Associate Director - Brand, Sports & Entertainment

Burson, part of WPP, is the global communications leader built to create value for clients through reputation. With highly specialized teams, industry‑leading technologies and breakthrough creative, we help brands and businesses redefine reputation as a competitive advantage so they can lead today and into the future. When you work at Burson, you are part of a global community of lifelong learners who thrive at the edge of innovation.

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The Brand, Sport and Entertainment team is home to some of the world’s best loved sport and entertainment brands including Activision Blizzard, Spotify, Adidas, Gillette, Bose and many more. It is made up of sector specialists who live and breathe culture, sports, gaming, music and film. We’re building a vibrant and diverse team, that delivers incredible work for amazing brands at the forefront of culture.

As an Associate Director, you will be a dynamic and commercially astute thinker, creating strategic and innovative solutions for client challenges that yield exceptional results. You will offer insightful and effective counsel to clients, manage expectations, proactively address issues, and ensure seamless execution of all client deliverables. This role is a rare opportunity to work on a career‑defining set of clients that would turn the head of anyone passionate about entertainment.

ACTIVISION BLIZZARD:
Activision Blizzard is the world’s largest video game publisher, with titles including Call of Duty, Diablo, World of Warcraft and Overwatch. This role sits across all franchises to provide leadership to day‑to‑day UK account team and support the Senior Director and Managing Director in running the business to the highest standards. Crucial to this role is an understanding of UK culture including sports, music, and the influencer and creator landscape.

SPOTIFY FC BARCELONA:
Spotify is one of our flagship global clients with a number of work streams dedicated to their communications business. Spotify’s partnership with FC Barcelona has redefined sports sponsorship, with ‘shirt swap’ activations adding the logos of global superstars Drake, Rosalia, Olivia Rodrigo, The Rolling Stones and Coldplay to the iconic shirts. Your role will be to lead PR and influencer activations as this partnership continues to rewrite the book.

TNT SPORTS:
TNT Sports is the home of major sports broadcasting in the UK including the Premier League, The FA Cup and Women’s FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, Moto GP, Boxing, Golf and Rugby. This role will lead the UK press office raising awareness of TNT’s exceptional line up of sports rights, pundits and quality content.

• Client Advisory & Relationship Management:
  Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to clients, deepening relationships and guiding them to achieve their key business and communication objectives.
• Strategic Narrative & Campaign Strategy:
  Exhibit strong strategic thinking to craft compelling narratives and multi‑channel content strategies that drive value and generate new revenue streams for clients.
• Ideation & Innovation:
  Lead and facilitate creative brainstorming sessions internally and externally, pitching and selling…