Head of Direct to Audience

Job Summary 

LW Entertainment (LWE) is an entertainment company with musical theatre at its heart. 

Founded in 1977, we exist to represent, manage, and licence the work of the most commercially successful composer of all time, Andrew Lloyd Webber. We oversee the portfolio of brands under Andrew Lloyd Webber (ALW) Musicals and collaborate with best-in-class partners to extend into traditional and non-traditional entertainment mediums, reaching existing and new audiences all around the world. 

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The Department

The Brand & Franchise Development Team works in close collaboration across the business and with external partners worldwide to drive the evolution and extension of brands within the Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals portfolio. Their role encompasses devising brand and marketing strategies that reach and connect with global audiences while inspiring the next generation of fans through direct-to-consumer platforms, communications, and targeted campaigns.

The team manages strategic brand partnerships and oversees comprehensive asset management to ensure consistent brand identity across all markets. Beyond marketing and audience development, the department is also responsible for protecting and enhancing the values and identity of Andrew Lloyd Webber's brands, ensuring that all extensions maintain the artistic integrity and commercial strength of the original works.

The team's ambition is to ensure sustainable brand growth, while preserving the distinctive character that makes each Andrew Lloyd Webber musical resonate with diverse, multi-generational audiences worldwide.

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The Role

The Head of Direct to Audience will be an experienced and highly motivated digital and consumer marketing leader, who loves entertainment, thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about delivering exceptional fan experiences, growing fan communities and fuelling fandom.

In this role you will own audience growth by combining your strategic and tactical marketing skills, your knowledge of owned and operated channel strategies, and your passion for content and creative execution. This role sits at the intersection of data, storytelling and scaling platforms, and in-turn our brands and the business overall.

Ultimately, you will be accountable for customer and fan acquisition, how we acquire them and what converts them. You will operate with a global lens, working in close collaboration with our many partners across the world to develop a deep knowledge of local fandoms as they relate to our brands (and competitor brands), and the role our owned and operated platforms play in nurturing and fuelling global fandom, and in-turn brand and franchise growth.

 Core responsibilities:

1. Acquisition strategy & growth planning

• Develop a deep understanding of our brands, platforms and audiences, to drive acquisition and growth of our fan following and fan communities.

• Define and execute the fan acquisition roadmap for The Box Five Club and the ALW Musicals Website and Store, across paid, organic and partnerships

• Own acquisition forecasting, establishing KPI’s and growth targets in alignment with broader brand strategies and objectives.

• Develop and drive a clear vision and strategy to scale our platforms and digital ecosystem

2. Platform ownership and marketing management

• Ownership of all owned and operated digital and social media channels, supported by a Social Media Manager.

• Oversee community management and moderation, carried out by the Social Media Manager.

• Develop and manage relationships with key platform partners including Meta, Google, YouTube and affiliates.

• Devise organic and paid influencer strategies, supported by the Social Media Manager and agency resource  

• Lead and manage key agency relationships and freelance resource

• Lead testing and scaling of new channels relevant to audiences.

3. Creative strategy, content and editorial planning

• Own end-to-end content planning, development and execution, supported directly by the Asset & Archive Manager, wider internal resource, retained agencies and freelancers.

• Lead the editorial strategy and content plan for all platforms, supported by internal and external resource.  

• Set the creative strategy, supported by internal resource, retained agencies and freelancers.

• Ensure creative drives channel objectives and strategies and reflects brand positioning.

4. Data, analytics & performance accountability

• Experienced in CRM with clear understanding of system capabilities

• Able to identify opportunities, trends and challenges using data.

• Use insights and data to refine messaging and creative

• Make data-driven decisions with clarity and conviction

• Regularly share and report on performance, including learnings and recommendations  

• Educate internal and external partners on the value and opportunity our platforms

5. Line management & cross-functional influence

• Manage and nurture in-house Social Media Manager and Asset & Archive Manager

• Report to and act as a strategic partner to the Brand & Franchise Development Director

• Educate internal and external partners on the value and opportunity our platforms

• Translate data for departmental and wider business needs, meetings and pitches

About You:

• 5+ years experience in a similar role

• You have a growth mindset: we work in a fast-paced environment, and are looking for someone who is adaptable, un-flappable and has the tenacity to overcome challenges, and the passion to succeed – and bring others on that journey with them.

• You are extremely analytical: Obsessed with using data to inform and improve outcomes

• You are digital obsessed: You love digital, it's your passion, learning about how to get better at it is not a chore, also educating others on its benefits and value is rewarding to you.

• You are a leader: You have held a mid-level leadership role and are keen to continue to progress your skills in leadership and are passionate about helping others be at their best

• You are a team-player: We are a small, family-run business, with big ambitions, we succeed through collaboration, so it’s important you’re a team player, and a great communicator.

• You aren't interested in average: We are building a big business with a small and extremely focused team. If you love entertainment and relish a challenge, this will be the ride of your life, but it will also be a demanding role, so we’re looking for someone who is excited by that possibility.