Brand Manager

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

As a Brand Manager you will direct and manage the brand strategy for designated brand to meet the company defined brand and portfolio ambition. You are responsible for the development, implementation, integration and evaluation of brand and promotional plans. You also contribute heavily towards annual commercial strategy by drafting plans based on proven insights with Team

You work together closely with Marketing Manager on planning level and Brand Executive on operational level. You indirectly help brand executive to develop into a superior performing individual, who can succeed you in due time. Also, you will support head of department on other assigned projects as delegated.

RESPONSIBILITY

Consumer at the Centre

• Regularly monitors both consumer and shopper behaviour and turns insight into action
• Ensures clear consumer rationale across all initiatives
• Generates strong insights that mobilise broadly
• Converts insight to actions that fuel brand growth
• Informs work with relevant consumer trends & needs/motivations
• Coaches team to identify and act upon Consumer Insights
• Interprets BGS outputs into clear actions that drive growth
• Translates relevant insights into viable volume and aspirational targets, and audience segments for iDDM

Portfolio Management

• Shows an understanding of portfolio performance
• Shows an understanding of key drivers of the Category and Segment performance, profitability and growth
• Shows understanding of Portfolio strategy, how it will drive penetration, and its further implications
• Shows understanding of the implications of individual Brand Roles within the Portfolio on Brand Strategy, budget allocation, Brand Strategy (How to Win), and Brand Execution (What to Do)
• Shows understanding of the 7 Sources of growth and shows ability to understand & implement BWP outputs

Integrated Commercial Planning

• Leads the Integrated Commercial Planning process for their area successfully throughout the organisation
• Ensures plans fully join up across Brand, Trade Marketing & Sales and that all activities join up to deliver objectives
• Ensures Brand activities effectively address consumer, shopper and customer purchase drivers and drive penetration
• Consistently uses the most efficient & effective mix of TTL marketing activities to drive reaction, considering cost, impact and ROI, and allocates budget accordingly
• Takes internal and external factors likely to influence execution into consideration

Brand Strategy

• Leads the development of the Brand Strategy
• Syndicates all insights and reflects in brand strategy
• Owns brand positioning (BIAB) and ensures it delivers competitive advantage
• Ensures consistency between the brand strategy and all ongoing brand activation
• Meets short-term targets while maintaining long-term Brand positioning and value and actively manages brand health
• Consistently tracks Brand performance, competition and BGS, and proposes improvements to cross functional strategies and plans

Breakthrough Communication

1. Touch Point Planning

• Develops campaign objectives that are clearly linked to business and brand objectives
• Creates deep understanding of effectiveness of different touchpoints in delivering reaction, reach and resonance for area of responsibility and integrates into the brand plans (incl. MMM studies)
• Ensures team is enabled and supported to create iDDM campaigns, ensuring cross-functional support is secured
• Ensures campaigns are monitored and optimised during the campaign and that reaction, ROI and delivery of objectives are measured with learnings shared and used
• Ensures data capture is integrated across activities

2. Content & Activity

• Masters concepts of BIAB, Comms Strategy, Campaign Objectives and Brand or Campaign ideas
• Writes inspiring & effective and delivers in inspiring way
• Manages agencies effectively & independently including driving synergistic inter-agency working on brands
• Evaluates creative work & champions strong business and brand building content which deliver a strong reaction
• Oversees production process end to end, taking necessary key decisions as appropriate
• Measures reaction pre, during and post campaign and adjusts as necessary
• Evaluates campaign objectives & ROI and uses learnings

Brand Profitability

• Measures and evaluates the effect of specific activities on top line, and return on investment
• Flawlessly manages the brand budget / expenses
• Demonstrates understanding of the drivers of Portfolio or Brand profitability right down the value chain
• Analyses the profitability of each SKU by channel and makes profit enhancing proposals/decisions
• Tracks Brand financial performance and consumer value perception. Informs/acts when necessary to adjust
• Uses understanding to make recommendations about frequency and depth of promotions via POPS
• Acts on CSP levers (eg non-working) to drive profitability

Innovation and Renovation

• Demonstrates awareness of the beer, alcohol and beverage category context and the implications for innovation
• Understands ‘Sources of Growth’, ‘Taste Landscape’ and can articulate key macro consumer trends
• Can differentiate between creative ideas and ideas that can improve business results
• Understands how innovation contributes to portfolio and brand strategies and individual brand’s positioning
• Is familiar with the different steps in the Innovation / renovation process and with deliverables per function
• Understands how to write a concept

Store Back Marketing

• Creates organizational alignment and commitment to effectively roll out the planned activities across Commercial functions (Sales, Trade Marketing)
• Ensures the most relevant levers of MWB 7-9 to delivery objectives are fully integrated into all TTL activities
• Consistently monitors and evaluates results, ROI, impact on profitability, & builds awareness of key success factors
• Sets clear guidelines for how brands should be represented in bar/store & champion across activities
• Ensure executions are in line with Responsible Mkt Code
• Creates a contingency plan for each major initiative

RTM & Channel Understanding

• Actively meets Distributors, Wholesalers and Retailers to better understand their purchase drivers and barriers
• Recognises the strengths and restrictions of different Route to Market options in reaching consumers
• Understands and can articulate the category strategy
• Demonstrates an understanding of channel segmentation and the role of different channels in Brand Strategy and activation
• Demonstrates an understanding of shopper and on-trade consumer drivers
• Demonstrates an understanding of the value chain in different channels and with different RTMs

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or any related fields
• Minimum 5 years’ relevant experience in Marketing (preferably FMCGs), with last role on Brand Management level
• Knowledge and skills in Brand Management
• Skills in brand positioning and consumer segmentation
• Product / sku launch experience
• Ability to analyse and apply market research results into brand strategy and plans
• Negotiation skills and experience in managing Marketing budgets
• People management experience