The Many Hats of a Brand Manager

I have been in Account Management for almost six years. During that time I have learned as a Brand Manager that there are many roles you can play in any given day. These roles keep my life very interesting and are one of the things that make the advertising industry fun. I could not do my job without the help of my team members, and I know they share in some of these jobs as well, but wanted to specifically focus on Account Management today.  Below are just a few of the hats we wear.

Psychologist
We work with a variety of different personalities and have to make sure to listen to all sides of each story. The end goal is to come up with a solution that ensures everyone is satisfied.

Firefighter
In Account Management, we face many challenges and situations that need to be addressed quickly.

Attorney
We are responsible for knowing all client legal guidelines including registered and trademarks and words and phrases that we can or can’t say. There also might be clients whose products require us to know FDA and USDA regulations, so we have to be on top of that as well.

Mom
Whether it is making sure team members are on time to meetings, providing a snack when we are on the road or giving a hug after a tough meeting, we accept this responsibility and always make sure we are prepared for anything.

Teacher
I think it is a fun part of our jobs, with the help of the Account and Media Planner, to educate the team about the brand and products within that brand.

Student
Just as we are teachers, we also try to soak up as much information we learn from industry partners, co-workers and clients about the brand and its competitors.

Bouncer/Police Officer
We don’t like being the bad guy to our clients or for our creative team, but sometimes we have to lay down the law and let them know what can or can’t be done.

Clown
This job has two definitions in my eyes. First, we are here to entertain the client and team, stay positive and maybe act a little silly. Second, we sometimes feel like clowns when mistakes might be made.

Event Planner/Travel Agent
A lot of clients need support at tradeshows and sales meetings, where we will work with PR to plan the event. Or, when clients come to the agency, we are in charge of planning their trip, from travel arrangement, to the meals they eat and after hours activities.

Accountant
Numbers, budgets and spreadsheets!

Personal Assistant
I always want to make the team I work with happy, so if it running to get bagels for breakfast or keeping gumballs at my desk, I’ll do it. Sometimes clients require errands to be run to pick up items for meetings or shows, which we gladly do as well.

Juggler
We can handle multiple projects, sometimes for multiple clients and vendors.

Artist/Editor
When I say this, I absolutely do not mean any disrespect to the creative folks in this industry. I could not live without the creative team and could not do what they do, nor can any other Account Management person (even though they say they can). It is our responsibility to review and copy and layouts and understand what our creative team has provided us, so we can make sure we can properly educate the client.

Emily Webster is every chapeau maker's best friend and a Brand Manager for Sullivan Higdon & Sink. For AAF-KC, she serves as the Immediate Past President on ad2 council.