Media Planner - Japan

This is a remote position for Japan-based candidates

First, a little about us:

• Born in 2000 as an ad agency for the video game community
• Ad agency partner for Indiana Jones, Like A Dragon, Starfield, Magic: the Gathering, Sonic, Final Fantasy and more! See our work at www.liquidadvertising.com
• Our clients are growing quickly — and so are we
• This position will report remotely to our offices in the United States but will mostly work on Japan time

What’s this position about?

Are you a media planner, buyer or strategist with a passion for driving big ideas for innovative clients? If so, join us in the exciting world of video games as our next contract Media Planner!

Please note that this role focuses on media strategy and buying and does not involve content creation or creative work.

We are seeking a talented individual with agency-side experience in developing paid media strategy and execution plans. If you're ready to join a well-trained team of individual contributors, level up with us!

For 25 years, Liquid Advertising has been helping video game publishers build their global fanbases. We bring big ideas and focused strategies to transform our clients' video games into cultural phenomena, executing digital campaigns with precision down to the last detail.

What you’ll do:

• Develop and implement comprehensive media plans from strategy formation through planning, execution, and reporting
• Evaluate and select media channels, including traditional (TV, OOH, print), gaming endemic sites and digital (display, search, social media) platforms, based on clients' goals and budgets and audience behaviors.
• As a Japanese market specialist, plan events, brand collaborations, and unique activations to enhance the brand awareness and localize IP in the Japanese market. 
• Lead campaign activation process, including preparing and issuing Insertion Orders (IOs), coordinating ad trafficking, and ensuring timely delivery and accurate placement of materials across various media channels, identifying potential issues and providing preventative solutions to ensure smooth activation
• Collaborate with internal creative, programmatic, and data teams to ensure cohesive and effective campaigns that meet our clients' goals and ensure a flawless activation
• Monitor, analyze, and optimize campaign performance and making data-driven decisions to achieve clients' objectives
• Evaluate potential media partners' capabilities and offerings to identify collaboration opportunities that align with clients' objectives and needs, while managing day to day communication with them
• Ensure all internal and client-facing documents and reports meet high quality standards and are easy to understand when presented (both written and verbally)
• Coordinate with finance and billing teams to ensure accurate invoicing and reconciliation of media spend and timely payments to media vendors.

Your experience

• 5+ years of media agency experience in digital or integrated media buying and/or strategy
• Executing the day-to-day media process in a strategy, planning, or buying function
• Be a resource for the client on a day-to-day basis, providing timely and accurate information in a professional manner
• Working with various disciplines within the agency (data, creative production, finance) to align processes and work towards a common goal
• Knowledge of standard industry advertising platforms, including Meta Ads, Google Ads, Amazon, CM360, TikTok, Reddit, Twitter, and DSPs (ex. DV360, The Trade Desk)
• Hands-to-keyboard management of ad platforms and activation experience is highly preferred
• Experience presenting to clients in regular status calls, campaign recommendations, and performance reports
• Performance analysis of media campaigns to tie media metrics to client business results
• Passion for staying updated on emerging trends, platforms, and best practices in the media and gaming industries
• Proficiency in audience and media research tools such as MRI, SRDS, GWI, SimilarWeb, and Pathmatics (strongly preferred)

Your qualities and attributes

• Attention to detail: Prioritize accuracy and precision in media planning, budgeting, and campaign execution to maximize campaign effectiveness. You are not a spot checker; you are thorough and know where to look to find the most common errors.
• Problem-solving: Demonstrate resourcefulness in identifying and resolving challenges during media planning, buying, and activation. Employ a strategic and creative mindset to find efficient solutions without wasting time or energy.
• Collaboration and teamwork: Thrive in a collaborative environment that values open communication and shared decision-making with colleagues. Demonstrate a willingness to accept and apply feedback constructively to your work.
• Japanese and English Proficiency: Thrive in a collaborative environment that values open communication and shared decision-making with colleagues. Demonstrate a willingness to accept and apply feedback constructively to your work and have business-level language skills in both Japanese and English.

Work Style

• Work hours are 25 hours per week minimum, with flexible hours, to be performed mostly in Japan time. There will be regular meetings with colleagues in the United States, with some availability required for meetings on US time.

• This is a remote position based in Japan.
  

The perks we offer

 This position’s hourly rate is US$25-$50 per hour, paid in JPY per exchange rates. 

Our stance

Liquid Advertising is dedicated to fostering an anti-racist and anti-sexist environment. We strive to build an ad agency where committed and creative individuals from diverse backgrounds can excel and do their best work.

No agencies, please. This is a pretty good representation of this position’s responsibilities but is not a comprehensive job description. Duties, clients, and team assignments may change. We regret we cannot consider applicants outside of Japan or those requiring visa sponsorship at this time.