Brand Manager Job Description - Salary, Education and Career Guide for Becoming a Brand Manager

Kraft. Coca-Cola. Sony. KitchenAid. These are all instantly recognizable brand names. If you are familiar with these brands, and if you are more likely to buy something with one of these names on it, that is partly due to a great job by a brand manager.

Job Description

What is a brand manager? Brand managers are members of a company's marketing department who plan, cultivate and lead the marketing team in promoting a brand. They are sometimes called product managers.
 
Brand managers oversee some or all of these areas:
  • advertising
  • distribution
  • marketing research
  • package development
  • production
  • promotion
  • purchasing
  • research and development
  • sales.
 
Brand managers design and maintain a company's brand by creating a unique image that is memorable and trustworthy. The job requires close attention to detail and an uncanny ability to understand how consumers think.
 
A typical day in the life of a brand manager may include:
  • adjusting the packaging, design or image for a product
  • studying competitor's advertisements and marketing campaigns
  • supervising a creative team working on marketing efforts for a product.
 
Good brand managers are creative and results-oriented and they have strong communication and analytical skills. An entrepreneurial spirit is a bonus.

Salary Guide

Brand management is a very lucrative field. Entry-level positions, such as assistant brand manager, pay around $73,000 per year. Earnings only go up from there: mid-level brand managers earn an average of $84,000 a year. If you are promoted to senior brand manager, you can expect to make $100,000 or more.

Education and Training

Entry-level brand managers need at least a four-year degree in communications or some form of business administration. A marketing degree is best if you have plans to become a brand manager. To move ahead in the industry, you will need an MBA and at least four years of experience.

Prior Work Experience

Many brand managers start out as an assistant brand manager. This position typically requires a bachelor's degree and two to five years of marketing experience. Assistant managers perform the following job duties:
  • develop brand strategy
  • keep up the brand's image by creating promotional materials and overseeing product placement
  • raise the brand's profits.
 
Many students complete a marketing internship while still in college. After graduation, an entry-level job at a marketing company can help an aspiring brand manager build up his or her experience in the business.

Career Advancement

After at least five years of successful experience, assistant brand managers can move up to the mid-level position of brand manager. This position almost always requires an MBA.
 
After 10 or more years of experience in the field, a brand manager can become a senior brand manager. Senior brand managers oversee groups of brands, sometimes including large, internationally recognized brands.

Related Associations and Groups

Many groups and associations exist to help brand managers and other marketing professionals. They include:
  • American Management Association
  • Association of International Product Marketing and Management
  • Association of Management and Marketing Resources
  • Marketing Management Association.
 
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