Product Manager vs Brand Manager
In corporate circles, there are two jobs that are very confusing for many, namely product manager and a brand manager. From the name the two jobs look similar. In fact there are many similarities in the roles and functions of a product manager and a brand manager yet there are differences that need to be highlighted.
Brand manager
A company may have a long line of products but there are a few very successful ones that become a brand unto themselves and customers go for them without thinking about the image of the company as they are more confident with the image of the product itself. A brand manager is appointed to make sure that the quality of these brands remains as per the aspirations of the people. A brand manager not only takes a close look at the sales figures of a particular product, he also implements marketing strategies and keeps in close touch with the retailers to convince them to keep on selling the aforesaid product as first choice. A brand manager works in close cooperation with the manufacturer, sales personnel, marketing team and advertisers to ensure that every aspect of fabrication, supply and marketing is highly synchronized. These days it is commonplace for large corporations that manufacture products for end consumers in all sorts of industries to hire a qualified brand manager to look after successful brands.
Product manager
The role of a product manager is similar to that of a brand manager in the sense that he looks after promotional activities of a product or service for effectual sales. He is in general an MBA who has specialized in sales and marketing. His main job is to devise strategies and adopt measures to increase the sales of a product or products. He is responsible for product development and launch. He may effect a repackaging or go for any other marketing technique to popularize a product. His duties also involve cooperating with the efforts of the marketing and advertising teams to provide his input in improving the sales of products. Product managers work for both small as well as large scale companies that make products for the use of end consumers.
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In brief: Difference Between Product Manager and Brand Manager • Brand manager is mainly interested in maintaining and improving the sales of an established brand whereas product manager works to increase the sales of products through application of marketing techniques. • A brand manager is mostly associated with consumer products whereas a product manager may also work for B2B clients. • A brand manager has to work in close liaison with retailers as he needs to ensure that retailers give priority to his brand. On the other hand, a product manager is more interested in employing aggressive marketing techniques to improve the sales of products.
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