How to Become a Brand Manager

About Brand Manager

A Brand Manager is a person who crafts the brand strategy for a company based on the company’s offerings and target market. A Brand Manager is responsible for defining how a company will communicate and market its products to its effective audience or buyers. Branding and Brand Management is very important for any company as it defines how the customers perceive that company. Therefore, a Brand Manager plays a major role in the company-consumer relationship.

Brand Managers draft and execute marketing strategies for a company. Responsibilities ranging from styling, marketing, advertising, social media marketing and communication etc. all come under the purview of a brand manager. A Brand Manager is one of the top-level positions in a company and experienced candidates are usually selected for the role. It is very important for a Brand Manager to have a good idea of the company’s products and services as well as the market to help them do their job well.

Eligibility to become Brand Manager

Brand Manager is a role that is generally provided to management graduates. In order to gain senior-level positions in the field, candidates also opt to go for postgraduate management programmes. While formal education in the field is essential for a candidate to make a career in Brand Management, it is not mandatory. It can be said that experience counts more than a degree in this field but formal education becomes necessary to develop certain skills and knowledge after a level of experience has been gained.

The following courses are helpful for aspiring Brand Managers.

Undergraduate Courses for Brand Manager

Given below are the best undergraduate courses for a career as a Brand Manager in India. All of these courses can be taken up after completing Class 12th.

• UG Courses in Brand Management / Luxury Brand Management

• Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)

• Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS)

• Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS)

• Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM)

• Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in English etc.

A General undergraduate management degree is sufficient. However, students can opt for specializations such as Marketing, Advertising and Digital Marketing to further enhance their level of expertise.

Postgraduate Courses for Brand Manager

Going for postgraduation in this field becomes essential after a point of time. However, it is highly recommended that candidates gain some practical experience of Brand Management, Marketing and Advertising before they go for a master’s degree course.

Master of Business Administration: Candidate must have a bachelor’s degree in any stream from a recognized university / institute.

Postgraduate Diploma in Management: Candidate must be a graduate of any stream from a recognized university / institute.

Diploma / PGD in Brand Management: Open for graduates of any stream from a recognized university.

Again an MBA or PGDM in Marketing would be the best option for a Brand Management aspirant. Some other specializations such as Advertising, Public Relations, Communications etc. are also great for this field.

Types of Job Roles Brand Manager

Brand Management and Marketing is not a passive desk job. It requires professionals to be on their feet, communicative and call a team into action for the effective implementation of the brand strategy. However, the most important aspect of the job is having a good understanding of the target market of a brand and how to market reacts. This is why marketing professionals usually start with field-work and real-time case studies. Here are some of the job roles associated with a career in Brand Management.

Management Trainee / Intern: During the starting phase of their career in brand management, candidates usually have to complete a training period or internship in an advertising or marketing firm. Trainees are tasked with surveys, data collection and primary analysis of the data.

Market Research Analyst / Executive: It is an entry-level post in brand management. Market Research Analysts or Marketing Analysts help the companies decide which products or campaigns would be successful. They are tasked with gathering and analyzing data from the markets and providing feedback to the company.

Assistant Marketing / Brand Manager: With 2 - 3 years of experience, candidates are promoted to assistant roles where their inputs may be sought in developing strategies. Asst. Brand Managers usually also have guide a team of Marketing Executives in their daily activities.

Marketing / Brand Manager: A senior-level position in the field of brand management. The position is usually reserved for candidates who have gained 5+ years of experience. Brand Managers or Senior Managers play a much larger role in strategising and implementation.

Marketing Director / Head of Department: Professionals with more than 10 years of experience are usually selected for this role. A Marketing Director coordinates the complete marketing operations of a company. They also have the final say in deciding the brand strategy.

Employment Sector/Industry for Brand Manager

Since marketing is vital for the sustenance of any business, Brand Managers are an essential requirement for a company. Brand Managers are usually hired in the Sales and Marketing departments of organizations. Many leading technology-based startups, service-aggregators and app-based companies rely heavily on offline marketing techniques to attract customers to their domain. Such companies usually run their own marketing departments and have high requirements for marketing executives.

Marketing and Client Servicing agencies is another prime area that has career opportunities for Brand Management professionals. Other small industries and firms that do not have a high budget or space to run a separate marketing department usually outsource these duties to these advertising agencies.

Some of the top recruiting areas of brand managers include:

• E-Commerce Companies

• Tech-Based Startups

• Service Aggregator Companies

• Advertising and Marketing Agencies

• PR Agencies

• Telecoms

• Marketing Departments of Companies etc.

Top Recruiting Companies for Brand Managers

Some of the top recruiting companies of Brand Managers include:

• Hindustan Unilever

• Airtel

• Coca-Cola

• Samsung Electronics

• Cadbury

• Maruti Udyog

• Hero MotoCorp

• Godrej India

• Nokia

• Tata Teleservices etc.

Pay Scale/Salary of Brand Manager

Starting salaries in Marketing and Brand Management are quite low but experienced candidates can demand a fat paycheck in this field. Plus, this is a highly target-based domain and entry-level candidates including Executives and Analysts are usually offered high incentives on top of their CTCs.

Given below are the approximate average salaries for various Brand Management job profiles.

Books & Study Material to Become Brand Manager

Given below are some of the best reference books that will help you increase your knowledge and widen your perspective of the Brand Management field.

Pros of becoming a Brand Manager

• Brand Management is a fast-paced and attractive field.

• It offers good pay and prospects for growth.

• The field supports creative freedom and strategising.

• Opportunities to work with creative minds open learning opportunities.

• One of the best fields of socialising and networking.

Cons of becoming a Brand Manager

• Tight project deadlines demand long working hours.

• Professionals usually face a disturbed work-life balance.

• The job can be stressful and chaotic.

• High attrition rates in entry-level jobs.

• Not for candidates are not outspoken.