Brand manager: features of the profession, qualifications and responsibilities

Brand manager is a profession that has become known to the general public in the last decade. Although to this day, not everyone will give a clear answer what kind of position it is, what functionality this specialist is endowed with, and what exactly he does. Someone considers him a marketer, someone - an advertising manager. So or not, you will find out further.

If you answer the question thoroughly and consistently, let's define the word "brand". A brand is a collection of opinions, perceptions, emotions and associations associated with a specific product or service. All these ideas are in the mind of the consumer. Obviously, a brand is not a name, not a brand, but the mental shell of a product. And such a complex complex, its formation in the mind of the buyer, should be dealt with by the brand manager.

If you hear that a sales manager is the same as a brand manager, feel free to challenge that opinion. Promote a brand, develop its visual symbols, increase the loyalty of the target audience to the brand - these are the tasks of a brand manager. Yes, he is a promotion specialist, but still he is not a marketer.

How does a brand manager differ from a marketer:

• the marketer monitors the sales process, its organization, all stages and results;
• the brand manager works with the brand's reputation, he makes the consumer trust the brand.

This profession is relatively new. Although earlier the functions of this specialist were performed by other employees.But large companies have come to the conclusion that a separate specialist should create a positive brand story and work on its reputation. In the business space, such a division of functionality is calculated and this is not just a fashionable trend.

A brand manager must develop a brand development strategy, he must monitor and evaluate key indicators not only of the brand, but also of the market as a whole. For example, if we are talking about the fashion industry, it should be a specialist who knows the market perfectly, follows its trends and current processes, knows the leaders and knows whom to look up to.

The need for such specialists is only growing. Of course, if you mean large companies. Interesting that there are more and more brand managers who work on a contractual basis. For example, a not very large company, which is not yet ready to hire an employee of this level, invites an experienced specialist as a crisis manager: she signs a contract with him for several months, during which he thinks over the brand strategy, draws up a detailed plan, and the like.

It means that professional capabilities of specialists increase: they can cooperate with different companies, give one-time consultations, and eventually become trainers... Today it is virtually impossible to acquire a brand manager's specialty anywhere, but having a related specialty, experience, a desire to study, you can become a specialist coach. This means that you yourself can become the one who will bring up a generation of qualified brand managers in the country.

It is no secret that a huge number of those wishing to become an important link in business management believe that natural abilities, grasp, and ambition are enough for this. Still, it is impossible to become a specialist from scratch. Even having a huge potential, it is simply unrealistic. The brand manager must know the specifics of his work, the field of activity, correctly assess his own capabilities. Adequate professional self-esteem is the first step to a successful career.

It's great if you have received an education that is directly related to the desired position. For example, you are a marketing specialist, an economist-analyst, an advertising manager - all these are related specialties that are optimal for a successful start. But if you happen to study, for example, as an entrepreneurial psychologist, this specialty will also be a good support for the applicant.

Education may not be related to economics, but if this is an academic higher education, supplemented by special courses already on product promotion, you have every chance of becoming a successful brand manager. Probably everyone knows that in the modern world, a specialist must re-learn every 5 years... And getting the next "crust" of higher education, retraining is not at all the only option for training. You need to study at high-quality courses, seminars, webinars, trainings, which are organized by specialists with an excellent reputation and a good, up-to-date knowledge and skills base.

Creativity and analytics - this is the kind of synthesis that gives the brand manager the opportunity to fix his position in the company and in the market as a whole. Creative thinking helps build brand communication so that the consumer is interested in becoming part of the brand.It also needs to be distinguished against a competitive background. Common miscalculations do not work here, you need to think outside the box.

An analytical mindset is needed by a brand manager to identify connections between numbers, which, in turn, will help to draw the right conclusions.

Another skills:

• strategic thinking - a specialist must see the development of the brand both in the short and long term;
• sociability and high social intelligence - you will have to communicate a lot within the profession and this must be done effectively;
• time management - for almost any specialist, regardless of the field of activity, this is a professional advantage and a powerful personal resource;
• leadership qualities - you have to gather people around you;
• the ability to work with databases - this must be mastered in any case;
• skills in working with programs and data visualization applications;
• knowledge of a foreign language - language barriers can ruin even the most wonderful experience (pump your knowledge of the language).

An indispensable skill of a brand manager is a willingness to go public. In most cases, being in the shadows will not work.

A brand manager is a professional coordinator, and this mission also involves the involvement of personal qualities.

What qualities will be valuable for this specialist.

• Ability to listen carefully and select the necessary information in the listening process. Important comments, opinions, ideas should not remain outside the ears of the manager. He needs to get the point, even if the management is a little messy in conveying their ideas.
• Developed emotional intelligence. If you know how to feel the other person, if you are empathic and ready to predict the reaction, there is a real trump card in your sleeve. Fortunately, special trainings can increase the indicators of this type of intelligence.
• Ambition... Without this it will be difficult in the profession. The desire to be the first is, one might say, a built-in option of a good brand manager. But it must be balanced by critical thinking and the ability to look at oneself from the outside.
• Accuracy... If you are late all the time, it means that you do not know how to manage time and clearly did not understand in practice how difficult it is to overcome the effect of a first impression.
• Determination... Stressful situations will not be uncommon for anyone in big business. And if you have to prove the advantage (even if it is a product or service), decisiveness is imperative. Don't hesitate, don't let yourself get scared, don't be afraid to take a risky but promising step - this is what a brand manager has to deal with.
• Ability to defend your position. This requires persistence, assertiveness, the desire to go to the end. And if you are a person with out-of-the-box thinking, you need to be prepared for the fact that not all colleagues will immediately understand and accept your ideas. We'll have to convincingly confirm them.

Creation of a logo, promotion of a product - this is how the leader usually marks the circle of work of a brand manager. And then he describes it in more detail.

Thus, the functional duties of a specialist include:

• analytical marketing research - can be carried out in cooperation with a marketer;
• market analysis, understanding of its segments and current offers;
• development of a product promotion strategy;
• development of PR events (advertising, presentations, exhibitions, targeting);
• creation of a pricing policy;
• creating a scheme for the sale of goods (or simply making proposals on this issue);
• supervising important presentation projects;
• merchandising management;
• control over the work of subordinates;
• performance of related duties by prior arrangement;
• creation of reports for management.

This document consists of several points. The first one is “General Provisions”. This paragraph may, for example, indicate that the brand manager belongs to the category of managers, that he is subordinate to the commercial director or the head of the marketing department.

The CI is indicated in this paragraph and what the specialist should know:

• laws and regulations (enumeration);
• market conditions;
• pricing methods;
• market economy, entrepreneurship;
• fundamentals of PR technologies;
• brand features and production technology;
• business communication ethics;
• company management structure.

The next paragraph describes the functional responsibilities of a specialist. This is a list of 5-20 subparagraphs that should be read carefully. If, for example, it is written: "performs other related duties", the moment requires clarification and clarification.

Further in the CI there is an item listing the rights of the brand manager. For example, among the rights of a specialist - to require the management of the company to provide organizational and technical working conditions. The right to sign and endorse documents should also be indicated here.

And one more obligatory item of the CI is “Responsibility of the brand manager”. Responsibility for certain actions is indicated and it is immediately noted within the framework of which he is responsible (for example, within the labor and civil legislation of the Russian Federation).

Any employee is interested in what salary he will receive in a new position and what career growth is possible. In Moscow, the income of a specialist in a large company is estimated at an average of 3-5 thousand USD. e. At the end of the year, the employee is entitled to a bonus based on the results of the year, which can reach 10-50% of annual earnings. But in this case we are talking about large, successful companies, as well as very good results of the work of a brand manager.

Interested in a specialist, and what are the options for the implementation of an individual plan. You will discuss this directly with the management. For example, about the scheme and frequency of reporting. You may be given a probationary period that should not exceed 3 months. The layout of the report should be clear and understandable. Try to demonstrate the results of your work vividly, visually, with a good presentation.

A successful brand manager can count on salary increases as well as professional growth over time. If a whole group of employees is working on a brand, he can lead this department. Experienced managers are becoming stars of their business, and many large companies are trying to "outbid" them. In some cases, these specialists work as crisis managers, who, for example, conclude a one-year contract with the company and during this time actively promote the brand.