Brand Manager

Department Summary

At Wieden and Kennedy, we believe great Brand Management makes great things happen, especially under the most unlikely of circumstances. The goal for every person in our department is to be a catalyst for extraordinary transformative creativity. As a group, we achieve this by thoughtfully and strategically doing what it takes to establish all the circumstances our creativity needs to thrive. No pressure. 

General Position Summary

The Brand Manager (BM), known as the "Campaign Manager," leads the operations and execution of collective brand campaigns, across channels, departments, clients + external teams.  As the day-to-day liaison between the client and the agency, the Brand Manager is responsible for client presentations, and gaining internal and external creative concept approval. The BM leads and manages big-budget print, OOH, digital and TV/Video campaigns.

Major Responsibilities/Primary Functions

• Collaborates with the Strategy, Media, and Creative departments to write strong agency briefs and concepts based on the client’s initial brief; presents the agency’s response to client


• Assesses/Evaluates creative ideas against the brief’s requirements and works to sell through evolving concepts; and tracks when concepts and media plans are prepared and ready to be presented to the client


• Presents production estimates for client approval


• Issues and updates weekly written status’ and conference call reports following meetings to ensure client and agency are in agreement. May also be responsible for reviewing the work of Associate Brand Executives (ABE) and Brand Executives (BE) tasked with this responsibility.


• Writes strong agency POVs based on sound rationale and previous experience to sell through a difficult concept


• Attends shoots and edits to ensure client/ creative approval and satisfaction


• Effectively facilitates the communication between W+K, client, and our partner agencies (media, retail, digital, PR, etc.) to ensure seamless creative outcome and media placement


• Addresses and solves potential timing, casting, and budgetary concerns for production


• Researches and understands the brand, its category, and its competitors to provide added value for the client 


• Uses knowledge of advertising production processes (i.e. tech, timing, cost, etc.) across all media channels, to benefit clients’ budgetary goals.  


• Plays a significant role in the professional development and review of ABE’s and BE’s on their respective team

Qualifications, Distinguishing Characteristics and Special Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred


• 4+ years of account/ digital/ production experience in a creative advertising agency required
  Proficient in Google Suite (Gmail, Google Calendar, Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc.) or other comparable programs


• This position is based in Portland, OR. Must be open to relocation if not currently living in PDX.

Characteristics of Any Good Brand Person at W+K

• Instinctual - Can think on their feet and anticipate possible outcomes


• "Forever Curious" - About culture, how the human brain works, the industry, other departments… you get the point


• Thoughtful + Thorough - May not always be the loudest person in the room but their communication whether written or verbal is well thought out and often has a POV
  Proactive - Can anticipate when a need will exist + propose possible solutions to get it done


• Astute + Self Aware - Knows how to read a room

Requirements

• Has a strong grasp of current platforms + channels that make up the media/communications landscape and a desire to keep abreast of emerging ones


• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines in a fast-paced creative environment.  Includes the ability to compartmentalize, stay humble, and frankly "eat a $h!t sandwich" every once in a while.


• A proven track record of gaining trust and respect by consistently demonstrating sound critical thinking skills and maintaining composure in stressful situations


• Ability to earn internal team and clients’ trust and confidence through responsiveness, tech, and digital savvy, reliability, and know-how


• Must have a baseline + applied understanding of budgets and estimates (i.e. what things cost and why),  how project and budget management impact account, and foundational mechanics of agency profitability


• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate with all levels of employees


• Exceptional initiative, attention to detail, and follow-through skills


• After-hours work and overnight travel required

W+K Core Mission

"Use creativity and influence to change the world and impact culture."
Wieden+Kennedy is committed to inclusivity and anti-racism in everything we do, fostering an environment of belonging and collaboration for all. We believe that each team member makes a significant contribution to our success. That contribution should not be limited by the assigned responsibilities outlined in a job description. Therefore, this job description is designed to outline primary duties, qualifications, and job scope, but not limit the employee or the organization to just the work identified. It is our expectation that each team member will offer their services wherever and whenever necessary to ensure the success of our endeavors and to pursue individual career growth.