A Group Head in an advertising creative department is a senior-level position responsible for overseeing and leading a team of creative professionals in the development and execution of advertising campaigns. This role combines both creative and managerial responsibilities. The specific job description can vary depending on the agency, but here are the typical duties and responsibilities associated with this position:

Creative Direction: Provide creative direction and leadership to the creative team, which includes art directors, copywriters, graphic designers, interns, social media managers, and other creative and strategic professionals. Ensure that the team's work aligns with the client's goals and brand identity.

Campaign Development: Collaborate with account managers, strategists, and clients to understand project objectives, target audience, and key messaging. Develop creative concepts and ideas for advertising campaigns that effectively convey the client's message and achieve desired results.

Team Management: Manage and mentor the creative team, including conducting performance reviews, providing feedback, and fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment. Assign tasks and projects to team members based on their strengths and expertise.

Quality Control: Maintain high-quality standards for all creative work produced by the team. Review and approve creative materials, ensuring they meet the client's expectations and agency standards.

Budget Management: Work closely with the account management team to estimate project costs and manage the creative department's budget effectively. Ensure that projects are completed within budget constraints.

Client Communication: Act as a primary point of contact for clients regarding creative aspects of projects. Present and pitch creative ideas to clients, incorporating their feedback and addressing their concerns.

Trend Analysis: Stay updated on industry trends, emerging technologies, and creative best practices. Apply this knowledge to enhance the agency's creative work and keep campaigns innovative and fresh.

Creative Strategy: Develop creative strategies that align with the client's business objectives and marketing goals. Ensure that the creative concepts resonate with the target audience and are aligned with the client's brand identity.

Project Management: Oversee the entire creative process, from concept development to final production. Ensure that projects are completed on time and meet deadlines.

Collaboration: Foster collaboration and teamwork within the creative department and across different departments within the agency. Work closely with other departments, such as media planning, to ensure that creative elements are effectively integrated into advertising campaigns.

Presentation Skills: Prepare and deliver persuasive and compelling presentations to clients, agency stakeholders, and other relevant parties to sell creative concepts and ideas.

Client Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong client relationships by understanding their needs, addressing concerns, and delivering creative solutions that exceed their expectations.

An Advertising Creative Group Head is considered as an important step in the growth trajectory of a creative professional. Traditionally, an Advertising Creative Group Head has shown great leadership abilities while having youth on their side. If they prove themselves up to the tasks at hand - in time, and with experience, they will make the next step towards being promoted to a Creative Director position.

Overall, the role of an Advertising Creative Group Head is a crucial one in the advertising industry. They are responsible for not only driving the creative vision but also for managing a team and ensuring that the agency's creative work meets and exceeds client expectations.

This particular Advertising Creative Group Head, while possessing all of the above attributes, will also need to be a specialist in the field of copywriting.

An advertising copywriter is a creative professional responsible for crafting compelling written content to promote products, services, or brands through various advertising channels. This role requires a combination of creativity, writing skills, and marketing knowledge to effectively communicate messages that resonate with the target audience.

Key Responsibilities:

Conceptualize and Ideate: Generate creative ideas and concepts for advertising campaigns that align with the client's objectives and target audience.

Write Copy: Create persuasive and engaging copy for various advertising materials, including television ads, print ads, digital ads, social media content, email marketing campaigns, websites, and more.

Tailor Messages: Adapt writing style and messaging to suit different platforms and demographics, ensuring that the content is relevant and impactful.

Collaborate with Creative Teams: Work closely with art directors, designers, and other team members to develop integrated advertising campaigns that combine visual and written elements seamlessly.

Research and Understand the Audience: Conduct market research to gain insights into the target audience's preferences, needs, and behaviors to create content that resonates.

Maintain Brand Voice: Ensure consistency in messaging and branding guidelines across all advertising materials to maintain the client's brand identity.

Proofreading and Editing: Review and edit copy for grammar, spelling, and accuracy to maintain high-quality content.

Meet Deadlines: Work within project timelines to deliver copy on schedule, sometimes under tight deadlines in a fast-paced advertising environment.

Stay Current: Keep up with industry trends, advertising techniques, and emerging technologies to continually refine and improve copywriting skills.

Client Collaboration: Communicate with clients to understand their goals, provide updates on campaign progress, and incorporate feedback into the copywriting process.

Craft Work with agency partners and suppliers like directors, photographers, audio engineers, retouchers, illustrators, editors, animators, actors and voice artists to make sure the final creative products are of international, or award-winning standards.

Bachelor degree (or equivalent) in English, Marketing, Advertising, Communications, or a related field. Relevant experience and a strong portfolio may substitute for formal education.

Proven experience as a copywriter in an advertising agency or a related role.

Exceptional writing and editing skills with a keen eye for detail.

Creative thinking and the ability to generate innovative ideas.

Strong understanding of advertising principles and marketing strategies.

Proficiency in using software and tools for writing and collaboration (e.g., Microsoft Office, Google Workspace).

Familiarity with SEO and digital marketing trends (for digital copywriters).

Excellent communication and teamwork skills.

Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines.

A passion for storytelling and a strong desire to stay up-to-date with industry trends.

Publicis Groupe, the second largest communications group in the world, employing over 100 000 talented minds, across 100 countries. Publicis Groupe has made a name for itself by putting its people first. We, at Publicis Groupe Africa, are no different. With over 60 agencies across 36 countries on the continent, there’s no better place to grow a rewarding career in media, communications, marketing or advertising in Africa.

Publicis Groupe Africa is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and prohibits any forms of discrimination or harassment. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our employees in line with our Employment Equity Plan. All appointments will be based on qualifications, experience and best fit, but preference will be given to all candidates from designated groups. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Should you not hear from us within two weeks after submitting your application, please consider your application as unsuccessful. For more information and other vacancies, visit PublicisGroupeAfrica.com.