Automotive Retail Media Lead

Talascend is currently seeking an Automotive Retail Media Lead for a contract opportunity with our client in Warren, Michigan.

Overview

Lead cross-tier media strategies and dealer group partnerships that unite marketing efforts, strengthen retail media performance, and support vehicle sales. This role uses data, analytics, audience development, vendor partnerships, and emerging technologies to drive measurable outcomes for dealers and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop cross-tier media strategies and measurement plans, including return on advertising spend, foot traffic, and other performance metrics.
• Communicate cross-tier strategies to dealers, vendors, agency partners, regional teams, and brand teams through meetings, webinars, and field engagement.
• Use available product and customer data to enhance audience development and data-sharing capabilities.
• Identify approved first-party data opportunities that can be shared with participating dealers through vendors.
• Build and execute strategies that leverage audience sharing, incremental reach and frequency planning, creative and message synchronization, optimization, and measurement.
• Serve as the primary contact for cross-tier advertising goals and educate stakeholders on foundational practices and advanced growth strategies.
• Identify tactical opportunities to maximize retail performance and sales for key markets, channels, or vehicle models.
• Develop a clear, value-driven narrative to increase dealer participation in digital advertising programs.
• Connect dealer media activity to vehicle sales through sales data and attribution models.
• Develop vendor compensation plans tied to measurable, sales-focused outcomes.
• Bring a cross-tier perspective to national strategy and planning sessions, including activation, consent, and measurement.
• Monitor emerging technologies and tools, applying relevant innovations across marketing tiers.
• Build a formal learning agenda to test new offerings, scale effective solutions, and hold providers accountable.
• Serve as the subject matter expert for cross-tier initiatives, including feasibility assessments, partner selection, measurement planning, launch, implementation, and optimization.
• Identify and scale practical artificial intelligence applications for marketing programs and participating dealers.
• Establish and lead direct collaboration with dealer groups and council members to develop shared goals, timelines, and strategic opportunities.
• Strengthen partnerships with dealer group marketing teams while accounting for their distinct goals, challenges, and opportunities.
• Travel to meet with dealer council members, local market organizations, and large dealer groups to share growth strategies and gather feedback.
• Represent dealer group interests in cross-tier discussions and host roundtable discussions as needed.
• Provide actionable insights and data-driven recommendations based on the digital and retail data of each dealer group.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field.
• At least 20 years of experience in marketing, media, audience targeting, or brand roles within retail marketing.
• Strong understanding of automotive retail and digital marketing, including the use of retail goals, data, metrics, audiences, and digital media to drive sales and dealer profitability.
• Experience developing digital media strategies across multiple marketing tiers.
• Knowledge of digital media platforms, technologies, and processes.
• Understanding of digital trends, consumer behavior, industry sources, and emerging channels.
• Strong understanding of paid digital advertising channels and tactics, including search engine marketing, display, social, video, and connected television.
• Familiarity with customer data platforms, digital media analytics, and audience curation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with call tracking, vehicle merchandising, reputation management, chat tools, trade-in tools, or digital retailing tools.
• Experience with major digital media platforms and dealer-vendor ecosystems.