Account Director, Consumer + Lifestyle

Account Director, Consumer + Lifestyle About AZIONE AZIONE is a creative communications agency operating at the intersection of culture, media, and brand. We build relevance, not just awareness. Across consumer, lifestyle, food & beverage, hospitality, wellness, retail, fashion, and emerging brands, we help clients shape conversation and drive measurable business impact through strategic storytelling, media relations, partnerships, experiential activations, influencer and talent programming, and cultural positioning. Job Description We're looking for an Account Director to join AZIONE's Media team, leading a diverse portfolio of consumer and lifestyle accounts. This is not a traditional publicity role. It's a senior strategic leadership position for someone who understands how modern consumer brands build relevance across media, culture, consumer behavior, partnerships, experiential, influencer, and broader brand conversation. We're looking for a consumer generalist - someone who can move seamlessly across categories including lifestyle, CPG, food & beverage, hospitality, retail, wellness, fashion, and other consumer-facing businesses. You don't need to be an expert in every category, but you should know how to quickly understand a brand, its consumer, its competitive landscape, and the conversations it has the right to participate in. You have a strong pulse on the evolving media and cultural landscape and know how to translate a product, founder story, business milestone, launch, partnership, campaign, or cultural insight into meaningful editorial opportunities and brand-building moments. You understand the modern media ecosystem across consumer and lifestyle media, business press, trade and industry media, commerce and affiliate, thought leadership, and culture - and how those channels work together to build relevance and drive impact. You don't simply react to trends. You anticipate where conversations are headed and identify credible ways for brands to become part of them. Key Responsibilities Client Leadership & Growth Lead and oversee a diverse portfolio of consumer and lifestyle accounts, ensuring accounts are strategically strong, delivering against client goals, and consistently exceeding expectations Serve as senior day-to-day client contact and account lead, building trusted relationships and providing strategic counsel across client initiatives Quickly become fluent in clients' businesses, categories, consumers, competitive landscapes, and broader business objectives Partner with executive leadership to build and deliver client development plans, strengthen AZIONE's influence with clients, and identify opportunities for organic growth Proactively identify opportunities across campaigns, launches, partnerships, experiential activations, cultural moments, influencer and talent programming, and broader brand initiatives Lead client calls, strategic meetings, desksides, press previews, media briefings, event activations, and other media-facing moments alongside senior leadership as appropriate Anticipate client needs and address issues thoughtfully and effectively, escalating internal as appropriate Act as a source of knowledge and strategic counsel to clients, bringing category insights, cultural intelligence, media expertise, and informed recommendations to conversations and initiatives Oversee and contribute to new business processes including brainstorms, research, strategy, deck development, and pitch preparation Media Strategy & Cultural Relevance Lead proactive media strategy across consumer, lifestyle, business, trade, commerce, hospitality, food & beverage, wellness, retail, fashion, and culture verticals as relevant to assigned clients Develop compelling narratives and story angles spanning product launches, brand and business growth, founder and executive thought leadership, category innovation, partnerships, consumer trends, cultural conversations, and industry shifts Identify editorial opportunities tied to broader conversations happening across consumer behavior, business, lifestyle, culture, and clients' respective industries Conceptualize and lead integrated communications campaigns as an extension of clients' in-house teams Understand the role of commerce and affiliate within the modern earned media landscape and identify opportunities to drive both brand visibility and measurable business impact Oversee the cadence of media coverage, messaging, and press material development, ensuring all are aligned with clients' overall strategy and brand guidelines Draft and provide senior-level review of scopes of work, pitches, press releases, talking points, messaging, and other strategic client materials Oversee the implementation of brand partnerships and ensure opportunities align with broader client strategy Review and sign off on client agendas, action items, weekly and monthly recaps, and other key account touchpoints Execution Excellence Oversee and execute launches, campaigns, partnerships, events, and editorial initiatives from strategy through completion Ignite a steady rhythm of proactive and inbound editorial, partnership, experiential, and cultural opportunities across assigned accounts Ensure all client materials and communications are polished, accurate, strategic, and aligned with brand positioning Oversee reporting and coverage analysis to demonstrate both qualitative and quantitative ROI and campaign impact Stay apprised of emerging technologies, affiliate and commerce platforms, media shifts, consumer behavior, and changes in the broader brand landscape, assessing their relevance for clients Monitor consumer, business, media, lifestyle, and cultural trends daily, proactively surfacing opportunities and insights to clients and internal teams Anticipate challenges and proactively offer solutions to senior leadership for issues specific to assigned clients and initiatives Networking & Relationship Building Continuously grow a high-value network across consumer and lifestyle media, including business, commerce, food & beverage, hospitality, wellness, retail, fashion, and relevant trade verticals Build and maintain relationships with brand partners, cultural partners, and other relevant industry contacts Be recognized as someone who is highly responsive, well-connected, strategic, resourceful, and solutions-oriented Leverage relationships thoughtfully to create meaningful opportunities for clients and strengthen AZIONE's presence across the broader consumer landscape Leadership Lead, mentor, and inspire account teams across client management, media strategy, and execution Clearly define account team roles and responsibilities, providing coaching, guidance, and tools to facilitate client and team success Manage the growth and development of team members, taking responsibility for goal setting, development opportunities, performance feedback, and advocating for progression Lead and participate in teamwide calls, one-on-one team member supervision, and the performance review process to nurture team growth and accountability Set the standard for client service, strategic thinking, organization, responsiveness, and executional excellence Encourage positive collaboration and synergy across agency disciplines Foster a collaborative, proactive, entrepreneurial, and culturally connected team environment Manage conflict thoughtfully, leaning into issues as they arise and working toward positive outcomes Lead with integrity, professionalism, accountability, respect, and strong communication across all client and internal interactions What Makes You Stand Out 6-8+ years of experience across consumer and lifestyle PR, media relations, brand communications, or integrated marketing Experience working across multiple consumer-facing categories; backgrounds spanning areas such as CPG, lifestyle, food & beverage, hospitality, wellness, retail, fashion, and consumer brands are strongly valued Strong media relationships across consumer and lifestyle press, with the ability to leverage relationships and credibility across new categories quickly Proven experience leading senior client relationships and communications strategies Ability to move fluidly between brand storytelling, product PR, business communications, thought leadership, commerce, partnerships, and cultural opportunities Strong instincts for storytelling, trend forecasting, and identifying culturally relevant opportunities Experience developing communications campaigns across launches, partnerships, experiential activations, executive visibility, business milestones, and brand-building moments A strong understanding of how modern consumer brands build relevance across earned media, commerce, influencer, partnerships, experiential, social conversation, and culture Experience managing, mentoring, and developing account teams Exceptional writing, communication, presentation, and organizational skills Ability to manage multiple fast-moving accounts, priorities, and senior client relationships simultaneously Proactive, entrepreneurial, resourceful, curious, and highly solutions-oriented, with a strong ownership mentality Deep interest in consumer brands, culture, media, hospitality, lifestyle, consumer behavior, and the evolving communications landscape Compensation & Benefits Salary - $120,000 (commensurate with experience) 100% medical and dental coverage Bonus and commission opportunities Early-Friday hours, year-round 401(k) benefits Hybrid work environment Opportunity to work across leading and emerging consumer brands and play an active role in shaping culturally relevant campaigns Visit AZIONEPR.com for more information about our company. #J-18808-Ljbffr AZIONE