[ad id=”187″]A brand manager is one entrusted with the marketing responsibilities of a brand by ensuring that it continuously connects with the target audience, remains visible and records profits in sales. A brand manager is also a person who has the responsibility of developing and executing marketing programmes to boost sales, increase brand awareness, build brand loyalty and give the brand a good image etc. All these add up and help in building brand equity.
Functions of a Brand Manager
The functions are broken down into four areas, namely: developing and building brands, marketing planning functions, product packaging and development, and marketing communication strategy.
Developing and Building Brands
• Understanding and implementing brand-building programmes tailored towards consumers. When the progammes are properly implemented, they help connect target consumers to brands which in the long run, increase brand loyalty, deepen brand visibility and help in building brand equity.
• Identifying market trends, consumers’ insights and seeing how to turn those insights into opportunities to meet and satisfy the needs of consumers. (consumer’s insight is a way of understanding consumers in terms of their likes, dislikes, beliefs, attitudes as well as what motivates and inspires them concerning a brand).
• Participats in brand strategy discussions in collaboration with a creative team to ensure that marketing objectives are met. A brand manager also works closely with other departments such as manufacturing, research and development, planning and strategy.
• Identifying and paying attention to marketing opportunities that can help a brand achieve high volume of sales. To achieve this, the brand manager needs to understand market analysis/research.
• Conducting periodical reviews of brand competitive activities. In doing this, the brand manager needs to understand the eight steps in identifying competitors, namely:
-Who are my five nearest competitors?
-Who are my indirect competitors?
-Is their business growing or declining?
-What can I learn from their mode of marketing and advertising?
– What are their areas of strength and weakness?
Answers to the following questions will help the brand manager come up with a strategy that can withstand competitions in the market.
• Understanding of consumers’ trends. Consumers’ trends relate to the prevalent habits or behaviour of consumers in relation to products that are available in the market. When a brand manager has a good knowledge of consumers’ trends, it helps in:
-product packaging and distribution
-choice of advertising
-choice of media selection
– media channels to use
-message development
[ad id=”135″]• Constantly developing marketing programmes capable of engaging, retaining and sustaining target audience with the brand. In doing this, research is needed to help identify the kinds of programmes that will appeal to different target groups.
• Fashioning how to win consumer patronage and loyalty to brand. This is where a brand manager has to be deep in customer relationship management. Customers, these days, are more difficult to please than in times past to the extent that brand owners must go the extra miles to keep them. One way brand owners use in managing their customers is having good relations with them through customer relationship management. This is one area that a brand manager needs to really understand.
Marketing Planning
• Marketing planning is the core to any brand or business. It is usually in the form of a written marketing plan. So, a brand manager has the responsibility to carry out marketing plan. In doing this, he has to take into consideration the following:
-what do we want to market?
-who are we targeting?
-what are our objectives?
-what are the strategies to achieve the identified objectives?
-what is the timetable to achieve the objectives?
– how do we respond to changes in the marketing environment?
In stating objectives, a brand manager should make sure that:
– objectives are measurable;
– they must cause a change in sales;
– objectives could be achieved within a certain period of time.
• Assisting other managers in developing and executing brand marketing strategies. It is a sound marketing strategy that will impact on volume of sales, build brand patronage and brand equity.
• Supporting line managers in developing the overall strategic brand plan for a period so as to deliver brand promise to target audience.
• Carefully identifying growing opportunities through a careful analysis of consumers’ insights, and understanding of marketing environment using PESTLE strategy.
• Understanding how to combine consumers’ insights with happenings in the global market in order to properly connect brands with target audience.
• Apply research to continuously deepen his understanding of consumers’ needs and how to meet them.
Product Packaging and Development
• Pushing for new ideas and innovations to develop new products.
• Supporting line managers in launching of new products.
• Monitoring product growth and development.
[ad id=”169″]Marketing Communication Strategy
• Pushing for new creative/innovative ideas to build brands.
• Linking with advertising and media agencies to strategically focus on developing innovative and effective integrated marketing communications strategy that communicates brand message to consumers based on the knowledge of consumers’ insights.
• Work closely with an advertising agency to develop effective advertising strategy to give visibility to brands.
• Work closely with media/event agencies to produce relevant promotional/ event ideas based on integrated marketing communications strategy.
• Managing new product development and innovations.
• Supporting development of brand strategies and marketing plans.
• Reviews brand channels and customer point of purchase to provide feedbacks on marketing plans.
• Managing the development of marketing and sales promotional materials to effectively promote and sell products.
• Collaborating with PR, advertising, media and event agencies to develop integrated creative communication strategy for old and new products.
• Creating and executing brand strategies and marketing plans for old and new products.
• Seeking innovative platforms to constantly connect with consumers.
Conclusion
A brand manager is one entrusted with the marketing responsibilities of a brand by ensuring that it continuously connects with the target audience, remains visible and records profits in sales. A brand manager is also a person who has the responsibility of developing and executing marketing programmes to boost sales, increase brand awareness, build brand loyalty, and give the brand a good image.
In general, a brand manager’s job consists of developing and building brands, directing marketing planning efforts, providing input for product packaging and development, as well as carrying out marketing communication strategy functions.
Assignment
In 800 words, identify five factors that you think can affect a brand manager in managing a brand under his care.
First prize- N10,000 worth of recharge cards. The two other best written answers will attract N3,000 worth of recharge cards each. Written answers should be sent to: info@brandiq.com.
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