Position Overview
The Senior Brand Manager is responsible for the development, implementation, and successful execution of brand strategies for the Swisher Sweets Cigar Company portfolio.
The role is primarily responsible for achieving the strategic and financial goals for their brand portfolio. The Senior Brand Manager is responsible for guiding marketing strategies, identifying priority markets, and determining and articulating the brands’ value propositions and positioning. This position will be responsible for developing and ensuring that all adult consumer communications reflect the brand positioning and support the Company’s business and marketing objectives. The role will also work collaboratively to identify annual pricing and distribution plans and define relevant and innovative approaches to connect with adult consumers. The Sr. Brand Manager will identify forward-looking strategic opportunities for the brands and develop frameworks and processes that enable achievement of growth objectives.
Responsibilities
- Leads all brand-level activities and strategic initiatives including but not limited to: strategic brand planning, brand ideation, financial analysis, market research, adult consumer research, KPI development, advertising and one-to-one planning, and retail/shopper marketing.
- Initiates and guides the execution of brand projects from briefing to delivery/communication to Field Sales. Collaborates with the Product Manager in the selection of vending, racking and point-of-sale signage, and leads the creation of trade/adult consumer premiums, event materials and other sales/marketing collateral.
- Develops and distributes strategic brand documents including but not limited to annual plans, P&L statements, Quarterly Brand Assessments, and brand standards.
- Aligns with Finance to facilitate timely financials, P&L analysis, specialized reports, financial transparency, and budgetary requests and revisions.
- Provides guidance to Marketing Operations to support agency/vendor operations, project management, marketing materials inventory management, budget administration, event/experiential operations and management, tradeshow planning, and marketing technology optimization.
- Collaborates with external agencies and internal constituents to ensure brand consistency and effective and timely execution of marketing initiatives through strategic briefing, project prioritization, and strategic decision-making.
- Partners with Business Analytics to drive regular reports on market trends, competitive analysis, brand performance, social/digital insights, and KPI achievement.
- Align on scheduled meetings and communications with the sales force to convey brand strategies and accept sales feedback.
- Directs all brand initiatives and communications at the corporate level and acts as a primary information source for the broader organization in relation to their brand portfolio.
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or related field. MBA preferred.
- 5-7 years of related sales or marketing experience with a strong understanding of general branding concepts including strategy, consumer segmentation, value proposition and positioning, market research, pricing, and marketing communications and tactics.
- General awareness and knowledge of tobacco product value chain and understanding of regulatory restrictions affecting the industry preferred.
- Proficient in MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook & Word).
- Travel up to 20%.
- High level of understanding of brand-level P&Ls and financial reports.
- Proven strategic planning and creative concepting skills. Demonstrated critical-thinking, analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- Exceptional time management and organizational skills. Ability to handle multiple projects effectively.
- High-level written and verbal communication skills. Strong presentation and public speaking capabilities.
- Excellent interpersonal skills. Ability to build relationships and work well with all levels of employees, including senior management.
- May be sitting and/or using computers for prolonged periods of time.