Director, Social & Influencer Strategy – ASEAN & South Pacific

Job Summary:

This role is responsible for driving the development and execution of innovative social (current & emerging platforms) and influencer strategies that build social brands that engage consumers and fandoms, and drive business growth.   This role requires collaboration with internal cross-functional teams – Marketing (Category & Frontline Marketing), IMX (Digital, Media, E2E Strategy, Studio X), PACS, Platform Services, as well as external agencies and platforms – OpenX/StudioX, Meta, Tiktok, influencer platforms, and any emerging platforms. This is to ensure cohesive and impactful social engagements that resonate with consumers, fandoms, and influencers.

The vision is to have social at the heart of marketing the brand, category, and company across ASEAN & South Pacific. The goal is to build the most advocated social brands (not brands on social) through a consumer-centric approach. Priorities include 1) Contextually relevant content – delivering positive engagement through relevant content that is fit for platform, in moments that matter. 2) Data-informed intelligence – Translation of social insights and listening into strategy and action that (1) builds advocacy in real time and (2) influences business decisions.

Responsibilities:

• Operational Excellence
  • Lead and mentor a team of social strategists, content, analytics, influencer leads, as well as in-market social specialists.
  • Foster a creative and innovative environment, encouraging team collaboration, best practice sharing, skills training, and professional growth.
  • Establish routines with social team, internal stakeholders, platform partners, to build mutually beneficial relationships that achieve common goals.
  • Build and constantly evolve operations playbook. Measure toolkit usability and satisfaction via audits with inputs from key stakeholders to optimize operations and deliver value.
  • Identify opportunities to demonstrate thought leadership with key stakeholders.
  • Collaborate across teams (platforms, agency, internal – category, IMX, PACS) to develop strategies, experiences and content that is amplified via paid social media. Craft contingency plans and risk-mitigation strategies to safeguard the brand's social presence.

• Strategy Development & Execution
  • Develop the integrated social and influencer strategy aligned with broader brand objectives and marketing strategies. This includes, but is not limited to, charter toolkits, content calendars (planned, predictive), reactive content based on trends, response, interjection & crisis management, and influencer engagement plans. Create framework for strategic experimentation on emerging platforms, to test engagement strategies and audience response while minimizing risks. Drive innovation and analyze early results to gauge the platform's effectiveness and refine strategies based on performance data. Areas of experimentation may include social commerce, business performance driven influencer approach (live-selling; sales-driven incentives)

• Consumer Insights & Engagement
  • Leverage social listening to gain a deep understanding of target consumers' preferences, behaviors, reactions, and needs.
  • Translation of social insights and listening into strategy and action that (1) builds advocacy in real time and (2) influences business decisions.
  • Build experiences and content that are fit for platform, optimizing to maximize engagement and resonance across various platforms.
  • Build deep understanding of influencers and fandoms, their interactions, and build plans to build relationships with both and engage them in a meaningful way that drives advocacy for our brands.

• Content Creation
  • Oversee the creation and curation of high-quality, engaging, and brand-consistent content (e.g., images, videos, stories, blogs) tailored for different social media platforms.
  • Collaborate with platforms, agency, and internal teams to produce compelling content that captures the brand’s voice and message.

• Insights & Analytics
  • Utilize analytics tools to measure and report on the performance of social media and influencer campaigns.
  • Monitor key social metrics and establish reporting routines.
  • Use data-driven insights to influence and optimize strategies, and improve campaign effectiveness.

• Response & Crisis Management
  • Build a response management matrix and interjections approach that engages with consumers to build strong relationships and encourage brand advocacy.
  • Monitor social media channels for potential risks and manage real-time responses to any crisis that arises.
  • Work with PACS to execute crisis communication plans to maintain brand reputation and stakeholder trust.

• Platform Partnerships
  • Build relationships with platforms – identify strategic charter opportunities for joint brand workshops, establish routines to be on top of the best industry practices and to be identified as a key brand partner to innovate on their platforms.

• Influencer Strategic Partnerships
  • Identify and establish relationships with influencers and brand ambassadors that align with the company’s target audience and brand values.
  • Track and analyze influencer campaign performance, providing insights and recommendations for future collaborations.

• Innovation & Technology Integration
  • Drive efficiency via the Integration of latest advancements in social technology that can enhance community engagement and Chatbots, personalization and AI, content creation, data-driven insights and measurement.

Requirements:

• Passion for leveraging social media and influencer strategies to build strong advocacy for brands. Minimum of 10-12 years proven social media & digital experience, with experience as regional social director or similar leadership role.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, coordinate dependencies and manage risks in complex environments.
• Creative and innovative mindset, with a passion for storytelling and brand building. Strategic thinking with the ability to align social and emerging platform efforts with broader business objectives.
• Deep understanding of various social and influencers, their capabilities, and best practices.
• Influencer management and social commerce experience is a plus.

Marketing Strategies; Relationship Building; Teamwork; Digital Marketing; Social Media; Strategy Development; People Management; Marketing Communications (MarCom); Data Driven; Cross-Functional Teamwork