering collaboration and driving high performance.

KPI’s

• Category Net Sales and Margin
• Market Share of categories
• Full Price Sell Through
• Brand Sentiment & health metrics
• Media and PR performance KPI’s

Key Relationships

• Marketing team
• EM Brand Activation team (Global team: project dependent)
• Channels EM South
• Contracted partners

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Extensive experience across the brand communications mix, including media, PR, events, sponsorships, retail and experiential marketing, preferably within a global brand environment.
• Deep understanding of local sport, fashion, music, art and creative communities.
• Proven ability to localize global campaigns and strategies to drive meaningful consumer impact.
• Strong written, verbal and presentation communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing highly collaborative teams.
• Strong stakeholder management capabilities across internal and external partners, including agencies and EIM partners.
• Experience managing marketing budgets and performance tracking.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Experience working within both market and above-market organisational structures preferred.

Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications

• University degree in Business/ Marketing
• Minimum of 10 years professional experience specifically in Marketing

AT ADIDAS WE HAVE A WINNING CULTURE. BUT TO WIN, PHYSICAL POWER IS NOT ENOUGH. JUST LIKE ATHLETES OUR EMPLOYEES NEED MENTAL STRENGTH IN THEIR GAME. WE FOSTER THE ATHLETE’S MINDSET THROUGH A SET OF BEHAVIORS THAT WE WANT TO ENABLE AND DEVELOP IN OUR PEOPLE AND THAT ARE AT THE CORE OF OUR UNIQUE COMPANY CULTURE: THIS IS HOW WE WIN WHILE PLAYING FAIR.

• COURAGE:Speak up when you see an opportunity; step up when you see a need..
• OWNERSHIP:Pick up the ball. Be proactive, take responsibility and follow-through.
• INNOVATION: Elevate to win. Be curious, test and learn new and better ways of doing things.
• TEAMPLAY: Win together. Work collaboratively and cultivate a shared mindset.
• INTEGRITY: Play by the rules. Hold yourself and others accountable to our company’s standards.
• RESPECT: Value all players. Display empathy, be inclusive and show dignity to all.

At adidas, we strongly believe that embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into our culture and talent processes gives our employees a sense of belonging and our brand a real competitive advantage.

– Culture Starts With People, It Starts With You –

By recruiting talent and developing our people to reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities, we foster a culture of inclusion that engages our employees and authentically connects our brand with our consumers.