We were lucky enough to chat to Bridget Bucknell-Whalley, Engagement Planning Manager at OMD UK, to hear about her role and her proudest moment at the agency so far.
Hi Bridget – thanks for taking the time to chat to us. We heard you recently spent time with another team – how did this come about?
No problem, always happy to chat. Yes I did, I took part in the License to Switch programme OMD UK offers and I worked in the XMP team for a couple of weeks. It was a really great experience.
What was the outcome of this move?
Well the switch has resulted in a new role for both myself and for OMD UK actually. It was born out of Disney’s need for really reactive media solution combined with craft media planning. They are extremely forward-thinking as a business and we needed to reflect that within our team.
The License to Switch programme was great as I realised what bits of my job I love the most, which is craft media planning but I am also a bit of a control freak so didn’t want to give up my comms planning hat. My new role lets me do both!
What does your new role entail?
So as an Engagement Planning Manager, I sit across both Comms Planning and XMP as a hybrid role. The role uses a variety of data inputs to provide real time media planning as well as ensuring we are using media in creative and new ways.
I provide the XMP specialism within our team, working with the Comms team to provide a more implementation focused approach. Then when Disney release content to the market, I basically become their in-house media guru. I provide them with recommendations and media solutions live from their office – no brief, no fixed budget. It’s very fast paced and challenging but really exciting.
Other client teams are now coming to me to ask about how Engagement Planning could work for their clients which is great.
And finally, what’s your proudest moment at OMD UK?
I would say seeing the huge success of films like Ant-Man and Inside Out. Obviously they are great films and we can’t say their success is all down to our media planning but working hand-in-hand with the client was a really great experience. Bring on Star Wars!
