A wonderful opening for a mid-weight brand manager has become available at a super, independent brand agency in Cape Town. We’re looking for a creative, self-sufficient team player to work on some great alcoholic brand accounts. An individual who shows collaborative and leadership teamwork, who is professional in their approach and who is inspired through creativity to fill this exciting role. Your responsibilities would include monitoring the opposition’s activities and ensure the effective implementation of brand strategies for certain brands. In this role you will report directly to the marketing director and will be responsible for the full management of brands allocated to you. You will be required to develop brand strategies, manage and optimise relationship with brand principles, manage the marketing budget and financial profile of the brands, develop and manage brand project plans and liaise with sales managers. The agency puts its people at the centre of everything they stand for and their entrepreneurial spirit and high performing culture allow you the freedom to succeed and lead across all aspects of the business.

Super opportunity!

Responsibilities

• Develop/translate brand strategies for company’s brands
• Understand the principal’s brand strategies
• Understanding the essence of each brand in terms of functional and emotional DNA
• Develop a solid understanding of competitor’s strategy
• Understand consumer behaviour to enable efficient target strategies
• Define the brand to create competitive differentiation
• Seek, understand and define opportunities in the market that can be pursued to establish brand awareness, loyalty and advocacy
• Set brand objectives that result in brand awareness, trial, loyalty and advocacy
• Align the brand objectives with the annual brand plan
• Design marketing strategies to achieve brand objectives
• Translate strategies into action plans/tactics that can be implemented to achieve the brand objectives
• Manage and optimise relationship with brand principles
• Manage the marketing budget and financial profile of the brands
• Analyse the market growth possibilities of the brand
• Design a business plan reflecting financial forecasting for the brand
• Motivate the financial and budget needs to the brand principal
• Monitor and control the financial and budget progress and developments including volume forecasts vs stock management.
• Manage the variable budget within agreed frameworks
• Maximise pricing strategies
• Develop and manage brand project plans
• Design a brand project plan specifying resources, time, budget and critical paths
• Manage and control the brand budget plan
• Ensure effective implementation of each phase within the project plan
• Communicate project plan to relevant stakeholders
• Provide agencies with the necessary frame of reference to enable them to endorse and advance the brand in a manner that adds value to the brand positioning
• Brief agencies on the relevance and significance of specific opportunities that are pursued to enhance the positioning of the brand
• Plan promotional and awareness initiatives or projects in detail with agencies
• Design realistic financial and budget guidelines for projects or assignments
• Monitor and control the financial and budget elements of the project or assignment
• Monitor the timelines of projects/assignments closely
• Monitor and evaluate the quality of services provided by agencies in order to ensure alignment with the functional and emotional DNA of the brand and expectations of brand principals
• Manage the health of the brand in South Africa
• Liaise with sales managers

Requirements

The successful candidate must have/be:

• Three-year marketing degree
• Minimum three to five years’ direct brand management experience (this is a non-negotiable)
• Alcoholic brand experience – essential 
• Understand and interpret Luxury Brands
• Understanding of the South African Markets
• Sound main market understanding
• Sound interpersonal skills and creativity
• Team player with ability to negotiate and communicate at all levels
• Ability to work independently and use initiative
• Endurance and ability to tolerate extended hours
• Valid driver’s license
• Keen to be out and about

Company Description

Viv Gordon Placements (VGP) is a specialist recruitment agency in the advertising, marketing, media, public relations and publishing industries.

Posted on 18 Jan 14:55