Brand Management
Product and Brand Management is the very heart of the Marketing discipline. Brand managers have P&L responsibility to maintain and grow specific products, product lines, and/or brands. They usually operate as part of a small brand-management team, consisting of a brand manager, an associate brand manager, and a brand assistant – sometimes they report in to a group brand manager, but usually a director of marketing. They have no formal reporting responsibility for, but nonetheless manage a circle of key relationships and functions that surround the brand: advertising agencies, promotion agencies, public relations, package design, product launch, production planning, channel strategy, licensing (e.g., Lucasfilm’s Star Wars), and product design. A capable brand manager has exceptional strategic, quantitative, interpersonal, and presentation skills and must be comfortable and confident with decision-making and be able to readily bring people to agreement and consensus. “Brand manager” and “product manager” are parallel titles. Consumer packaged goods companies usually use the title brand manager; technology-oriented companies usually use the title “product manager.’ Another related title is “category manager.”
Types of positions that are of interest to BC undergraduates entering into product management:
- Marketing Assistant
- Merchandising Assistant
- Assistant Product Manager
- Market Research Analyst
Brand Management
Alumni Diary
Elizabeth Boudreau (Bednarek) MBA '04
Brand Manager, Star Wars (Toys)
Hasbro, Pawtucket, RI
Marketing Managment
Alumni Diary
Stephanie Bitonti '04
Senior Market Assistant - Dove Personal Wash
Unilever, Greenwich, CT
Advancement & Compensation
Associate Brand Manager (Years 0-3) - $50,000 to $80,000 (Potential bonus of 10% of base)
Brand Manager (Years 2-7) - $65,000 to $95,000 (Potential bonus of 15% of base)
Senior Brand Manager (Years 6-12) - $80,000 to $105,000 (Potential bonus of 15% of base)
Director/ Senior Director Director (Years 9+) - $100,000 to $150,000 (Potential bonus of 25% of base)
Vice President/ Senior Vice President (Years 9+) - $150,000 to 230,000 (Potential bonus of 40% of base)
Please Note: An MBA or many years of experience may be required for the higher end of all ranges.
Suggested Courses
MK154 Communication and Promotion (Fall/Spring: 3)
MK152 Consumer Behavior (Spring: 3)
MK158 Product Planning and Strategy (Spring: 3)
Faculty Advisor
Jerry Smith
Associate Professor, Chair - Marketing Department
BA, Brandeis University; MBA, Harvard Business School; DBA, Boston University
