How can you pick the perfect brand strategy role?

Brand strategy has two components ; 1. Organizational brand 2. Products brand Therefore, you need to look at the organization's vision and mission, understand its publics or customers or stakeholders vis a vis customer needs and role of the organization in the ecosystem Once the above is known then develop the organization persona and look at tactics you need to achieve that. Then move to flagship products. Often, there is confusion between fast moving consumer goods and services industries and government departments. The tactics mostly applied are for FMCGs and transferred to service industry which are not like for like. Hence the reason why most brands hire consultants who understand brand building strategies.

It's about recognizing that a business is seen by people. The thing they see is called a "brand." That brand has to help the business jump over obstacles, or lean even further into strengths. And the "Brand Strategist's" job is to identify those ways to win.

Brand Strategy has 3 parts to it: 1) The vision: Fueled by the a deep consumer understanding - the insight-, market reality & business ambition. Eg: Harpic seeks launch a bathroom cleaner in India, as there are no strong branded players in the segment. 2) The Goal(s): Specific, measurable objectives for the short-term that will move the business towards fulfilling the vision. Eg: Get existing users of Harpic toilet cleaners to use Harpic Bathroom cleaners. 3) The Action Plan: The execution plan. The tactics that will be used to deliver the goal. Eg: Red bottle, Same comms vehicle as TCs, etc. A strategy that doesn’t cover all of the above, would be incomplete or worse be a mere slogan or vision statement with no drive to action.

A brand’s identity and perception are not solely determined by what a company claims about itself, but is co-created or manifested with its audience. Thus it’s important to work on a brand’s core before even ideating the brand identity. Developing the brand core work before the identity mirrors an existential quest for self-awareness and purpose. Brands are like humans. Just as Individuals explore thier values and existence, a brand must define its mission, vision and values. This introspection informs an authentic and meaningful identity, aligning with the existential imperative of self discovery before expression.

Brand strategy to me , " To create clear & consistent identity for your business" Its should define your target market , core values & competitive positioning & it should resonate with your target customer .

Your brand is something that emerges, over time, in the minds of your audience through all the interactions they have with your company. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to fulfill your promise and strengthen perceptions of your brand, or fall short and undermine your reputation. In this context, brand strategy is nothing less than a comprehensive plan for living up to your ideals and delivering on your mission—in every way. Communicating how you are unique and uniquely valuable is part of it, but brand strategy also informs what products/services you offer, the way you operate to produce your products/services, the customer experiences you deliver, your involvement in the wider world, and perhaps most importantly, your company culture.

It is critical to differentiate between visual and verbal brand identity roles early in career. The most senior leaders can straddle both, but using words and strategy versus a consistent look and feel visually are typically two very different skill sets. The best individual contributors will be able to keep tabs on both, and execute in their specific silo.

Typically there a 2 kinds of Brand Strategy roles. On the Brand side and on the Agency side. Brand side role, is the Brand Manager. It comes with the larger business agenda, P&L priorities and the execution plans. The Agency side role is traditionally called Planning or now Brand Strategists. It requires a deep understanding of the Brand and it’s consumers. Planners play the lead role in feeding the Brand insights and also inspire the creatives.

You don’t need a degree in communication or marketing but you need to be knowledgeable about what interests people. You can read a lot of materials and take courses in brand management for a start then take on a project to test your skills. Your goal is to get customers who buy a certain product from your chosen brand to have a certain perception of that brand. Experiment with different strategies to achieve this. You can create consistent brand communication and redesign the company’s brand positioning to suit their long term goals. Request feedback from their target customers to test your strategies. Finally, believe in yourself. Stop overthinking the principles and just start testing. Everyone ultimately learns on the job.

Brand strategists need a diverse skill set: Strategic Thinking: Crafting a brand's unique identity and resonating with the audience through strategic planning. Creativity: Generating fresh and innovative ideas sets the brand apart from the competition. Data Analysis: Proficiency in data analysis for informed decision-making and trend identification. Communication: Effectively conveying the brand strategy to diverse stakeholders. Collaboration: Working seamlessly with various teams to ensure a consistent brand experience. Digital Marketing: Utilizing digital channels for efficient audience reach and campaign execution. These skills are essential for brand strategy roles, though specifics can vary by company and position.

Brand Strategy is not an exact science. So, there are no pre-requisites you be a Brand Strategist. It’s a skill that is acquired and hone only with experience. To get started one needs to be insatiably curious about people, their worlds and their behaviour.

Forget the degrees. To be successful as a brand strategists you need to: - be able to spot patterns - be a good facilitator - ABC: always be curious - have the guts to go outside the standard and find unusual solutions to every problem.

There rarely are "brand strategist" roles out there. Most businesses hire consultants, they don't have a permanent role. So: 1. You can do it as a consultant. 2. You can join a marketing agency. 2. Or you can get a marketing role to start influencing their branding from within.

To understand the world of brands, you can either try working with a brand focussed company or work with an advertising agency on the planning side. With a company, the growth prospects are strong with clear career paths. But at the start you will have to do a lot of the menial tasks which might not give you immediate exposure the front end of Brand Strategy. With agencies, you get immediate access to the Brand strategy action, but the career prospects are fuzzy. A third option is to work with market research agencies where you get to do the hard yards of field work, while getting a first hand understanding of consumer behaviour, which is the foundation of all Brand Strategy.

When I hire for Brand Strategy role, I look for three things: Curiosity, a Passion & Spirit of Collaboration. If you can demonstrate these, you should be good. 1) Curiosity - this is fundamental to the job and cannot be faked. If you are interested in something, anything, I'd want to see how deep you have gone into understanding it. 2) Passion - There is enough content available online for free. Try and write your own version of brand case studies. Its more important to demonstrate your thinking process than accuracy. 3) Collaborative - No matter which route you take to a career in Brand Strategy, you will have to work with multiple stakeholders. Being easy to work with is among the most underrated skills in Brand Strategy.

Think about what kind of brand strategy you're best at. There's a sliding scale of strategists, from the ones who light up from frameworks (think BBH) to the ones who light up from creating (think WK). Figure out where you sit, and then find an agency or brand that could use you best.

The best brands have a personality that customers resonate and relate well to. Just as you put effort into selecting your friends and close networks, remember people also choose selectively, where they invest their resources when it comes to brands. You can have the best product in the world with the wrong company personality or mindset and you will still fail in the market because you've failed to capture hearts. While focusing on everything else, remember to also prioritize meeting up with your brand personality, Brand promise and product value chain as advertised and as declared.

Merely watching a sport doesn't make you a player. Only playing and practicing does. Similarly, while you can admire and speak about a lot of Brand case studies, you can hone your skills as a Brand Strategist only with experience and practicing it on regular basis.