A Day In The Life Of A Brand Manager At Diageo China
A brand manager's day-to-day activities are highly variable, depending on the time of year and fiscal cycle; for example, "the first quarter...a lot of planning" while later quarters involve more "execution or events". The work is characterized by a mix of independent tasks like report writing and presentations to senior management and global teams, along with many meetings with internal and external stakeholders, including agencies.
Communication, Project Management, Strategic Planning, Teamwork, Problem-Solving
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. A day as a brand manager is highly variable, depending on the time of year and stage of projects, with some periods focusing on planning and others on execution.
2. The job involves a mix of independent work (strategy development, report writing) and extensive collaboration (meetings with internal and external stakeholders).
3. Strong organizational and time management skills are essential due to the many meetings and competing demands of the role.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of a brand manager look like?
It's really hard to talk about a typical day in this life because every day is very different for a band manager. It also depends on what phase you are in or what month it is in the fiscal year.
Normally, for example, at Diageo, our fiscal year starts in July. In the first quarter, we do a lot of planning. In the later quarters or seasons, we do a lot of execution or events. So we basically just do things based on the annual plan.
If I have to describe a typical day for me, it was more like: I would get to the company and in the morning, I would block off time to focus on writing strategies or reports, or making PowerPoints. These were presentations for internal senior management or our global team.
Normally, after lunch, your afternoon would be mostly occupied by meetings. There are multiple stakeholders you would possibly have meetings with. Internally, this could be your direct reports, your cross-functional coworkers, senior management, or even your global team. Externally, it would be with your agencies, like PR agencies, digital agencies, or even [unclear] agencies.
So, basically, your afternoon would just be all occupied. After all the meetings, I would resume working on my slides or reports, or clearing up some emails, and then keep focusing on my individual tasks.
That is possibly a typical day for a band manager. There will be a lot of meetings, cross-functional coordination, and also some calls. It's very busy. So you have to find your own time to do individual tasks.