Brand Marketing Strategy Manager

Position Overview: 

The Brand Marketing Strategy Manager develops and owns the national marketing strategy for one or more franchise brands within the Empower Brands portfolio. Serving as the strategic marketing partner to Brand Presidents, this role translates business objectives into integrated marketing strategies, national campaigns, and scalable marketing playbooks that drive long-term brand growth and franchisee success. Working closely with Digital Marketing, Creative, Marketing as a Service (MaaS), and other shared marketing functions, the Brand Marketing Strategy Manager establishes brand positioning, messaging, standards, and strategic priorities while enabling successful execution across local markets. 

Core Responsibilities: 

Brand Strategy & Planning 

• Develop and own the annual marketing strategy for assigned brands or brand groups. 

• Partner with Brand Presidents to establish strategic marketing priorities aligned with business objectives. 

• Define and evolve brand positioning, messaging, and value propositions. 

• Lead annual and quarterly marketing planning processes. 

• Identify growth opportunities through customer insights, competitive intelligence, market segmentations, and industry analysis, translating findings into strategic recommendations that strengthen brand differentiation and long-term growth. 

• Prioritize marketing investments to maximize long-term brand growth. 

National Campaign Strategy 

• Develop national marketing campaigns that support customer acquisition, brand awareness, and franchise growth. 

• Establish campaign objectives, messaging, target audiences, and success metrics. 

• Partner with Creative, Digital Marketing, and MaaS teams to develop integrated campaign strategies. 

• Ensure campaigns align with brand positioning and overall marketing objectives. 

• Evaluate campaign performance and recommend strategic improvements. 

• Lead post-campaign strategic reviews and incorporate learnings into future campaigns, playbooks, and annual marketing strategies. 

Brand System Development 

• Develop and maintain marketing playbooks, frameworks, standards, toolkits, and implementation guides that enable consistent execution across the franchise system. 

• Develop strategic messaging frameworks, campaign narratives, value propositions, and marketing briefs that guide Creative, Digital Marketing, and agency execution. 

• Develop and maintain the strategic marketing standards, playbooks, and launch resources that support successful onboarding of new franchisees in partnership with Brand Marketing Managers and Operations. 

• Partner with shared marketing functions to ensure consistency across channels, campaigns, and customer experiences. 

• Develop strategic recommendations for National Advertising Fund (NAF) investment priorities, budget allocation, campaign objectives, and performance measurement in partnership with Brand Presidents and Finance. 

Market Intelligence & Performance 

• Analyze consumer behavior, market trends, franchisee feedback, and competitive activity to identify strategic opportunities. 

• Monitor brand performance and marketing effectiveness using key performance metrics. 

• Translate marketing data into actionable recommendations that improve brand growth and customer engagement. 

• Recommend strategic adjustments based on campaign performance and changing market conditions. 

Cross-Functional Leadership 

• Partner with Brand Presidents to align marketing strategy with business priorities. 

• Lead cross-functional marketing initiatives by partnering with Digital Marketing, Creative, Marketing as a Service (MaaS), Operations, and other shared services to align priorities, resources, timelines, and execution across all customer touchpoints. 

• Provide strategic direction to Brand Marketing Managers through playbooks, campaign strategies, marketing standards, and implementation guidance. 

• Support alignment between national marketing initiatives and local market execution. 

Continuous Improvement 

• Identify opportunities to improve marketing systems, processes, and scalability across the portfolio. 

• Identify, evaluate, and champion emerging technologies, AI capabilities, marketing innovations, and new growth opportunities that strengthen brand competitiveness and improve customer engagement. 

• Contribute to the ongoing evolution of Empower Brands' marketing capabilities and operating model. 

Vendor & Agency Leadership 

• Provide strategic direction, performance expectations, and success metrics for external agencies and preferred marketing partners. 

• Evaluate agency performance and recommend improvements that support brand objectives. 

• Partner with shared marketing functions on vendor governance and strategic alignment. 

Critical Skills & Attributes: 

• Strong strategic marketing and brand management experience with the ability to develop long-term growth strategies. 

• Commercial business acumen with the ability to connect marketing strategies to franchise growth, customer acquisition, unit economics, and business performance. 

• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence senior leaders and build consensus across a highly matrixed organization. 

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and develop actionable business recommendations. 

• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence executive leadership and cross-functional partners. 

• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple brands and competing priorities. 

• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence without direct authority. 

• Proficiency with marketing analytics tools, CRM platforms, Microsoft Office, and marketing technologies. 

• Innovative mindset with a passion for continuous improvement and brand growth. 

Required Experience & Qualifications:  

• 7–10 years of progressive marketing experience, preferably within a franchise, multi-brand, or multi-location business. 

• Experience developing brand strategy, annual marketing plans, and integrated multi-channel campaigns across matrixed organizations. 

• Experience partnering with executive leadership to develop strategic marketing initiatives. 

• Demonstrated success managing multiple brands, product lines, or business units. 

• Strong understanding of consumer insights, digital marketing, marketing analytics, and brand positioning. 

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or related field required. 

• MBA or advanced marketing certifications preferred.