Journey Planner

We are the Human Experience Agency. We believe the growth opportunity lies in people. We understand and anticipate human desires to deliver media experiences of value. We call this PeoplePoweredGrowth! Focusing on both business outcomes and human outcomes is proven to deliver stronger growth for clients. PeoplePoweredGrowth identifies the intersection between what people want and what brands need, to create media experiences of value. PeoplePoweredGrowth orchestrates the right talent and capability to solve for clients’ unique business challenges through interconnected capability. PeoplePoweredGrowth embodies a way of thinking, working, and learning; challenging the status quo and always reaching for a better. It is a culture of never standing still. Starcom is a full service, global media agency with a presence in multiple markets around the world. We believe in the power of our network and work closely with our global colleagues to ensure that we are providing our clients with global best practice, localized for the South African market. Our clients include Mondelez, Haleon (GSK), Samsung, Stellantis, Sandoz, Kellogg’s to name a few. We are part of the Publicis network – the fastest growing global network.

Role purpose

Owns the translation of strategy into a connected media ecosystem. Takes the growth strategy and audience direction from the Strategist and turns it into a PESO journey, channel role architecture, audience activation logic, phasing, budget principles and specialist briefing pack.

Scope of role

• Audience activation logic
• PESO ecosystem planning
• Channel role definition
• Journey and moment mapping
• Budget allocation rationale
• Specialist briefing
• Integration of vertical channel plans
• Plan-level measurement questions
• Plan-level implications of under-delivery or variance

Core accountabilities

• Translate growth strategy into a connected media journey.
• Define how the growth audience can be reached, influenced and moved across paid, earned, shared, owned and commerce touchpoints.
• Build the media ecosystem architecture.
• Define the role of each channel before specialists create detailed plans.
• Create the Specialist Briefing Pack for channel specialists.
• Integrate vertical channel plans into one coherent media plan.
• Ensure the plan ladders back to the JTBD and strategic growth objective.
• Define plan-level measurement questions with the Measurement Lead.
• Own the plan-level implication if a channel under-delivers or materially over/under-performs.

Mandatory artifacts owned

• Audience Activation Blueprint: Converts growth audience into media, platform, context and signal logic.
• PESO Ecosystem Plan: Defines how Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned and Commerce work together.
• Channel Role Framework: Defines the job of each channel before detailed planning starts.
• Journey / Moment Map: Defines consumer moments, occasions, touchpoints and sequencing.
• Budget Allocation Logic: Explains why budget is allocated across channels.
• Specialist Briefing Pack: Gives channel specialists audience, KPI, role, budget, timing and output requirements.
• Integrated Media Plan: Combines specialist outputs into a single coherent plan.
• Plan-Level Variance Note: Explains total-plan implications of delivery or KPI variance.

Key handshakes

• Channel Specialists: receives strategy from the Growth Media Strategist and hands over the Specialist Briefing Pack.
• Measurement Lead: receives strategy and plan inputs and hands over plan-level KPI questions.
• Buying Ops: receives the client-approved integrated plan and hands over a booking-ready plan.
• Client Lead / Strategist: receives outputs from Channel Specialists and hands over the integrated media plan.
• PCA team: receives input from the Measurement Lead and hands over plan-level learnings and future implications.

Decision rights

• PESO ecosystem architecture.
• Audience activation logic.
• Channel role definition.
• Budget allocation rationale.
• Specialist briefing quality.
• Integration of channel plans.
• Plan-level implication of delivery variance.

What this role is not

• Building every detailed vertical channel plan personally.
• Acting as TV planner, OOH planner, search specialist, social specialist and programmatic specialist all at once.
• Loading plans into billing systems.
• Supplier invoice reconciliation.
• Vendor onboarding.
• Tagging and trafficking campaigns.
• Producing raw dashboards.

Required competencies

• Communications planning: Translate strategy into ecosystem architecture.
• Audience activation: Convert growth audiences into channel and platform logic.
• Channel understanding: Strong understanding of ATL, digital, social, commerce and performance channels.
• Integration: Stitch specialist outputs into one plan.
• Briefing discipline: Write clear specialist briefs.
• Budget logic: Rationalise investment allocation.
• Measurement thinking: Connect planning choices to measurable outcomes.

Experience requirements

• 3–6 years in integrated planning or communications planning.
• KPIs
• Ecosystem quality: Strength of PESO plan and channel role clarity.
• Specialist handoff: Reduction in specialist rework due to unclear briefs.
• Plan integration: Quality of final integrated media plan.
• Audience activation: Evidence that audience logic translates into actionable channel plans.
• Measurement readiness: Plan has KPI and measurement logic before activation.
• Rework reduction: Fewer late-stage changes caused by planning gaps.