Manager, Media Strategy

Company Description

Mars United Commerce is a global commerce marketing practice that aligns people, technology, and intelligence to make the business of our clients better today than it was yesterday. Our worldwide capabilities coalesce into four key disciplines - Strategy & Analytics, Content & Experiences, Digital Commerce, and Retail Consultancy - that individually deliver unmatched results for clients and collectively give them an unparalleled network of seamlessly integrated functions across the entire commerce marketing ecosystem.

These disciplines are powered by our industry-leading technology platform, Marilyn, which helps marketers understand the total business impact of their commerce marketing activation, enabling them to make better decisions, create connected experiences, and drive stronger, measurable results. Learn more at

Mars United Commerce is seeking aManager, Commerce Mediato support our Grocery business, with aprimary focus on Krogerandsecondary support for Publix and The Home Depot. This role is responsible forRFP’ing,briefing, execution and management of managed service media. This role will alsobrief and partner with theself servicemedia team to partner on reviewing, optimizing and reporting on media executions.

Location & Work Model

Candidates mustresidewithin commutable distance to one of our offices inChicagoor

Cincinnatifor a hybrid work schedule.

This role requires regularin-person engagement with client teams, with a minimum ofone day per week, increasing totwo days per weekin alignment with broader Publicis in-office expectations. These are minimum expectations and may increase based on business and client needs.

Primary Responsibilities

Kroger Retail Media Network (Primary Focus)

• Lead activation recommendations within
  
  Kroger’s managed service ecosystem, including
  
  Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM) and
  84.51.
• Apply strong working knowledge of Kroger Ad Platform (KAP), Prism, and CAAM.
• Own strategy and executional focus for Targeted Onsite Ads (TOAs) as a primary driver, with secondary emphasis onoffsite display and paid socialexecuted through Kroger-managed service platforms.
• Ensure campaign setup, targeting, creative specifications, pacing, and measurement are compliant with retailer requirements and optimized for performance.

Cross-Retailer Support (Secondary Focus)

• Provide secondary retail media support across
  
  Publix(including experience viaThe Goodway Group) andThe Home Depot, including
  
  Orange Apron Media.
• Apply cross-retailer learnings while accounting for differences in execution models, reporting, and media capabilities.

RMN-First Activation & Complementary Third-Party Media

• Lead recommendations that prioritizeretailer-owned RMN capabilities, layering inrelevant third-party partnersonly when they strengthen the shopper or promotion-led strategy.
• Maintain familiarity with complementary partners that support shopper and promotion-led activation (e.g.,Ogury,Promopoint, RRD, Fetch, Hip2
  
  Save, Krazy Coupon Lady), while ensuring RMNs remain the foundation of all plans.

RFP Leadership & Strategic POV

• Lead retailer and vendor RFP processes, developing inputs, evaluating proposals, and deliveringclear client POVs with supporting rationaleon how best to proceed.
• Manage annual vendor and retailer partnerships to ensure competitive rates, strong added value, and test-and-learn innovation opportunities.

Budget Ownership, Measurement & Optimization

• Own detailed budget allocation, flighting, and governance across programs.
• Ensure all client-facing documentation is accurate and all savings and value-adds are clearly documented.
• Define KPIs and measurement frameworks aligned to RMN reporting, monitor in-market performance, identify optimizations, and deliver insights-driven performance readouts with clear recommendations.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with the Retail Consultancy teamandin-store media activation partners to define the end-to-end shopper and consumer journey.
• Collaborate with creative, strategy, analytics, and client leadership teams to bring media thought starters, RMN solutions, and innovation ideas to life at retail.

Note:

Search activation is not a core…