Creative Strategy Lead (Branded Content & Influencer Marketing) Full Time NEW

Department: Dentsu Entertainment

Reports to: Dentsu Entertainment Practice Lead

Location: Mumbai/Bangalore/Gurgaon

Experience Required: 10+ Years

Role Overview:

This is a pivotal role at the intersection of creativity, culture, and strategy, responsible for shaping powerful, sellable ideas across branded content and influencer marketing.

The Creative Strategy Lead will drive the ideation engine of the Entertainment Practice, developing compelling concepts for pitches, AOPs, and proactive opportunities. This individual will combine cultural insight, platform understanding, and storytelling craft to build ideas that are not only creative but also strategically sound and executable.

The role requires someone who can think in IPs, formats, and partnerships, collaborate seamlessly with creative and media strategy teams, and translate briefs into high-impact narratives that win client confidence and business.

Key Responsibilities:

Creative Strategy & Ideation

• Lead the development of big ideas and creative platforms for new business pitches, Annual Operating Plans (AOPs)Ongoing client briefs and proactive opportunities
• Build ideas across Branded content (IPs, shows, integrations, partnerships) and Influencer-led storytelling and campaigns.
• Ensure ideas are rooted in cultural relevance, audience insight, and platform behavior.

IP & Content Development

• Conceptualize scalable content IPs and formats that brands can own and build over time.
• Identify opportunities for brand × culture × entertainment intersections.
• Develop narratives that move beyond integrations to owned storytelling ecosystems.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Creative teams (for craft, execution, and storytelling refinement), Media strategy teams (for distribution thinking and amplification) and Influencer teams (for creator-first thinking and execution feasibility)
• Ensure ideas are holistic, integrated, and execution ready.

Pitching & Presentation Excellence

• Lead the creation of high-quality, persuasive presentations that clearly articulate the idea, strategy, and impact.
• Present ideas confidently to senior clients and stakeholders.
• Translate complex thinking into simple, compelling narratives that drive decision-making.

Proactive Idea Generation

• Continuously develop and pitch proactive ideas to existing and new clients.
• Stay ahead of cultural trends, platform innovations, and content formats to identify white spaces.
• Partner with Business and Practice Leads to convert ideas into revenue opportunities.

Strategic Thinking & Frameworks

• Build repeatable idea frameworks and approaches that can be adapted across brands and categories.
• Bring structure to creative thinking, ensuring ideas ladder up to clear business and brand objectives.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with the Business Lead and Practice Lead to align ideas with client priorities and growth goals.
• Contribute to shaping the overall creative and content direction of the Entertainment Practice.

Team & Capability Building

• Manage and mentor a lean team (1 reportee in Year 1).
• Build creative thinking capability within the team and across functions.
• Foster a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and strong storytelling craft.

Key Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in branded content, creative strategy, digital content, or entertainment-led marketing.
• Proven track record of developing award-winning or high-impact creative ideas and content properties.
• Strong understanding of content ecosystems, influencer marketing, and platform dynamics.
• Experience in building IPs, formats, partnerships, or long-format storytelling.
• Exceptional storytelling and presentation skills (PPT + verbal).
• Ability to collaborate across teams and bring ideas to life end-to-end.
• Strong cultural awareness and instinct for what resonates with audiences today.
• Ability to balance creativity with strategic intent and business impact.

Success Metrics

• Pitch Win Rate: Conversion of ideas into business wins (new and existing clients).
• Quality of Ideas: Internal leadership and client feedback on originality, relevance, and impact.
• Proactive Idea Conversion: Number of proactive ideas that translate into live projects or retainers.
• IP Development: Number and scale of branded content IPs or formats created and sold.
• Client Feedback: Satisfaction with creative thinking, presentation quality, and strategic depth.
• Cross-Team Effectiveness: Feedback from creative, media, and influencer teams on collaboration quality.
• Presentation Excellence: Effectiveness of storytelling in pitches and client meetings.

What Makes This Role Critical

• The Idea Engine of the Practice: This role fuels the entire Entertainment Practice with powerful, differentiated ideas.
• Direct Impact on Revenue: Strong ideas win pitches, unlock larger mandates, and create new business opportunities.
• Shift from Integration to Ownership: Drives the move from one-off executions to ownable IPs and long-term content ecosystems.
• Cultural Relevance at Scale: Ensures the practice stays ahead of trends and creates work that audiences genuinely engage with.
• Bridge Between Strategy and Creativity: Connects business objectives with creative storytelling in a way that is both inspiring and executable.

Interested candidates can share their CV at pratiksha.sharma@dentsu.com along with the following details:

• Total Years of Experience

• Current Company

• Notice Period

• Current CTC

• Salary Expectations

• Current Location

• Location Preference