MERGE is hiring a

Brand Strategist

Chicago, United States

Merge Storytelling and Technology

MERGE promotes health, wealth and happiness in the world by merging storytelling with technology and offers marketing and technology clients full-service capabilities including strategy, creative communications, experience engineering, performance marketing, media and digital platform development. MERGE has enduring client partnerships with American Express, T-Mobile, LG, Subway, Kate Spade NY, Coach, The North Face, Meta, Adobe, BlueCross BlueShield, Abbott, Astellas, Supernus, CSL, GE Healthcare, Broward Health, Indiana University Health, Nationwide and Morgan Stanley. With 800 employees across offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Montreal, New York City and Los Angeles, MERGE uses a talent-to-task process that enables clients to think higher and feel deeper about their customers. For more information, visit mergeworld.com.

Promote Health, Wealth & Happiness

We are committed to promoting health, wealth, and happiness in the world by partnering with purpose-driven clients in purpose-driven industries such as healthcare, financial services, and consumer products. Our deep vertical expertise and category insights stem from decade-long partnerships with our top clients.

Emerge to the Top of Your Career

At MERGE, we strive to create a superior work experience where talented and ambitious people grow. An experience that encourages people to think higher and feel deeper. An experience where people engage minds and hearts to do the best work of their careers.

As our Brand Strategist,  you will…

Delve into brand strategy and customer experience, supporting the development of impactful, user-centered strategies that drive meaningful engagement. With guidance from senior team members, you’ll play a key role in understanding customer behaviors, identifying opportunities, and crafting solutions that align with our clients' business goals and brand vision.

You have an interest in ways to tackle different types of brand and customer experience problems, from research that helps identify early-stage opportunity areas to gauging the effectiveness of potential solutions. You’re curious about how effective solutions are created and eager to roll up your sleeves with agency partners, as well as work directly with customers and clients. 

You’re eager to learn and dive into any task or opportunity to partner with colleagues. You crave an organization where your contributions will make an impact. You want it all wrapped up in a culture that is passionate about bringing brands to life and creating awesome end-to-end experiences.

Be Accountable and Responsible

Customer Insight and Brand Development:

  • Assist in conducting research to gather deep insights into customer behaviors, preferences, and pain points.
  • Participate in secondary research, mine existing client research, and help conduct online listening efforts to gain insights that address client business issues.
  • Support primary research efforts, such as recruiting, interviews, and surveys. 
  • Analyze research data to identify trends and patterns that inform strategic recommendations.
  • Collaborate with senior strategists and client service leaders to translate insights into actionable strategies and brand positioning.

Brand Strategy and Experience Mapping:

  • Contribute to competitive evaluations, evaluating brand messaging and experience. 
  • Contribute to the creation of brand planning materials, customer journey maps, and personas that reflect a deep understanding of target audiences and brand vision.
  • Support the development of creative briefs, and messaging strategies.
  • Assist in the creation of personas that capture the diverse needs and motivations of users, and brand guidelines that ensure consistency.
  • Contribute to the development of journey maps by collecting and synthesizing data from various touchpoints.
  • Help identify key touchpoints and moments that matter, ensuring a seamless and cohesive customer experience that aligns with brand strategy.

Collaboration and Execution:

  • Work closely with cross-functional teams, including client service, creative, media, and experience design to ensure the successful implementation of brand plans and CX strategies
    Support with facilitating workshops and brainstorming sessions to generate innovative ideas and solutions.
  • Provide support in project management tasks, ensuring timelines and deliverables are met.
  • Contribute to the preparation of presentations and reports that communicate strategic insights and recommendations to clients, including brand positioning and messaging strategies.

These are the qualifications we’re looking for

  • 2-4 years of experience in brand planning, customer experience, marketing, or related fields, preferably within an agency or consultancy setting.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Design, Psychology, or a related field.
  • Intellectual curiosity, creativity, and a passion for understanding and improving customer experiences and brand strategies.
  • A proactive and eager learner with a self-driven work ethic, comfortable taking initiative and asking for guidance.
  • Knowledge of media, digital strategy, and/or multi-channel planning
  • Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and draw meaningful insights.
  • Familiarity with research methodologies (e.g., surveys, interviews).
  • Familiarity with customer journey mapping, persona development, and brand strategy frameworks (e.g. pyramids and positioning).
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment.
  • Strong verbal communication skills, comfortable engaging with clients and colleagues in senior positions.
  • Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
  • Proficiency in standard office tools (we use the Google Suite -- Slides, Docs, Sheets, etc.) and online collaboration tools such as Miro.  

Bonus points

  • Understanding of brand guidelines, and experience in creating or working with creative briefs for campaigns is a plus.

#LI-VM1

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We offer the following: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, 410K, Lifestyle Spending Account, Employer Paid Life & Disability Insurance, Flexible Time off & Holidays plus other benefits and perks.

And here’s how we live our values at MERGE

  • Ability. Mastering our craft
  • Agility. Delivering with a growth mindset
  • Humility. Collaborating for shared success

MERGE is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer

MERGE welcomes and celebrates diversity regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status or people with abilities. We believe that the more diverse we are, the more creative our work will be!

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