Brand Manager

Job overview
A brand manager, also known as a product manager, is responsible for developing and managing marketing strategies to raise the public profile of a particular branded product or company.

What do people do in this occupation?
A brand manager's responsibilities are manifold and often include:

• Market analysis through various mediums such as market research, customer research and product research
• Providing detailed and precise reports to illustrate trends, predictions and relevant strategies
• Creation of changes in product design and sometimes content
• Overseeing the expansion of the product portfolio, such as the introduction of new products
• Overseeing online marketing initiatives such as social networking sites, product review sites and popular forums
• Annual budgeting plans and reports
• Liaising with sales executives to promote new initiatives
• Liaising with product designers to come up with new packaging or new products
• Liaising with advertising creatives to devise comprehensive marketing strategies

What kinds of people are suitable for this career?
Brand manager is a high pressure role and the following skills are vital to the job:

• Attention to detail for written reports and analytical tasks
• Working to tight deadlines
• The ability to multi-task. Brand mangers will always be juggling several tasks while keeping their eye on the bigger picture
• Great interpersonal skills as they work with a number of professionals and rely on their combined contributions.
• Creative and imaginative abilities as managing a brand means connecting with the imagination of the public as well as the creative team
• Competitive nature as the brand manager's success hinges on beating the competition.
• Though brand managers generally work normal hours, at critical points in a product launch they must be prepared to be in the office around the clock.
• Although brand managers are mostly office based, international travel is a likely component of the job, as are frequent meetings with agencies, other departments and senior management.
• Brand managers must be comfortable in different social settings as the job often entails a large amount of social networking, often out of office hours.

As such, being a brand manager is a physically, emotionally and mentally demanding job, suited to motivated individuals who love hard work and strive for success.

What qualifications are needed?
Generally brand managers are required to have a university degree in relevant areas such as Brand Management, Advertising, Business Management, Marketing, International Business, and Public Relations.

They are usually expected to already have several years Marketing and/or Managerial experience before becoming a brand manager.

Advertising and PR experience are equally useful along with any professional knowledge of the particular product or product market in question.

There is a direct route from being an Assistant Brand Manager.

Executives within the Marketing, Sales, Advertising, PR or Product Design industries with managerial experience could be considered for a Brand Management role.