Associate Director, Creative Strategy – Sports & Entertainment

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world-class partnerships – all united by ourpioneeringagentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.

WPP Media is WPP's AI-driven media operating unit, bringing together media, data, and partnerships to deliver creative personalisation nected through WPP Open and powered by Open Intelligence, clients see exactly where, how, and why their media investment is working.

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WPP Media is the UK’s biggest media agency network. More clients choose to work with us than anyone else in the UK. This success is delivered via a clear, client centric vision –
* to be the most trusted growth partner for brands.*

WPP Media:
Sports & Entertainment is our dedicated practice focused on the development of brand partnerships, sponsor ships, branded entertainment and socially driven content solutions for brands. We work with the biggest and most impactful brands, platforms, IP, rights holders, talent and creators to drive our work.

We passionately believe that Sports and Entertainment make modern culture. Across sport, music, fashion, gaming and entertainment, they fuel the communities and fandoms that drive audiences and power brand differentiation. The vision of our 100+ dedicated craft experts is simple –
We make brands epic in culture
.

The Associate Director, Creative Strategy is a senior role within WPP Media Sports & Entertainment. Reporting to the Director, Creative Strategy, you will sit at the intersection of human insight, cultural trends, and entertainment. Your primary mission is to turn brand objectives into culturally impactful ideas that deliver growth for our clients.

This role bridges strategic ambition and day-to-day execution. You will be confident navigating the entire process: taking complex client briefs, developing channel-agnostic creative strategies, leading idea development alongside creative teams, and guiding those ideas as they come to life.

As an important member of the team, you will take meaningful ownership of client relationships, actively contribute to organic growth, and mentor and manage junior strategists, acting as a trusted, day-to-day strategic partner for both internal specialist disciplines and external client teams.

Strategic Leadership & Insight Generation

• Lead the development of powerful, insight-driven creative strategies that inform clear creative territories for brands.

• Uncover deep insights across consumer behavior, cultural shifts, and connection channels to unlock new opportunities.

• Reframe a brand's role in the world-moving it from a product people buy to a cultural story they want to actively participate in.

• Integrate Creative Strategy expertise seamlessly within the wider media Planning process.

Creative Development & Collaboration

• Work closely with creative, partnership, and specialist teams to develop high-quality, channel-agnostic ideas that deliver cultural impact and commercial outcomes.

• Create the optimal conditions for creative ideas to flourish, supporting teams as they bring concepts to life.

• Connect client briefs to culturally relevant platforms, talent, rights holders, broadcasters, and creators.

• Stay at the forefront of emerging cultural trends, social platforms, and technologies (e.g., WPP Open) to keep our strategic output cutting-edge.

Client & Account Leadership

• Take senior day-to-day ownership of strategic accounts, building trusted, consultative relationships with key client contacts.

• Act…