Who is a brand manager and how to become one in 2025

The packaging says: “chocolate bar – the choice of champions.” Why? Because the marketing strategist made an effort. They don’t just pick a font for the box. They embed emotions into the product, make coffee a morning ritual, and water a symbol of purity. An employee shapes the perception of the product in the eyes of the customer and ensures that the brand not only exists but lives and breathes to the fullest. Let’s delve into who a brand manager is, what they do, and how to enter the profession in 2025.

What a Brand Manager Does in Practice

A branding manager is not just about creativity and beautiful packaging. The better they are at analyzing competitors, studying the target audience, and adapting the product to its needs, the more valuable they are to the company – and therefore, the higher their salary. Below are the main tasks a brand manager faces in real practice:

• develops the product promotion strategy in the market;
• analyzes competitors, tracks trends to “stay ahead of the curve”;
• studies the behavior and needs of the target audience to communicate with the customer in their language;
• works with visuals: packaging, logo, tone of voice – everything should be in a unified style;
• coordinates marketers, designers, copywriters – like a conductor in a symphony orchestra.

The work of a brand manager requires immense responsibility and continuous development. It is the marketing strategist who sets the tone for all brand communication and influences how the company is perceived by consumers.

Skills Needed for a Brand Manager in 2025

Being able to talk beautifully about a product is good. But it’s not enough. Data, metrics, and real behavioral scenarios are a priority now. Skills are no longer limited to taste and creativity. It’s much deeper now.

The profession requires systematic thinking, creativity, and cold analysis in one person. The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking with the ability to break down the market. They know where competitors are weak, what attracts buyers, and why advertising from 2012 no longer works.

Additional knowledge in analytics, basics of visualization programs (Figma, Illustrator), understanding how to read sales reports, and what conclusions can be drawn from them are also welcomed.

Brand Manager Responsibilities: List of Key Tasks

The profession of a brand management specialist requires not only creative thinking but also a systematic approach. The employee is responsible for how the market perceives the product, how the product sounds, looks, and what associations it evokes in the target audience. Many companies are ready to entrust tasks to a remote worker, especially if they demonstrate confident skills in analytics, communication, and visual control.

Let’s look at the key responsibilities that every professional faces daily:

• developing and implementing the positioning strategy;
• market analysis and identifying growth points;
• control of visual style and brand communications;
• interaction with contractors (design, advertising, PR);
• monitoring the effectiveness of promotions and marketing campaigns.

Understanding these functions makes it clear who a brand manager is in practice: not just a theorist but a coordinator, analyst, and strategist in one person. Understanding their functions is the basis for career growth!

A Brand Manager’s Weekly Activities

A specialist’s workweek doesn’t fit into a monotonous schedule. One day – a brief with a designer, the next – analyzing feedback from marketplaces. They read, calculate, argue with the sales department, approve layouts, and manage dozens of parallel processes in their mind.

In practice, it’s a balance between creativity and analytics. On Monday – launching a promo campaign, on Wednesday – presenting a new positioning, on Friday – a final report with Excel tables and KPIs. And in between – urgent edits, discussing the color of a new package, and a dozen calls from contractors.

How to Master the Profession and Become a Brand Manager

A marketing diploma is good, but not critical. Practical skills and a portfolio are much more important. You can start by being an assistant in the marketing department, progress through the product team or SMM. Courses and mentorship are a must-have: modern remote work requires flexibility and continuous self-learning.

In 2025, those who can adapt to rapidly changing trends, work with analytics, and speak the customer’s language are valued. How to become a brand manager? Enhance your insight, study business cases, understand customer logic, and learn to “package” a product so that it’s desired.

Steps to the Profession: From Novice to Pro

Working as a brand manager remotely is becoming increasingly popular, especially with the growth of remote work and online businesses. Companies are looking for specialists who can not only “package” a product beautifully but deeply understand the target audience, conduct market and competitor analysis, manage the perception of the product, and enhance its value in the eyes of customers. You can master the profession even without a specialized education – the right strategy and sequence of actions are enough:

• start with basic marketing and branding courses;
• improve analytical skills and study the behavior of the target audience;
• master visual design tools;
• work as an intern or freelancer – real experience is more important than a diploma;
• study cases and mistakes of other companies – an excellent way to develop skills.

By gradually developing skills and gaining experience, you can achieve a stable income and build a career that allows you to manage brands without leaving home.

Where a Specialist Works and How Much They Earn

Working as a brand manager remotely is no longer exotic. Many employers hire remote workers, especially for project-based work or digital products. The main employers are FMCG companies, startups, the fashion industry, IT, and online education.

In terms of money: at the beginning of the journey, you can expect around 60-80 thousand rubles. After a couple of years with experience, the salary ranges from 120 to 200 thousand. For advanced professionals and leaders of brand departments, the sky’s the limit. Salary depends on the scale of the industry, region, and business goals.

Who Is a Brand Manager: Conclusions

A brand marketer is not just a guru of logos but a person who connects the product with emotion. They know the customer’s pain, desire, and needs – and turn that knowledge into a strategy, color, packaging, and slogan.

If you want to work at the intersection of marketing, psychology, and business – brand management is the way to go. How to master the profession is a question of effort, not just a diploma. In 2025, the market will only grow, and skilled professionals will be able to choose projects, companies, and employment formats.