Brand Manager - Sol at The Heineken Company

Purpose of Role:

The Brand Manager is responsible for executing brand strategies, managing marketing campaigns, and driving brand growth. This role involves close collaboration with cross-functional teams and external partners to ensure consistent brand messaging and effective communication with the target audience. They should support the development of the integrated brand plans and lead key initiatives aligned to the brand positioning and purpose.

Key Responsibilities:

Consumer Centricity:

• Develop deep understanding of consumer segmentation and demand spaces, alongside typologies to execute targeted marketing initiatives.
• Understand consumer needs, preferences, and behavior, using the monthly brand health tracker, and bespoke qualitative or quantitative studies.
• Supplement formal market data with insights garnered from internal and external stakeholders: consumers, customers, trade, buyers, sales force.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver customer-centric brand experiences.

Brand Strategy:

• Understand the brand strategies aligned with business objectives, ensuring consistent positioning, purpose, creative big idea, and messaging to build brand equity.
• Support the implementation of brand visual, tonal and execution guidelines and ensure brand consistency across all channels and touchpoints.
• Monitor market trends, competitive landscape, market share, brand performance, brand health, and consumer perceptions to share feedback to team.

Communication Strategy:

• Contribute to the development of integrated TTL communication strategies across various channels, including digital and tech innovation, social media, CRM, TV, radio, OOH, print, PR, influencer, events, and experiences.
• Support the execution of ATL and BTL sponsorships, and influencer or ambassador partnership management.
• Manage the Website, CRM, social channels, and community management.
• Support the creation and execute compelling, engaging and locally relevant TTL creative campaigns that resonate with the target audience.
• Oversight of brand asset management on internal and external platforms: packs, brand visual identity, logos, creative assets.
• Support the creative and media agencies to execute effective campaigns using the bottoms up zero-based budgeting approach.

Integrated Commercial Planning:

• Support the execution of integrated commercial plans that drive brand growth.
• Collaborate with sales and trade marketing teams to align marketing activities with sales objectives.
• Execute marketing activities aligned to trade promotions and sales initiatives using a commercial framework, key objectives, and execution approach.
• Monitor campaign performance and provide insights to optimize commercial plans.
• Support brand budget management.

Brand Profitability:

• Understand the brand income statement to support execution of brand profitability initiatives.
• Understand the revenue management pricing strategy, pack-price approach, and promotional effectiveness.
• Contribute to the analysis of marketing ROI and make data-driven decisions to optimize resource allocation.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising brand impact.
• Support the management of brand A&P cost centres including monthly recons and reporting.

Innovation:

• Use segmentation, consumer insights and category competitor analysis to identify opportunity spaces within and beyond the bottle.
• Collaborate with intrinsic, packaging, and product development teams to implement future fit products or product variations.
• Can assess and contribute towards building creative concepts that can improve business results.
• Support the implementation of pack upgrades to maintain brand relevance and manage PIPO with limited write offs.
• Support market testing and analysis to validate new product concepts or brand innovation.

Trade Marketing and Route to Consumer:

• Collaborate with trade marketing and channel partners to develop target marketing initiatives.
• Implementation of marketing strategies that complement the dynamics of each class of trade: off trade, on trade, eCommerce.
• Contribute to development and execution of channel-specific trade promotions and activations, in-store merchandising, and trade assets, and POS materials with a consistent trade playbook for all channels.
• Use shopper market research and analysis to understand consumer behavior and preferences in different channels.

Team Collaboration:

• Task Coordination with ABMs.
• Integrated creative and media agency account administration.
• Ability to engage and collaborate with internal stakeholders across multiple projects: Global and Regional Marketing Teams, MT, Innovation, Trade Marketing, Sales, Group Key Accounts, Logistics, Finance, Legal, Revenue Management, Supply and Operations, Procurement, Corporate Affairs.

Job Requirements:

• Tertiary marketing qualification (degree / diploma) in marketing, business, or a related field.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in brand management, marketing, or a related role.
• Knowledge of marketing principles, consumer behavior, and brand development concepts.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with attention to detail.
• Proficiency in marketing software and tools, such as CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and analytics tools.
• Creative thinking and a passion for brand marketing.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and external partners.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.

Competencies:

• Consumer centricity: Understanding of consumer needs and preferences to contribute to targeted marketing initiatives.
• Project management: Strong organizational skills to manage multiple brand initiatives and meet deadlines.
• Analytical skills: Ability to analyze data and metrics to measure brand performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Collaboration: Strong teamwork, high EQ, and interpersonal skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams and external partners.
• Adaptability: Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and take on new responsibilities.
• Communication: Strong communicator with clear and effective written and verbal communication skills to contribute to conveying brand messaging.
• Creative mindset: Ability to contribute ideas and support the development of innovative brand initiatives.
• Passion for marketing: Enthusiasm for the field of marketing and a desire to learn and grow in the role.
• Result orientation: Focus on achieving marketing objectives and driving business growth.
• Strategic thinking: Ability to develop and execute long-term brand strategies that align with business goals.