VML & Ogilvy | Social Content Planner (WPP Content Studio), Japan
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WPP CONTENT STUDIO Role: Social Content Planner Location: Tokyo, Japan
ROLE
You are the heartbeat of the WPP Content Studio’s daily operation - the vital link between the high-level vision of our Strategists and the visual magic of our Content Creators.
While the Strategist defines where we need to play and why, and the Content Creator builds what people see, you determine how we show up in the feed every single day. You take top-line social strategy and translate it into a tangible, exciting go-to-market plan.
You are a culture hunter and a social native who understands that a strategy is only as good as its execution. You live in the comments section, you know what’s trending on TikTok before it hits Instagram, and you understand exactly what Japanese audiences are watching, sharing, and saving right now.
Your job is to fuel the creative team. You don’t just hand them a deadline; you hand them the spark - the best references, the perfect audio trending sound, the creator inspiration, and the cultural context that allows them to visualize and execute breakthrough ideas.
You don’t just plan social content. You design how social connects to the broader consumer journey.
You understand that audiences don’t live on one platform. They move between Instagram, TikTok, LINE, YouTube, events, and retail, and your role is to ensure our content works across this ecosystem.
You are a social native with an omni-channel mindset. You think in feeds, but also beyond them.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Planning & Editorial Management
Translate Strategy to Action: Take the master strategy and social playbooks from the Social Strategist and convert them into actionable, monthly, and weekly editorial calendars.
Go-to-Market Planning: Develop concrete content plans that blend brand storytelling with ‘right now’ cultural relevance.
Platform Specificity: Tailor content plans for specific behaviors across Meta (IG/FB), YouTube (Shorts & Long-form), TikTok, X, and LINE. You know that a video on TikTok requires a different hook than one on Reels.
Omni-Channel & Ecosystem Thinking
Ecosystem Mapping: Understand how audiences move across touchpoints : social, CRM, events, retail, and digital platforms.
Connection Planning: Identify how social content connects to other channels (e.g., LINE, website, influencer, offline experiences).
Journey Thinking: Ensure content drives movement, not just engagement.
Proactive Recommendations: Initiate discussions with teams and clients on how campaigns should extend beyond social.
Culture, Trends & Insights
- Trend Spotting: Monitor Japanese culture, trends, and platform behaviors in real time.
- Audience Understanding: Know what your audience consumes, follows, and engages with daily.
- Creator Integration: Identify and recommend creators and influencers that fit the content narrative.
Creative Enablement (The Bridge)
Inspire Creators: Provide strong references, trends, audio, and cultural context to fuel execution.
Format Optimization: Guide teams on what format works best and why.
Collaboration & Proactiveness
Independent Thinking: Don’t wait for direction. Bring ideas, improvements, and opportunities.
Internal Collaboration: Work closely with Strategy, Creative, Production, and Accounts.
Client Engagement: Be confident contributing to discussions with clients on content direction and planning.
Challenge Thinking: Question plans when needed to improve output quality and effectiveness.
AI & Workflow
AI-Powered Planning: Use AI tools (including WPP Open) to analyze trends, generate rapid content angles, summarize audience sentiments, and streamline the calendaring process.
Performance Feedback: Work with the Data/Strategy team to review content performance and immediately apply those learnings to next week’s content plan.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
4+ years in social content planning or editorial roles
Strong understanding of Japanese social ecosystem (Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, LINE, etc.)
Ability to translate strategy into executable content systems
Understanding of omni-channel marketing and how platforms connect
Strong cultural awareness and trend sensitivity
Ability to manage structured plans while adapting quickly
Comfortable using AI tools for planning and research
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
Pop-Culture Junkie: You are relentlessly curious about people, technology, and what makes the internet laugh, cry, or click.
System Thinker: You can connect across platforms and touchpoints, with core strength on Social
Collaborative Connector: You thrive sitting between teams. You speak Strategy and you speak Creative, and you know how to make them understand each other.
Proactive Self-Starter: You don’t wait for a trend to be assigned to you; you find it and pitch it.
Open-Minded & Transparent: A team player who shares knowledge, shares credit, and is always willing to learn.
LANGUAGE SKILLS
Japanese: Native or Fluent (Essential for understanding local cultural nuance and trends).
English: Conversational (Required for internal/client collaboration).
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