Biggest Challenges Faced by a Brand Manager at Diageo China
Sharon, a Brand Manager at Diageo China, identified prioritization and communication as major challenges. Difficulty prioritizing tasks, often focusing on "easier tasks first," and struggles with "persuasion and articulating plans," particularly when collaborating with the sales department, highlighted the need for improved communication skills in such a role.
Communication, Prioritization, Persuasion, Negotiation, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Sharon Tsai
Brand Manager
Diageo China
National Taiwan University, 2012
UCLA Anderson School of Management, MBA
Political Science, American Studies
Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Communication and Marketing
International Student
Video Highlights
1. Prioritization of tasks is crucial for brand managers, as there are always many competing demands.
2. Effective communication and negotiation skills are essential for interacting with various teams and stakeholders.
3. Overcoming personal challenges like introversion is important for success in a brand management role that requires frequent interaction and persuasion.
Transcript
What are some of the biggest challenges to being a brand manager?
For me, the answer will be similar to the answers for question four. I think the biggest challenges for me were prioritization and communication.
For prioritization, as I said, you will have so many things on your plate. Knowing how to prioritize will be critical. At the time, I tended to focus on the smaller or easier tasks first, thinking I could then focus solely on the more important tasks afterwards.
However, you'll never finish the easier or smaller things. So, I think had I done this again, I would try to tackle the more critical tasks first. Prioritization was difficult for me.
The second challenge was communication. I'm not a person who is really good at negotiation or persuasion. Also, I'm an introvert. As a bear marketer, you have to talk with different kinds of people from different backgrounds or departments.
Communication was difficult for me, especially with the sales department. Oftentimes, you have to articulate what your plan is and why you need their help. So, I think that part—personally persuading, articulating your plans, and asking for help—was really difficult for me.