How to Become a
Brand Manager
Is developing and overseeing marketing strategies to promote a brand of interest to you? You can learn all you need to know about becoming a brand manager, including education, job prospects and salaries here. We also include the fastest and most professional way to create your resume — our Resume Builder — and getting all the inspiration you need from our brand manager resume example to show you precisely what a brand manager resume looks like.
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What Does a Brand Manager Do?
A brand manager monitors trends and develops and implements marketing initiatives and activities for their product or service.
These experts are often responsible for the entire creative process, from initial market research to designing end-product packaging. Their jobs entail gathering data about a product by polling demographics and ascertaining consumer needs and demands. After extensive research, brand managers develop marketing strategies and introduce the brand to the public through product launches and other promotions.
They then monitor the product and report to higher-level marketing staff about sales, effective marketing strategies, and how a brand can reach even more consumers.
Since identity is vital to any brand, large organizations' marketing departments employ at least one brand manager and potentially two to three juniors. Organizations with multiple product lines often employ numerous brand professionals.
Brand manager duties include initiating campaigns in various formats (print, web, social media and broadcast), coordinating events, and introducing corporate responsibility programs and sponsorships. They work closely with product developers, researchers, marketing personnel and creative agencies to ensure the brand vision is adhered to.
A brand manager's typical duties and responsibilities include:
Implementing marketing and communication activities for a brand.
Creating names for products and services and generating ideas for packaging designs.
Supervising TV, newspaper and magazine advertisements and other forms of marketing like direct mail, email campaigns, websites, exhibition stands and billboard signage.
Ensuring designs and messages meet the company brand and regulatory guidelines.
Monitoring focus groups and market research.
Researches and analyzes consumer behavior, market trends and competitor activity.
Establishing budgets, performance specifications and sales estimates.
Develops outreach strategies specific to the target market.
How to Become a Brand Manager
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of advertising, promotions and marketing managers is projected to grow 10% through 2031, faster than the average for other occupations. The projected pay is expected to be $133,380 per year. Here are the steps to becoming a brand manager.
Earn a bachelor’s degree:
As a brand manager, you must have an undergraduate degree in a relevant major, such as marketing, advertising or business, preferably a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and relevant work experience. You can also pursue a graduate degree in advertising, economics, marketing or business.
Get certified:
Consider adding certifications to your credentials to boost your career opportunities. Here are the top three certifications to consider.
- Certified Brand Manager (CBM) administered by the Association of International Product Marketing and Management (AIPMM).
- Certified Product Manager (CPM) from AIPMM.
- Agile Certified Product Manager Product Owner (ACPMPO) issued by the Association of International Product Marketing & Management.
Create a job-winning resume:
When ready to apply for brand manager positions, you must create an industry-specific resume relevant to this role. To help you write a targeted resume, our team of experts has designed resume samples to learn how other professionals create a stellar resume.
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Brand Manager Skills
Since working with different types of people and with teams is vital to this career, brand managers need to have highly developed leadership and soft skills. They also need to be energetic, passionate people who can inspire others. Optimistic and extroverted personality types will do well as brand managers.
A natural tendency to think laterally and creatively is an added advantage when developing new ideas and concepts. Although brand managers are mainly office based, their jobs may involve some travel.
Other key brand manager skills include:
Listening and communicating.
Managing different projects at the same time.
Being organized and methodical and working well under pressure
Having excellent presentation skills
Brand manager hard skills:
Brand manager soft skills:
Insights from a Brand Manager
An inside look at how to become a Brand Manager is always useful. We spoke to Michelle Michalak, a Brand Manager for Slyde Handboards. This is what she had to tell us.
What is the common career path for a Brand Manager?
The common career path for a Brand Manager starts with have excellent customer service skills and emotional intelligence. Have a core integration of a customer's point of view.
What should someone consider before becoming a Brand Manager?
When becoming a Band Manager a person should consider the type of brand they are most passionate about. Are you passionate about product brands? personal? activist? etc. To effectively manage and develop a brand you need to be passionate about it.
What type of person excels in this job?
The type of person that excels at this job is someone with excellent communication skills both interpersonal, verbal and written. As well as someone is able to wear a variety of different hats, as no two days will ever be the same.
What are some of the most important skills for a Brand Manager to have?
Most important skills for a Brand Manager to have are the ability to understand and strategize for both the current market place and what the future might hold. It's having the foresight to be ahead of the trends and to piggyback off of tradition branding techniques.
What do you find to be the most rewarding aspect of being a Brand Manager?
The most rewarding aspect about being a Brand Manager is seeing a brand develop from nothing to a globally recognized brand.
How Much Do Brand Managers’ Get Paid?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual wage for advertising and promotions managers was $95,890 in May 2015. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $42,440, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $187,200. The median annual wage for marketing managers was $128,750 in May 2015. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $66,090, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $187,200. The bulleted list below will include BLS data for the top 10 states for median wage from highest to lowest.
Top 10 States for Brand Manager Salary
Marketing Managers’ in the following states make the highest median hourly wage in the U.S.
Brand Manager Resources
If you are looking for more information on this exciting career we have put together a list of additional resources to guide you further as you explore this career choice.
On the Web
Competitive Advantage Marketing
offers practical and strategic advice based on hands-on experience
Brand Strategy Insider
addresses marketing strategies and branding issues
Conversion XL
offers advice on how to convert prospects into customers
Industry Groups
Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM)
offers a number of qualifications for marketing professionals
American Management Association (AMA)
offers a number of marketing courses and seminars to optimize marketing communications strategies and product development
SMEI
offers online training programs
Brand Manager Books
How Brands Grow
the author explores a scientific approach to branding by looking at the ‘laws’ of marketing and how it directs the growth of a company
Brand Thinking
brand thinking explored through a number of interviews with relevant people in the industry
Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter & Gamble’s
covers lessons on brand management through P&G’s history