Digital Performance Marketing Specialist (Affiliate Marketing)

About the role:

The successful candidate will be responsible for driving best practice in Direct Response Always On digital marketing channels for the Group, ensuring appropriate planning and investment within priority markets/regions and on the Airlines major global initiatives in order to deliver maximum return on media investment. The role holds the key responsibility of managing and optimizing the affiliate marketing programs and strategies to drive customer acquisition and revenue growth via key affiliate publishers.

What you will do: 

• Implement a robust and relevant Direct Response Always On (DRAO) plan, ensuring that demand-driven activity is aligned with relevant global brand & tactical campaigns for the year. Responsible for identifying and recommending how the plan can be continually optimised to get maximum return on investment, while adhering to guidelines and KPIs set by the Channel Managers. Run the ongoing management and optimisation of the DRAO programme, in line with the annual DRAO plan.


• Set budgets for the DRAO program and provide forecasts of demand across performance marketing channels, sharing this information with Media Managers, Strategic Planners and MMCs.


• Support global/pan-national brand and tactical campaigns that meet the requirements for inclusion into the DRAO program. Incorporate these into the annual plan, and measure impact on the DRAO program while supporting these campaigns. Update and communicate any required changes to the requirements for inclusion.


• Ensure the always on marketing activity is accurately monitored and measured using available analytics tools, deriving data driven insights to make informed investment decisions.


• Provide regular cross channel reports and insights to Media Managers for all DRAO activity. Use business and market information, such as forward bookings, provided by the Media Managers to make relevant adjustments to the DRAO plan.


• Escalate any local market issues with platforms, publishers or technologies to the relevant Channel Manager or agency/partner. Rectify and escalate any local market issues with platforms, publishers or technologies across the ad tech stack if data granularity or quality issues are identified .Work collaboratively to resolve the issue, measuring changes in KPIs along the way. Share this information with the Channel Managers and Media Managers.


• Act as the day-to-day point of contact for relevant performance agencies/partnerships at a local market level.


• Share best practice ideas from across markets with the Performance Team and Channel Managers in order to foster innovation and creative thinking within demand-driven performance activities.


• Ensure the implementation of governance of all media activity ensuring transparency, safety and non-fraudulent activities is occurring across DRAO activities. Identify and escalate governance and fraud issues in local markets for rectification if the issues cannot be resolved locally.


• Ensure appropriate tagging and brand safety controls are in place. Follow Media best practice in identifying and targeting segments and audiences.


• Maintain compliance to Emirates Group privacy principles and work with the Data Privacy Network Liaison within CCMB to ensure privacy and security of personal data is considered by design and default in all aspects of the role.

The job might be for you if you have:

• Degree in Media or Marketing. A post graduate qualification from a masters program or a professional marketing institution (for example a diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing) would be a  distinct advantage. Suitable work experience in lieu of educational requirements will be considered.


• 5+ Years experience in a media position in an international media agency, responsible for performance marketing, planning and trading/campaign implementation.  


• It is preferable to have some Client Side experience of  actively managing clients in an agency role.


• Experienced and knowledgeable in major performance media channels - programmatic, search, affiliates/ metas, social and retargeting approaches.


• Experience in the airline/travel industry is preferable. 

You'll have an edge if you have:

• Excellent skills in communication and consensus building are critical in order to manage the expectations of multiple stakeholders internally and our external agency partners.


• Self-motivated, ability to identify problems and work methodically to solve them.


• Must be familiar with industry-standard media planning tools with a strong understanding of media planning theory/ planning fundamentals.


• High degree of cross channel planning expertise


• Good experience working with 1st party/ 3rd party data to derive consumer insight and also an understanding of how these data points can be operationalised via digital media to drive media efficiencies.


• The ability to work independently, prioritise and time-manage whilst working on several projects simultaneously and under tight deadlines.