Strategic Brand and Creative Manager

Virginia Information Technologies Agency•Richmond, VA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

For more than three decades, the Virginia Lottery has worked to build a strong reputation, one synonymous with providing fun, entertaining experiences and doing so responsibly and with integrity. Proceeds from traditional Lottery games support K-12 public education in Virginia. Taxes generated by sports wagering and casino gaming, which are regulated by the Lottery, benefit other priorities of the Commonwealth. The Virginia Lottery is currently seeking a Strategic Brand and Creative Manager to join our Marketing Department. The Strategic Brand & Creative Manager is responsible for developing the overall creative direction of the Lottery. This position will lead the entire Brand & Advertising Team by setting the overall creative direction that best aligns with the Lottery objectives. The Strategic Brand & Creative Manager will oversee the creative process for creative designs and advertising campaigns from concept to execution to ensure consistency across all projects and maintain high standards of quality and innovation. This position will effectively translate design and campaign concepts to the Deputy Executive Director of Marketing and other internal stakeholders that will be completed by the Brand & Advertising Team. This position will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure a cohesive message and unified brand identity for the Lottery. The Strategic Brand & Creative Manager will work closely with the Lottery’s media buying partner to ensure that creative campaigns are effectively supported and delivered to the public. The position will provide strategic direction on media and event sponsorships. The Strategic Brand & Creative Manager will oversee and set the creative budgets. This position will establish short-term and long-term goals for the Brand & Advertising team.

Requirements

BA in Marketing or Advertising.
A minimum of 10 years of experience in the field of marketing/advertising.
A minimum of 3 years of experience on an internal advertising team for a gaming operator and/or lottery.
Effective communication and organizational skills required.
Knowledge in the principles, practices and theory of advertising and creative production and the policies and procedures governing their application.
Ability to effectively communicate both orally and in writing with all levels in many different departments within the Lottery and with external stakeholders.
Ability to oversee creative development and vision that is effective in achieving its objective.
Ability to develop an effective media buying campaign for creative campaigns.
Ability to manage complex programs requiring the involvement of groups inside and outside the Lottery.
Ability to analyze the performance of campaigns from start to finish.
Knowledge of administration and operations of state lotteries and the lottery industry.
Effectively execute strong advertising campaigns.
Ability to work within tight timelines.
Ability to manage multiple projects without missing deadlines.
Ability to utilize vendor resources to develop cohesive and effective programs.
Ability to effectively collaborate with Marketing, Sales, and Communications and Customer Relations teams.
A comparable amount of training and experience may be substituted for the minimum qualifications.

Responsibilities

Develop the overall creative direction and strategy including the brand image.
Oversee the creative process for creative designs and advertising concepts from concept to execution.
Maintain consistency across all projects.
Ensure high standards of quality and innovation in all advertising.
Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to align creative projects with strategic objectives.
Manage the overall relationship with relevant third-party partners for creative development support.
Consistently update the Lottery’s brand guidelines to reflect changes in offerings and position in market.
Establish policies and procedures that ensure creative designs and advertising campaigns are completed on time and on budget.
Monitor the performance of advertising efforts to identify opportunities for improvement.
Research advertising trends and make recommendations/changes for potential improvements.
Lead the media buying process with the Lottery’s media buying partner to develop an effective media plan for distributing the campaign assets.
Collaborate with internal and external partners to develop additional opportunities to communicate campaign creative to players.
Ensure that the media plan aligns with the Lottery’s overall vision of engagement with players.
Identify new media opportunities and work with the media buying partner to review and test new opportunities.
Research media trends and make recommendations/changes for potential improvements.
Provide strategic direction and oversight into the selection and execution of media and events sponsorships.
Lead efforts to optimize the efficiency of executing at events including the selling of games.
Establish and report on agreed upon KPIs with internal stakeholders to maintain alignment on results.
Research sponsorships and events trends and help identify new potential sponsorship partners.
Ensure that all sponsorships, events, and premiums align with the overall Marketing direction.
Lead and mentor the Brand & Advertising Team.
Ensure that all tools and contract needs necessary to succeed are procured for the team and readily available.
Effectively communicate any updates or high-level direction to the team.
Communicate and reinforce the overall direction for the Lottery.
Recruit and develop the necessary team members.
Establish short-term and long-term goals for the Brand & Advertising team.
Set and oversee the campaign production budget, campaign media budget, creative design, sponsorships and events budget.
Collaborate with all cost center managers and internal teams to ensure spending is within approved budget and funds are moved between cost centers as appropriate.