Reporting: Creative Director
Discipline: Advertising
Department: Creative
Agency: Ogilvy Africa, Ghana
Location: Accra
Scope: In- Markert
Company Overview
Ogilvy Africa is the largest network agency on the continent catering to more than 40 countries with a team of 900 people across Central, East and West Africa. Our regional office is based in Nairobi – Kenya, where we house a portfolio of over 100 brands for clients such as AB InBev, Airtel, Bajaj, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Equity Bank, European Union, KFC, Mastercard, NCBA, Nestle, Philips, PWC, Total Energies, UNICEF, Unilever and WWF amongst others.
Our distinctive positioning and proposition are key for times, when clients desire a partner to help them realize their growth ambitions or to get back to growth. No one knows Africa like we do, with a footprint to deliver in countries that matter to our clients.
This proposition is anchored on true shared value, what our world needs now, creating human (societal) value, employee value and commercial value. This proposition cuts across our key mega-businesses ABC (Advertising, Branding and Content), Experience (including CRM and e-commerce), PR & Influence and Media (focussed on performance marketing).
In addition, we’ve created proprietary marketing products in areas such as real-time marketing, social intelligence, performance marketing, e-commerce enablement and content hubs. Our unique operating model, One Ogilvy, allows clients and brands to cut the complexity of agency structures and create seamless omni-channel experiences for their consumers, across touchpoints. Fuelled by the holy trinity of content, data, and technology; Ogilvy Africa strives to be the best-practice agency model, for Developing & Emerging markets.
In our 20+ years in Africa, we have won the highest number of regional and global awards for the region including Cannes Lions, Clio awards, Dubai Lynx Festival, SABRE Awards (Global and Africa), Loeries and WARC, to name a few.
Ogilvy is a leading global network of WPP. Launched by David Ogilvy over 75 years ago, it is referred-to as the Agency of Giants, by several industry experts. 2023 WARC rankings named Ogilvy, the #1 creative network in the world.
Job Purpose – Summary
A Writer is responsible for taking their client’s advertising brief and generating original copy ideas that grab the attention of the target audience. They are involved in creating a campaign that has an instant, positive impact on the consumer in order to promote the product or brand being advertised. This may include creating straplines, slogans, body copy, jingles and scripts that accompany advertising visuals. Copywriters will work in close partnership with their Art Directors and have input to the visual elements as well. A Copywriter at Ogilvy will produce big picture advertising for big picture clients.
Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities
Knowledge Areas:
• To remain up to date with new ideas, techniques and styles (i.e. art, films, TV programmes, music, fashion, trends etc).
• To actively seek inspiration from the external environment to influence creativity.
• Understand and appreciate the nature and value their client’s brand.
• To familiarising themselves with the product and competitor activities in the market.
• Proficient in discussing the client’s core message and target audience.
• Ability to generate lots of fresh, original ideas from a brief.
Task Areas:
• Liaising with clients and interpreting their briefs.
• Working in account teams.
• Developing creative ideas and concepts, often in partnership with the art director.
• Presenting ideas to colleagues and clients.
• Familiarising themselves with their clients’ products and services, the target audience and their competitors’ activities.
• Writing clear, persuasive, original copy.
• Updating digital media with snappy, timely content.
• Proofreading copy to check spelling and grammar.
• Amending, revising or redeveloping adverts or campaigns in response to feedback from the creative director, account team or clients.
• Overseeing campaigns through the production stage to completion.
• Working on several campaigns at once, sometimes under pressure and often to tight deadlines.
Talent Management & Internal Relationships:
• Builds key relationships with Account Management, Planning & Traffic departments.
• Meets regularly with relevant departments to discuss the client’s requirements and core messages.
• Portrays a helpful and innovative image for the Creative Department.
Commercial Management
• Contributes to good financial management of the business, improving profitability and maximising revenue, wherever possible.
• Monitors all billing procedures carried out, alerting management to any likely changes in billing or income and any potential write-offs etc.
• Develops an expert understanding of the Agency’s financial systems – Maconomy Insight
• Ensures work is produced on time and within budget
• Strong analytic skills and ability to relate results to client business objectives
• Knows of, and understands, relevant contractual agreements and their impact on agency procedures.
• Manages budget development and monitors financial performance.
• Contributes to development of company revenue projections.
• Shares responsibility for building and managing accounts for growth/profitability.
Creative Management:
• To think creatively and devise imaginative and intelligent advertisements based on client briefs.
• To push boundaries of original thinking to explore new creative solutions.
• To communicate creative ideas effectively to a wide audience of varying levels of creative knowledge.
• To translate the strategic creative concept into different creative executions to be presented to the client.
• To execute creative ideas to the highest standard involving and communicating with the necessary creative team.
• To modify initial ideas into workable concepts until the client is satisfied.
• To align the copy with art direction and vice versa
• To deliver work to brief on time and on budget, to the highest quality.
• To oversee the production phase, booking and liaising with designers, illustrators, printers, photographers and production companies.
Profession, Technical Skill, And Previous Experience Required
Required Experience:
• To have an HND, Foundation degree or degree in advertising, design or related subjects.
• To have an established portfolio of recent copy work.
• Essential to have previously knowledge of the industry and an understanding of the creative process in advertisement.
• The ability to think creatively and communicate ideas through the written form (ie: scripts and copy).
• This individual must have an opinion on directors and typography. It is also essential for them to have an eye for colour and mood etc
• Experience of checking all content being advertised is truthful and complies with codes of advertising practice.
Desired Experience:
• To have won Creative Awards.
Required Behaviours:
• Actively seeks out new ideas, techniques and styles generally (ie art, films, TV programmes, music, fashion, trends etc).
• Is influential and can inspire the Creative Department.
• Seeks out to understand why loyal customers buy certain products.
• Acts in the best interest of the brand and Ogilvy at all times.
• Researching competitor activities and successful campaigns being delivered by other agencies
Required Attributes:
• Is highly creative and imaginative, and curious about clients’ products or services.
• Can communicate ideas or moods through advertising.
• Has excellent computer skills in relevant art and design software packages.
• Technical excellence in creating original concepts.
• Has a thorough understanding of photography, typography and printing techniques.
• Skilled in writing clear, concise and grammatically correct copy. Has a strong eye for detail.
• Has an understanding of the different language styles that appeal to various target markets.
• Strong listening and interpretation skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Can work under pressure and manage workloads effectively.
• Can work within strict budgets.
• Is able to see other people’s points of view and take on board feedback.
• Works well within a pair and also cross departments.
• Is highly self-motivated and well organised.
Beliefs At Ogilvy
• People need regular OS upgrades: Even the best OS will be obsolete tomorrow unless its constantly upgrades. same is true for people.
• We need more cows than milk men: We are a culture of practitioners, not manager. We contribute before we comment.
• Creative about creativity: Creativity is, and will always be, our differentiator. Creativity now includes holy trinity of Data -Content -Tech
• Diversity is a competitive advantage: New profiles, new skills, new styles of leadership make us a stronger company.
• Collaborative advantage > Competitive advantage: Find partners who are on top of their game at the skillset we need. It’s the only way to scale at the speed without pretending to have all the answers.
• Team Individual: You get a lot more done when everyone stops worrying about who gets credit at the end. Teams Succeed, individuals fail.
• Fail often, fail fast: We see intrapreneur in all our people and encourage a culture of pilots. Test, succeed and scale; or fail-fast learn, learn from the failure and start something new.
How To Apply
• If your career aspirations match this exciting opportunity, please apply as follows.
• Complete this application form and submit
• Share your resume separately in PDF format (strictly) via our recruitment email address. [email protected]. Ensure that your resume bears your first and last names.
• In the email subject, strictly quote the job title and location (Job Title – Location). For instance, if you are applying for the Finance Controller position based in Kenya, then, I will quote the subject Finance Controller – Kenya with your resume attached. Do not add anything else in the email subject
Please note that completing the application form is mandatory for consideration alongside your email application where you share your resume in PDF (strictly). Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Ogilvy Africa is an equal-opportunity employer that believes in diversity as a competitive advantage. We are committed to a fair and inclusive hiring process. To minimize unconscious biases from our hiring process, we’ve taken on an initiative to #RightTheCV (find out more by clicking here)
Closing Date: November 10 2024