Associate, Planning, UK

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth. 

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation at scale. Connected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

For more information, visit wppmedia.com.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, creative, curious Associate to join our UK Connections Planning team working on the Unilever Account.

Unilever is one of the world’s and UK’s leading FMCG companies, with an incredible portfolio of household names. Unilever’s product portfolio comprises four business groups; Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care products, Homecare products and Food. They have a long-standing heritage of putting their customers at the heart of everything they do – and leading with the principles of driving positive change through their brands.

The Connections Planning team plays a crucial role in designing the audiences, connections, content and measurement that deliver the most innovative and effective solutions to clients. To do this requires a team of people with a high degree of knowledge of the UK media market and a deep understanding of the role of technology in driving opportunities to target audiences, its impact on the connections and content that will engage people, and how media can be measured and optimised.

At WPP Media, we believe in the power of our culture and our people. It’s what elevates us to deliver exceptional experiences for both our clients and each other. In this role it will be critical to embrace WPP & WPP Media’s shared core values:

• Be Extraordinary by Leading Collectively to Inspire transformational Creativity.
• Create an Open environment by Balancing People and Client Experiences by Cultivating Trust.
• Lead Optimistically by Championing Growth and Development to Mobilize the Enterprise.

Members of the Connections Planning team understand consumer trends and are able to translate insights and strategic direction into actionable media solutions. They interact with a wide range of other teams including Intelligence and Strategic Planning, the specialist channel teams that execute the media, and the Live Planning team that optimises across all media channels.

Working closely with and supporting Connections Planners along with Strategic planning and Client Leadership makes up a large proportion of an Associate’s time and means you will have the opportunity to learn how Mindshare approaches the definition and design of the audiences, connections, content, and measurement that comprise our media solutions. The bulk of your time will be spent supporting the team in planning exciting, award-winning campaigns as well as working with channel specialists to make those plans a reality.

Prior media/marketing experience is not a pre-requisite. A combination of “hands-on” experience and a structured training programme means Associate's gain a comprehensive knowledge of how a media agency business operates and an understanding that is the cornerstone of a successful career in the media industry. 

• Enthusiastic and positive with a genuine interest in a career in marketing and advertising  
• Enthusiastic, reliable and excellent team player 
• Inquisitive and curious with a drive to really get under the skin of our client’s marketing 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
• Strong organisation skills incl. time and project management 
• High level of comfort using data – both small and large datasets 
• The ability to analyse data to discover insights 
• Comfortable working in teams and will be able to proactively engage and collaborate with peers  
• Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint and Word