Of all of the marketing tasks required to sell a company’s goods or services, brand management is among the most important. An assistant brand manager is a marketing or other professional whose main job is to promote and monitor consumer perceptions of the company brand name. Brands are how companies identify their products in the market, and brands are essential to building consumer confidence and good will. The assistant brand manager job typically blends marketing and business development skills to ensure that the company’s brand is being appropriately promoted, packaged, and conveyed.
The specifics of the assistant brand manager job description vary depending on the company’s product and marketing needs, but the job almost always centers on public relations and advertising. Some assistant brand managers oversee ad campaigns and promotional literature. Some focus exclusively on online brand management, including uses of the brand name on blogs and social networking sites. Still others focus more on the legal aspects of trademark management and strategize ways to distinguish one brand from other competing brands and products.
Assistant brand managers generally do more than strict marketing, however. Most of the time, they are also charged with the brand’s overall effectiveness, and are responsible for creating long-term brand management portfolios. They come up with strategies for how to package branded material and services well into the future. Brand longevity and future planning usually also falls to the brand management team.
There are many different assistant brand manager jobs, from managing the brand of a soft drink company to effectively promoting a pharmaceutical manufacturer’s branded drugs. Most assistant brand managers are considered mid-level executives, but the average assistant brand manager salary really depends on the company and its size and location, as well as the reigning market standards. In larger companies, there is often a dedicated brand management team, with gradations of professionals at different levels and salary points. Smaller companies may have only one or two brand managers, and usually do not pay quite as much.
Much of the research and brand development that assistant brand managers do regardless of company involves a lot of complex projections and outlooks. The job is one that blends creativity with business prowess and marketing savvy. As such, most brand managers hold graduate degrees, usually in marketing or business. Higher education does not always lead to better brand management, but it is usually considered an asset.
Because almost every company has a brand management team, assistant brand manager positions are relatively commonplace. The specifics of what a brand manager will do is almost entirely dependent on the nature of the branded product, however. Experience managing the brand of one company does not necessarily translate into relevant experience for a company in a widely different sector.