A juice brand is launching a new flavour in spring. The brand manager writes a two-page brief for the advertising agency. It names the audience, the one thing people should remember, the media plan and the money available. Three weeks later they sit in a room with the agency and choose one of four ideas. In March they approve the final cut. The brand manager is the client, the person who pays for the commercial and decides whether it is right.
What a brand manager does
A brand manager works for the company that sells the product, not for the media industry. They are responsible for how a brand grows and how it is presented. When the brand needs an advert, they brief the advertising agency, which comes up with the idea. The agency in turn hires a production company to film it. The brand manager stays on top of that chain but rarely talks to the production company directly. Their contact is the account director at the agency.
They approve every big step. That covers the creative idea, the script or storyboard, the choice of director, the cast, the final quote and the edit. On the shoot day they are often in the room as the client, watching the monitor and giving feedback through the agency.
Responsibilities
- Write the brief for the advertising agency
- Set and hold the total budget for production and media
- Choose between creative ideas and approve the script
- Approve the director, cast, locations and the production quote
- Attend key meetings and the shoot as the client
- Sign off the final edit and all versions for TV, online and social
- Make sure the advert follows the company's brand and legal guidelines
How the role touches the budget
At the very top. The brand manager decides how much the company will spend and approves the production quote that the agency brings back. In commercials that quote is usually a bid, a fixed price from the production company for making the advert. Once approved, it does not change unless the client changes what they ask for. Extra versions, extra shoot days or late script changes cost extra, so the brand manager's decisions during the job affect the final bill.
How people become brand managers
Brand managers come from marketing, not from film or TV. A typical route is a graduate scheme or assistant role at a consumer company, then assistant brand manager, then brand manager. Some later move to the agency side.
In commercials
A commercial involves three companies. The brand pays and decides. The agency owns the idea and manages the process. The production company films it for a fixed price. The brand manager sits at the first point of that triangle. More on how the chain works is on how a film is made. Some large brands now skip the agency for simple social content and work with a production company directly, in which case the brand manager briefs the commercials producer themselves.