Creative Lead, Experiential Marketing

Job Description

Creative Lead, Experiential Marketing

The Zendesk Creative Lab brings Zendesk to life by designing high-impact brand moments that are aligned with our voice, look, and feel, and stand out from the competition. We ensure a cohesive and consistent brand experience through our guidelines, creative direction, and partnership with agencies and Marketing business partners.
 

As the Creative Lead for Experiential Marketing, you will enhance our creative platform across both digital and in-person experiences. Your focus will be on fostering human imagination, innovation, and storytelling to create engaging interactions that align with Zendesk’s brand and business goals.
 

This role works in close collaboration with Creative Leads peers in Creative Integrated Marketing, the Creative Studio, Communications, the senior leadership team, and Experiential Marketing teams combining strategic leadership with a hands-on approach to create world-class immersive experiences that shape the way people interact with our brand.

Key responsibilities: 
 

Activate the brand across the events portfolio

• Build world class creative that comes to life throughout the full event experience 
• Enable brand consistency via guidelines and quality control through concepts and design systems that are connected to the event strategy, and unifies all aspects of the experience: presentations, digital livestreams, and in-person experiences 
• Forge strong partnerships within Creative, agencies, and with Marketing partners to build experiences that align to event objectives
• Use visual storytelling in presentations and activations that resonate with customers and inspire them to do business with Zendesk
• Stay in-tune with industry best practices, trends, and cultural shifts to inform creative work, introducing new ideas and approaches to keep our experiences relevant and competitive

Shape the visual narrative and execution to align with with messaging, event objectives, and speakers’ voices

• Work closely with executives to align messaging, enhance visual storytelling, and create a seamless integration between slide design and stage presentation, ensuring branding and visual elements transcend well between slide and screen.
• Collaborate with the Communications Team and Experiential Marketing Team  in providing strategic guidance on how to effectively thread the narrative from slide content to spoken delivery, ensuring clarity and impact
• Advise executives on presentation delivery, offering feedback on pacing, tone, and engagement strategies to enhance the impact of their words
• Ensure synchronization between speaker movements and the on-screen content, providing direction on how content should be revealed or animated during live delivery
• Oversee live rehearsals and adjust visuals in real-time as needed for optimum presentation flow

Lead onsite management of on-stage speaker experience

• Support the Communications Team with directing executives on presentation delivery, offering feedback on pacing, tone, and engagement strategies to enhance the impact of their spoken words
• Ensure synchronization between speaker movements and the on-screen content, providing direction on how content should be revealed or animated during live delivery, keeping both the in person and digital audiences in mind
• Oversee live rehearsals and support adjusting visuals in real-time as needed for optimum presentation flow

Cultivate an environment of candor, respect, and inspiration

• Model our values and leadership attributes in all communication and interactions
• Ensure excellence in the work with clear creative direction, and psychologically safe team critiques and discussions
• Foster team connection, diversity, and inspiration throughout the creative process
• Guide, inspire and mentor creatives across the broader team, sharing examples of best-in-class work across the industry

Ensure efficiency and productivity within the Creative Lab

• Share ownership with Creative Operations in weekly resourcing meetings, removing blockers and friction
• Create an environment where the Creative Studio is able to deliver the simplest solution
• Provide relevant information, tools, and resources that help the team do their best work

Skills required