In the dynamic terrain of brand management, the journey from an eager entry-level Assistant Brand Manager rising up to a seasoned Chief Marketing Officer is challenging and exhilarating. My professional experience through the ranks at Johnson & Johnson, backed by experience at General Mills and Coke, has been a testament to the joy and turbulence, filled with strategic victories and valuable lessons. While figuring out my career path, I have encouraged and promoted many other great marketers along the same journey. Through this article, I share the experience and wisdom that can guide you, whether you’re crafting your first market analysis or steering a global brand. I hope you find your path to success and share that with others along the way.
Below, I have mapped out five success factors at each stage of the brand management journey. These are the five factors that you will need to demonstrate excellence at a given level, and get promoted to the next stage.
To illustrate, click on the image to see how your focus shifts as you move in your brand management career.
Brand Management Career - Table of Contents
Assistant Brand Manager - foundation of a brand management career
The Assistant Brand Manager (ABM) is the bedrock upon which a career in brand management is built. It is where we all start. And struggle. It will be painful sometimes, but everything you learn here will apply later in your brand management career. In this role, you hone your analytical acuity, demonstrate initiative, and begin to articulate your leadership narrative.
1. Turning data into recommendations
My journey at General Mills began with delving into data and extracting compelling narratives. As an ABM, you’re the detective and the storyteller, decoding market trends and translating them into actionable strategies. This skill is your first step in influencing product direction and brand destiny.
2. Take action before being told what to do
Proactivity is the currency of growth. From my experience running a marketing team at J&J, it became clear that the ABMs who didn’t wait for instructions but sought to address unspoken challenges moved up the ladder swiftly. Emulate this approach by identifying opportunities and proposing solutions without being prompted, showcasing your capacity for foresight and leadership.
3. Making things happen through experts
Even at the beginning of my career, the importance of influencing outcomes through others was evident. Whether it was guiding agencies or collaborating with cross-functional teams, the ability to lead through persuasion and inspiration rather than authority was a precursor to later success. Be the ABM who doesn’t just manage tasks but mobilizes teams towards a collective triumph.
4. Speak out to challenge strategy
A defining moment in any ABM’s career is when they step out of the shadow of their role and challenge the strategy. When I was at J&J, I saw the best ABMs voice a well-reasoned opinion. It was not just encouraged but expected. It’s about being a catalyst for evolution—your insights could be the next growth vector for the brand.
5. Demonstrate accountability for your work
The hallmark of a promising ABM is accountability. This was a lesson I learned early on – to stand by my decisions, learn from the outcomes, and continuously strive for excellence. Whether leading a successful campaign or navigating through less favorable results, owning your role paves the way for future leadership opportunities.
These foundational experiences as an ABM are invaluable; they lay the groundwork for the strategic acumen and leadership skills that will define your career. They did for mine, allowing me to climb the ranks to Senior Brand Manager, and eventually to Director and VP at J&J.
Brand Manager - take ownership
Transitioning to a Brand Manager signifies a shift from execution to ownership, from tactical to strategic thinking. It’s about broadening your horizon within your brand’s ecosystem and preparing to nurture your first direct reports.
1. Taking Ownership of Your Brand
As I entered the Brand Manager role at J&J, I quickly realized the leap from supporting to owning. It was no longer about executing someone else’s plan but crafting the roadmap for the brand’s future. This role demands that you absorb the brand’s essence and articulate a vision that others will rally behind.
2. Charting the Strategic Direction
Strategic direction is the compass that guides the brand’s journey. It’s a skill honed through deep market understanding and foresight. The Brand Manager must identify the paths that will lead to growth and identify the ones that align with the brand’s core values and strengths.
3. Working the System
Understanding and navigating the organizational structure is crucial. Influencing without authority, harnessing resources, and aligning agendas becomes your daily chess game. It’s about creating harmony among various functions to achieve your strategic objectives.
4. Handling Brand Management Pressure Gracefully
As a Brand Manager, pressure comes from targets and deadlines and managing your first direct reports. Here, I learned the art of maintaining composure, using pressure as a catalyst for innovation and performance rather than a stumbling block.
5. Getting the Most from Your Direct Report
Mentoring and leading your direct reports is the most challenging and rewarding aspect of being a Brand Manager. It was through nurturing talent that I found a passion for leadership. Guide them, inspire them, and let their successes amplify your own.
Marketing Director - become a consistent leader
The role of the Marketing Director is characterized by a pivot from managing to leading. It’s less about individual thinking and doing and more about inspiring a broader team to excel.
1. Setting high standards and leading by example
As a Marketing Director at J&J, setting high standards was paramount. It was about leading by example and driving the team towards excellence. It’s not just what you do but how you do it that sets the tone for your team’s performance.
2. Becoming a beacon of consistency
Predictability in behavior and decision-making provides your team with a stable framework within which they can innovate. Consistency in leadership was key to building trust and driving the team to deliver their best work.
3. Cultivating the talent
Great leaders are great gardeners; they cultivate their team’s talent. It is crucial to encourage your team to grow, take risks, and learn from their endeavors. Through empowering my team, we collectively raised the bar for our brand.
4. Leading with a vision
As a leader, your vision becomes the team’s guiding star. Crafting and communicating a clear and compelling vision motivates and aligns the team toward common goals. This vision sets the strategic agenda and fuels the passion that turns goals into reality.
5. Delivering through others
Your effectiveness is measured not by your personal output but by the results you achieve through the team. It’s about delegation, trust, and empowerment, ensuring your team has the right direction and resources to excel.
VP Marketing or CMO - focus on demonstrating vision
Reaching the VP or CMO level is about embodying the essence of leadership. The role extends beyond the marketing department and influences the entire organization.
1. Creating and Communicating Your Vision
At the helm of the marketing team, your vision sets the direction for the brand and, potentially, the company. It’s about seeing beyond the horizon and painting a picture others are inspired to follow.
2. Focusing on People to Drive Results
Your most significant assets are your people. Focusing on developing your team, recognizing their achievements, and ensuring they have opportunities to shine are the hallmarks of a transformational leader.
3. Setting the standard for the brand
The CMO’s role is to be the ultimate brand custodian, ensuring every touchpoint reflects the brand’s values and promise. It’s a role I embraced wholeheartedly, safeguarding our brand’s integrity and ensuring its resonance with consumers.
4. Steering the organization with an inclusive approach
Leadership at this level is about inclusivity and approachability. It’s about fostering an environment where ideas percolate from any level, ensuring the organization’s collective intelligence is harnessed.
5. Running the show and driving results
Finally, driving business results through a blend of disciplined processes and creative freedom is the CMO’s balancing act. It’s about setting up systems that enable creativity while ensuring accountability and performance.
Everything it takes to run a brand
A Marketer's focus must shift as you move up in your brand management career
The higher you climb in brand management, the broader the perspective you must adopt. You transition from individual contributor to strategic thinker, from manager to leader, from one who does to one who empowers others to do. It’s a journey of transformation, where your growth is measured not just in your brand’s success but in your team’s flourishing.
Embrace this evolution in your brand management career. Let the distribution of your efforts across execution, strategy, management, and leadership reflect your stage and prepare you for the one to come. It’s a powerful framework that can guide your decisions, your development, and ultimately, your ascent to the pinnacle of your profession.
This shift in focus isn't just a recommendation—it's necessary for brand management success.
As you ascend the ranks in brand management, your focal point must evolve. The journey begins in the trenches of execution, where as an Assistant Brand Manager, your hands are deep in the day-to-day, yet you’re also sowing the seeds of strategic thought and leadership.
As a Brand Manager, the balance shifts slightly – you’re still in the thick of execution but also managing projects and people, honing your leadership skills with every challenge.
Upon reaching the Marketing Director level, you’ll orchestrate efforts through a broader team, leading with strategies, empathy, and inspiration and nurturing the next generation of leaders.
At the zenith of the brand management career, as a VP or CMO, your role transcends traditional boundaries. Here, 60% of your focus is on people – leading, managing, and inspiring equally. Your leadership is the tide that raises all boats, steering the brand towards uncharted waters with a crew that’s empowered, engaged, and aligned with your vision.
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