Company Description

Studio One, which forms part of Publicis South Africa, is a bespoke agency tailored to Toyota South Africa. We handle all of Toyota’s advertising including: above-the-line, below-the-line, strategy, digital, social media, media placement, and community management. We are a tight-knit team of award-winning creatives passionate about the automotive industry and breakthrough work.

 

We work in-office 5 days a week from our studio in Bryanston. We are a people-first agency, with a keen interest in AI and other new technologies. Our goal is to create locally relevant work stemming from culturally authentic South African insights. 

Overview

The Account Director is the senior client lead responsible for the strategic, commercial, and operational success of a major automotive account.

The role partners with senior client stakeholders and integrated agency teams to deliver effective brand, retail, digital, social, dealer, and launch campaigns that support both brand health and commercial objectives.

The position requires strong automotive category knowledge, an understanding of market dynamics and customer journeys, and the ability to translate client business priorities into clear agency direction and excellent creative work.

Responsibilities

Client Leadership & Strategic Partnership

• Act as the senior day-to-day client lead and trusted advisor.
• Build strong relationships with Marketing Directors, Brand Managers, Product Managers and Dealer Network stakeholders.
• Understand the client’s business drivers, sales targets, product plans, and competitive landscape.
• Influence client decision-making through strategic recommendations.
• Lead quarterly business reviews and annual planning sessions.
• Drive client satisfaction and long-term partnership growth.

Automotive Brand Stewardship

• Maintain a deep understanding of product launches, retail promotions, dealer communications, customer lifecycle marketing, ownership, and aftersales journeys.
• Ensure campaigns align with brand guidelines, positioning, and commercial objectives.
• Support vehicle launch strategies and integrated go-to-market planning.

Integrated Campaign Leadership

• Lead the development and delivery of integrated campaigns across ATL, digital, social media, PR, experiential, dealer marketing, and content production.
• Translate business challenges into clear strategic and creative briefs.
• Ensure creative work addresses both brand and sales objectives.
• Champion innovation and identify opportunities to improve campaign effectiveness.

Team & Agency Leadership

• Ensure effective workload allocation and resource planning.
• Foster strong collaboration between Client Service, Strategy, Creative, Production, Media, and Digital teams.
• Guide teams with clarity, accountability, and a focus on high-quality delivery.

Operational & Commercial Excellence

• Ensure flawless execution across projects and campaigns.
• Maintain quality control throughout the delivery process.
• Manage timelines, risks, and stakeholder expectations.
• Resolve issues proactively and efficiently.
• Ensure compliance with agency processes and governance.
• Support revenue, margin, and profitability management for the account.

Qualifications

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strategic brand and business leadership, with the ability to connect client objectives to agency delivery.
• Executive-level client management, presentation, influencing, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong automotive market understanding, including dealer networks, launches, retail activity, CRM, ownership, and aftersales communications.
• Integrated campaign leadership across ATL, digital, media, social, content, production, PR, and experiential channels.
• Commercial acumen, including financial accountability, revenue management, and margin awareness.
• Multi-disciplinary team leadership, resource planning, and collaborative ways of working.

Experience Required

Essential

• 8–12+ years' experience in a creative, advertising, or integrated communications agency.
• Minimum 3–5 years in a senior client leadership role.
• Proven management of large-scale integrated campaigns.

Highly Preferred

• Automotive experience across OEMs, dealer networks, vehicle launches, retail campaigns, and aftersales marketing.
• Experience working with regional or multinational automotive brands.
• Experience leading integrated agency teams across ATL, Digital, and Media.

What Success Looks Like

• The client regards the Account Director as a strategic business partner.
• Revenue and profitability growth are consistent and well managed.
• Client needs are anticipated and converted into meaningful business growth opportunities.
• The Account Director operates at a level ready for progression to Group Account Director.

Additional Information

Studio One is 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 candidates from designated groups. Interested candidates must please submit a concise CV including a link to your portfolio. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

 

Should you not hear from us within 2 weeks after submitting your application, please consider your application as unsuccessful.