Brand & Communication Manager

The Brand & Communication Manager, or brand and communications lead, defines and coordinates how an organisation presents its brand to its audiences. They connect the brand's identity, messages and communication activities to the company's objectives. Depending on the organisation, they develop this direction, submit it to senior management and oversee its implementation with teams or external providers. The title alone does not indicate the same level of seniority or decision-making authority everywhere.

The work starts with a diagnosis: what values does the brand express, how do its audiences perceive it, and where are the gaps? The role holder examines the visual identity, editorial approach and available data on brand perception, among other things. They may set out the brand's story, promise and personality in a brand platform. This can then guide the people producing messages, but it is not a required deliverable in every company.

The role turns these choices into visual and verbal guidelines, content and a communication plan. The plan sets out activities, channels, a timetable and the resources involved. The role holder checks that communications remain consistent and monitors their effects to propose adjustments. Media relations may form part of the remit: the role holder leads them or works with a specialist, depending on the organisation's resources. Senior management and the role holder must establish who approves the direction and budgets.

Brand & Communication Manager, CMO and Product Marketing Manager: who does what?

• The Brand & Communication Manager works on brand identity and communication, and on keeping messages to audiences consistent.
• The CMO job profile describes a role with a broader marketing leadership remit. The brand role does not necessarily lead all marketing activities.
• The Product Marketing Manager focuses on marketing a product. Each organisation needs to define how responsibility for product and brand messages is divided.

In a small organisation, the role may also include content or social media. A more specialised organisation may divide these tasks among several roles. The actual remit therefore depends on the decisions entrusted to the role holder, the people they work with and the approvals required.

Before assigning this role, senior management must decide which gaps in perception it wants to address. A brand may have a clear identity internally yet be understood differently by its audiences. The Brand & Communication Manager can compare existing messages with available feedback, then propose communication priorities. The decision is which gaps call for a change in message and which first require more information. Without that distinction, a campaign may address the wrong problem.

Senior management must also clarify what the role holder can change. Adjusting the tone of a piece of content has different implications from revising the brand promise. Guidelines or a brand platform help contributors apply approved choices, but do not replace a decision on the overall direction. Specify who approves a change in positioning, messages intended for the media and the associated spending. The role holder can then coordinate communications without implicitly receiving authority that the organisation wishes to retain.

Fictional example: a website and a press release describe the same offering with different promises. The role holder identifies the discrepancy and presents two wordings consistent with the known positioning. Senior management decides whether the promise itself should change; the teams can then adapt the materials accordingly.

Resources require another decision. If several teams write or publish, the role holder needs access to contributors and a clear approval process. If an agency or media relations specialist is involved, specify who sets the messages and who produces the deliverables. The budget and timetable determine which activities are possible. Assigning coordination without defining these resources risks making the role holder responsible for delays they cannot resolve.

Finally, choose measures that fit the decision to be made. Surveys can shed light on brand perception; reviewing a communication activity can help establish whether its materials served their purpose. These indicators answer different questions. Reading the results can support proposed adjustments, without automatically attributing every change in brand perception to a single activity.

• Assess brand identity and the gaps between the intended image and audience perception.
• Set out the messages, promise and brand voice in guidance contributors can use.
• Define visual and verbal guidelines for content and communications.
• Build a communication plan covering activities, channels, a timetable and resources, for approval as required by the organisation.
• Coordinate content production with the relevant internal teams and external providers.
• Lead or contribute to media relations, depending on whether there is a dedicated specialist.
• Track indicators of brand perception and review the results of communication activities to propose adjustments.

Studies in communication, marketing, literature or journalism can prepare someone for this role. Depending on the specialism, they can develop the ability to analyse a brand, write for different audiences, understand communication channels or engage with the media. No particular qualification alone defines the remit of a Brand & Communication Manager. The useful knowledge and skills depend on the responsibilities the organisation assigns.

Experience in communication can develop the ability to turn objectives into activities and coordinate them with senior management. Brand content work develops skills in editorial approach, storytelling and keeping messages consistent across channels. Media relations experience brings knowledge of media contacts and formats. This last route is particularly relevant when the role includes media relations or coordinating this work with a specialist. A marketing background can help connect brand messages to the company's objectives, without giving the role holder responsibility for leading all marketing activities.

Beyond their studies, the person needs to be able to analyse intended identity and audience perception, develop guidance contributors can use, and organise its application. Relevant experience also includes monitoring activities: selecting indicators to suit the objectives, interpreting results and proposing adjustments. What they have designed, coordinated or submitted for approval provides evidence of the autonomy they have exercised. They may have exercised these responsibilities in teams of different sizes and degrees of specialisation.

To assess a candidate, adapt these steps to the responsibilities of the role and the level of decision-making authority you plan to assign.

1. Set the criteria before interviews

Draw up a short assessment framework based on the real need: brand diagnosis, message development, planning, coordination and interpreting results. For each criterion, choose suitable observable evidence: past work, an explanation or a practical exercise. Then specify who will assess the skill and which decisions the future role holder will need to submit for approval. If media relations are assigned to a specialist, assess the candidate's ability to oversee that person rather than carry out every task. A useful framework also distinguishes between design, execution and budget decisions. A positive sign is a candidate who identifies the projects they were responsible for, the decisions they made independently and the deliverables they produced. If they only list skills, ask for examples of decisions or work completed.

2. Examine past work

Ask for a diagnosis, a set of guidelines, a plan or a review of results, depending on the person's experience. Invite them to explain the starting situation, the audiences studied, the information used and the options ruled out. Ask them to specify what they wrote, coordinated, submitted for approval or merely received. For a communication plan, look at how activities related to the timetable and resources. For a review of results, ask which indicators led them to adjust the messages. A strong answer links each choice to an objective and acknowledges the limits of measurement. An unclear account of who did what in a collective project calls for follow-up questions.

3. Offer an exercise close to the role

Present a brand positioning statement, two inconsistent messages and some audience feedback. Ask the person to identify the gaps and propose communication guidance. They can then choose the channels, contributors and approvals needed. The exercise is meant to show their approach, not produce a campaign ready for publication. Sound reasoning makes missing information and assumptions explicit. A warning sign is immediately proposing a channel or slogan without examining the target audience or brand identity.

4. Observe coordination and communication

Ask the person about a disagreement between senior management, a content team and an external provider. Ask how they restated expectations, allocated deliverables and secured approvals. If the role includes media relations, ask them to explain how they would distinguish coordination from the work of a press officer. A positive sign is a clear division of responsibilities, with a message each person can understand. A warning sign is assuming the same autonomy they had in a previous role without considering the planned approvals, or confusing coordination with line management.

5. Cross-check responsibilities and choose assessors

With the person's consent, use references to clarify the projects, decisions assigned to them and interactions with other teams. Do not ask referees to confirm an outcome without understanding the project's objectives and resources. Involve senior management in assessing the decisions it will delegate. If no one in the company has expertise in brand communication, involve a practitioner in reviewing the work and exercise. The final decision should relate to the stated remit, the observations gathered and the approvals planned.