Digital Planning Lead

About WPP Media

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.

Job Title: Digital Planning Lead
Company: WPP Media South Africa
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Reports To: Digital Strategy Lead

Role Overview
The Head of Digital Planning is responsible for translating brand and performance strategies into integrated, full-funnel digital plans that drive measurable business outcomes.
This role sits at the centre of the digital ecosystem, orchestrating investment, channel roles, and timing across brand and performance to ensure a cohesive, effective, and commercially optimised approach.

They are the custodian of:
•    Budget allocation 
•    Channel integration 
•    Full-funnel design 
•    Planning principles and governance 

Core Role in the Structure
•    Not the originator of strategy 
•    Not the executor of channels 
•    But the owner of how strategy comes to life in-market 

Key Responsibilities
1. Full-Funnel Planning & Integration
•    Develop integrated digital plans spanning: 
o    Upper funnel (awareness & reach) 
o    Mid funnel (engagement & consideration) 
o    Lower funnel (conversion & retention) 
•    Define the role of each channel within the funnel 
•    Ensure seamless connection between brand-building and performance activity 

2. Investment Strategy & Budget Allocation
•    Own digital budget allocation across channels and objectives 
•    Balance investment between demand creation (brand) and demand capture (performance) 
•    Continuously optimise investment based on performance and learning 

3. Channel Orchestration
•    Ensure all channels work together as a system, not in silos 
•    Define how search, social, display, eCommerce, and content interact 
•    Align timing, sequencing, and weight of activity across channels 

4. Planning Principles & Governance
•    Establish and enforce clear planning frameworks and principles 
•    Standardise ways of working across teams 
•    Ensure consistency in approach across clients and portfolio 

5. Data-Informed Planning
•    Use data and insights from both brand and performance teams to inform planning decisions 
•    Incorporate learnings from test-and-learn programmes into future plans 
•    Partner with analytics teams to refine planning effectiveness 

6. Collaboration Across Leadership Roles
•    Work closely with: 
o    Integrated Head of Strategy (big idea & ATL direction) 
o    Digital Strategy Lead (brand & social ecosystem) 
o    Performance Strategy Lead (conversion & optimisation) 
•    Translate all inputs into a single, unified plan 

7. Commercial Accountability
•    Ensure plans are aligned to client business outcomes 
•    Track effectiveness of media investment 
•    Identify opportunities to drive incremental growth 

Key Skills & Experience
•    Strong experience in digital/media planning across full funnel 
•    Deep understanding of both brand and performance dynamics 
•    Proven experience managing large budgets and complex portfolios 
•    Strong commercial and analytical mindset 
•    Ability to simplify complexity and drive alignment across teams 

Success Metrics
•    Effectiveness of full-funnel plans (brand + performance outcomes) 
•    Efficiency of budget allocation and ROI 
•    Level of integration across channels and teams 
•    Client satisfaction and business growth 

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