The Account Manager (AM) Role
As an Account Manager at DDB, you will work within a strategically dedicated and nimble team focused on the business success of our clients and their respective brands. Reporting directly to the Account Director, together you will manage the client facing responsibilities for the client at the agency, directing the communications activity for DDB.
The role of the Account Manager is to essentially ensure that the client’s strategic and operational relationship with the agency is valuable, sound and seamless on a day-to-day basis.
The AM will:
- Understand the agency’s POV on a creative idea and why it has such a view
- Contribute to strategic discussions with meaningful impact to the work
- Understand the general process of advertising development and executional production, specifically all new media, social, digital, broadcast and print, and can manage production projects autonomously.
- Understand the importance of strong relationships, and will help forge such relationships, among key departments and counterparts, including agency partners to facilitate the smooth progress of client initiatives.
Rationale/Goal
The AM role at DDB has been created as part of a larger structural shift in the Account Management department. The structure has been designed to specifically facilitate an increased strategic focus for the team, from that of an operational nature. Supplemented by Project Management and external administration, the Account Management department will be liberated to focus solely on client related activity, with administrative and workflow related duties managed outside the group.
Personal Qualities
The AM will be a strong strategic and conceptual thinker. They will hold a room. They will be someone who can drive collaboration across multidisciplinary teams and to clients. They will have an eye for smart and effective agency work. They will be someone who enjoys the cultivation of relationships. They will be a future leader, someone who people will gravitate to. They will be nimble, tactful, assertive, proactive, decisive and confident.
Key Responsibilities/Accountability
The AM will be responsible for – but not limited to – the following tasks:
- Manage and deliver a quality product, on time and on budget
- The management of client budgets; proactively anticipating budget issues, and flags for Account Director. And timely and accurate issuance of all status and budget reports to the client and agency team.
- The monitoring of timelines and budgets on all client projects, alongside the Project Manager, alerting Account Director and clients of potential problems while suggesting and executing solutions. Partners with PM on weekly client status reports.
- The building of relationships with the relevant client contacts with a rapport that earns the respect of all clients through delivery and focus on detail.
- Meeting reports, which includes: taking detailed notes, identifying themes of discussion and feedback, and translating that into actionable next steps. The AM will deliver accurate and timely notes to clients, agency and relevant partners.
- Work with client competitive tracking service to stay on top of all competitive advertising activity. The AM will develop competitive analysis in a timely fashion – on a daily basis as well as taking a leadership role in developing the Annual Competitive Review. In addition, they will monitor, identify, and compile competitive brand activity in news/press, websites and social media.
- Maintain and keep accurate records of all relevant brand information (including but not limited to client/agency briefs, reels, timing, plans, scripts, estimates, production reconciliations, and research results). Specifically, they will manage the client server and ensure it is current and accurate in a easily accessible and digestible form.
- Work with client media agency and DDB Business Affairs department to ensure delivery of complete traffic instructions and shipping of all materials.
- Work with DDB Business Affairs and client talent group to ensure all talent residual estimates and payments are executed accurately and within relevant time period.
Communities
An AM at DDB will share the responsibility of creating, maintaining and celebrating the following community relationships, and their personal success will be judged, in part, on the AM’s ability to achieve success across all relationship categories:
1. Client Community
2. Creative Department Community
3. Project management Community
4. Production & Business Affairs Community
5. Account Management Community
Professional Qualities/Qualifications
- Min. undergraduate degree
- 2-5 years of advertising experience, incl. Production proficiency
- Extensive experience with desktop and online research
- Proven experience in exploring & applying with curiosity and open-mindedness
- Strong listening, writing and project management skills
- Proficient in PowerPoint, Adobe Pro, Word and Excel
- Resourceful and a self-starter; detail-oriented
- Proficient presentation experience, with tangible success
- Proven ability to communicate in a professional environment with a history of doing so in a diverse range of audience, both internal and external