With great power comes great responsibility. Now, this saying fits the bill perfectly when it comes to a Brand Manager. The Brand Manager, for a branding company in India, has control over the functionality of a brand and the way it projects itself. They have a say in every decision that is part of building a brand and executing a plan. They, quite literally, manage the brand.
They have a lot of responsibilities and tasks that they are answerable for. This position, being such an important pivot, usually has an extensive recruiting process, and there is an extremely specific skill set one requires to qualify for a Brand Manager role, experience being one of the non-negotiables. Here’s what a Brand Manager is responsible for in the long run and short run.
BRAND STRATEGY AND TONE
You see the way a brand looks and sounds? A brand manager conceptualizes the look and feel of a brand, and also has a big veto in any of the ideas pitched by the strategy team. Should the brand be informal, funny and witty, solemn, sombre or serious? The brand manager decides what might be the best course of action. The knowledge required to make the right decision and know what would best suit an up and coming brand only comes through experience.
MANAGE BRAND ORM
How a brand maintains a favorable reputation and interaction with its audience and consumers is of utmost importance, and another aspect a brand manager takes care of. Online Reputation Management, or ORM decisions are made by the brand manager, so as to keep healthy public relations through email updates , customer query answers, and other personal customer communication. The Brand Manager looks into the execution and acts as a consultant for every ORM venture.
INTERNAL LIAISON
A Brand Manager liaisons between the strategy and creative team, and also between the employees and the top management. The ideas are presented to the management by the Brand Manager, who then incorporates the changes or feedback provided by the board. They are the voice of the brand, both internally and externally.
EXTERNAL LIAISON (AGENCY)
Another responsibility of a Brand Manager is to liaison with external organizations in alliance with the brand (if any), such as advertising agencies or brand management companies. Working as with a brand management company in India involves preparing briefs, execution guidelines and creative prompts for the brand management company to then add their own touch to it. This responsibility belongs to the Brand Manager, as does following up and making sure all the deadlines are met.
MONITOR MARKETING TRENDS AND CONDUCT AUDITS
A Brand Manager must be savvy with the latest marketing trends and topics. How can the brand leverage the power of moment marketing? What are the best channels to communicate through? They must ride the wave and be on top of the markets at all times. Periodic reviews of marketing activity also gives them feedback about their marketing ventures and acts as a radar for future activity.
These responsibilities are juggled by Brand Managers on a daily basis. Think you’re up for it? Then it may be the job for you!
Author: Kaushal Mallya – I adore expressing myself through words and enjoy the little things in life. I’m a music and sports fanatic, and have the weirdest sense of humour ever.
