The purpose of a Brand Strategist develops position recommendations, guides market research analysis and defines brand elements and tone. Strategists also work in conjunction with a Brand Manager to ensure the organization’s products and services, mission, values, culture, and brand image are consistently represented and communicated to all audiences.
In today’s business culture, many organizations consider every employee a “Brand Strategist” They encourage each employee to keep brand compliance top of mind. But the full responsibility for promoting and protecting the brand falls on the person with the job title of Brand Strategist.
What does a Brand Strategist do, typically?
Establishes brand standards
These specialists define and communicate the brand standards and verify compliance across all channels.
Knows the market
A Brand Strategist observes and analyzes market trends and stays clued into competitors.
Strengthens brand Awareness
The Brand Strategist helps build, strengthen, and amplify an organization’s brand awareness to all audiences, including customers, employees, stockholders, vendors, and communities.
Ensures consistency in message across all channels
A Brand Strategist (working with cross-functional teams) establishes and articulates the organization’s brand promise, and ensures that all communications consistently reflect that promise.
A Brand Strategist is not:
A Marketing Strategist
Brand Strategists focus on the strategies that will drive consumer behavior. Marketing strategists focus on activating that behavior.
A Product Manager
Brand Strategists focus on analyzing market trends and consumer needs. Product managers build products and services that will respond to those trends and needs.
Important metrics for a Brand Strategist
Brand Strategists set business performance goals or Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to measure:
- brand perception
- interactions
- purchase intent
- top of mind (TOM), spontaneous, and prompted brand awareness
- marketing ROI
- competition
