Brand management courses have slowly cemented themselves amongst the mainstream career paths. It’s not that rare to see a student pursue a management degree and make a career in brand management. But what does it mean to be a brand manager and who should choose it as a career?
A brand manager can change how a brand is perceived by the public eye. Particularly by the customers. Brand management courses are designed with the course outcome to create a professional capable of doing that. “That” refers to the positive public opinion of a brand and raising its popularity among the customers.
So a person that is good at public speaking, networking, and relationship management, and advertising/marketing should really consider it. There is plenty of money to be made in brand management. It is one of those career paths that have solidified their significance with the advent of the internet age.
The cancel culture that has taken rise now has given the brands plenty of sleepless nights. Social Media is a very powerful tool and the cancel mob will come after any brand that’s even remotely offensive to them. With that said, and as sad as it is, the need for professionals that can help the situation is now more than ever.
Brand management is however not an easy job. There is a broad array of skills required, proper education is needed and some tools of the trade need to be learned. Let’s take a deeper look at them.
Skills, Education, and Eligibility
As post-graduate-level programs, brand management courses require a 60% aggregate score in 12th standard and a bachelor’s degree to qualify. The bachelors should preferably be from a business management stream or advertising/marketing field in general. A strong foundation in economics, analytics, and relational management is a plus.
Both direct and entrance test based enrollment is possible in these degrees and the course lasts about two years. If a good B-school is to be pursued a national entrance exam such as CAT, XAT, MAT, etc. needs to be cleared with a good result first.
It follows a general semester system and the course fees range between two lakh rupees per year to as high as fifteen lakhs depending on the B-school of choice. A postgraduate diploma in management as an alternative option to an MBA is available.
Having a keen eye for changing market trends. Good communication skills, image management, relationship management, team management, and an analytical mind. Critical thinking and good marketing and advertising skills. All of these skills are necessary for making a career in brand management.
Future Prospects, Jobs, and Salaries
Using a variety of methodologies to generate brand equity and value. Developing the strategy for using digital and analog mediums for the brand’s growth. Maximizing the effects of its organic growth and synchronizing the brand’s values with the parent organizations are key duties of the job.
Improving brand value and perspective in the consumer’s eyes. Improving the image of the parent company and making it accessible. Bringing in more potential customers through digital marketing mediums. And keeping an open mind to new opportunities for branding and growth.
The most prominent job profiles that one can land in this field are- Assistant Brand manager, marketing analyst, etc. Junior positions to help develop experience. Upon more experience, senior brand manager, marketing manager, senior marketing manager, marketing director, public relations manager, etc. can be attained.
The average salaries that are available at entry-level are 3 to 6 LPA with up to 3 years of experience. With more mid-career jobs at about 4 to 7 years of experience, a salary of 6 to 14 LPA can be achieved. At the mid-career job profiles, the particular job profile really matters and salaries vary a lot in the range.
At the end-career or late-career level, such as the job profiles of maybe a Marketing Director. Particularly high salaries are available that go up to 18 to 40 LPA or even higher.
So, in conclusion, it is a career path that comes with plenty of job opportunities and can be rather lucrative if you’re willing to put in the time and effort. Which is something that’s expected of a professional regardless of their career choice.
