Job Description Job Title : Brand Manager Department : Cunard Marketing Reporting to (Job Title) : Head of Brand No of Direct Reports : 0 Titles of Direct Reports: Size of Department: 3 Head of Brand Brand Manager x 2 (matching role profiles) Budget Responsibility (direct) : Revenue Responsibility (direct) : Circa 100k pa NA Date of issue: March 2014 Issued by (name): Angus Struthers Overall Purpose of Role: Working with the Head of Brand, Marketing Director, senior stakeholders within Operations (ship and shore), to provide the vision and direction to maintain and grow Cunard s status as an iconic brand around the world. The focus of the role will be to ensure the successful long term strategic development of the Cunard brand, by defining and managing the entire customer journey with Cunard in-line with the needs of our target audience and the long and short term commercial objectives of the business. The role will also ensure Cunard is identifying, developing and capitalising on opportunities to work with brand partners and individuals as well as extending the Cunard, and associated brands trademark and licensing opportunities. At all times, Cunard s product, service and communications design will be managed against a tightly defined set of Brand Values and accompanying Brand Guidelines. Key Interfaces Cunard Head of Brand, Cunard Marketing Director, Chief Commercial Officer, Operations Directors, Fleet Services Managers, Head of Commercial Planning, Customer Services Managers, Insight Director, Finance Managers, Head of Sales, Head of Legal/Legal Counsel, agencies for new builds, refits, brand agencies, marketing agencies Page 1 of 6
Main Activities and Responsibilities Strategic Leadership Global perspective and remit: For brand, product and service, the Brand Manager s remit is global in scope, ensuring that all brand development work from design to product and service reflects the customer and commercial requirements of Cunard s global passenger make-up. For partnership activity, the remit is focused in the UK, with global scope largely provided by on board activity. Customer Insight Strategy: Provide direction and commercially aligned briefs to the Insight Director to enable a clear understanding of our target audience. Monitor the evolving market conditions and brand health to ensure the long-term financial and reputational success of the Cunard brand. Use customer insights and Cunard s brand values to identify suitable brand partners or individuals to enhance the customer experience and benefit the business. Customer Brand Proposition Strategy: Develop and maintain a distinctive, differentiated and engaging customer brand proposition, including visual identity, tone of voice, product and service style that informs what we do and how we do it across the entire customer journey. Brand development should reference beyond the cruise industry and benchmark within the world of luxury. Trade Brand Proposition Strategy: Develop and maintain the brand offer that engages our trade partners, recognising the changing dynamics of the market place and provide compelling reasons to recommend Cunard over the competition. Brand Standards /Specification Strategy: Working with Head of Brand, Marketing Director, Insight Director, Creative Services manager and Product and Fleet Services, use insight to evolve and periodically refresh the brand standards/specification, to ensure a clear understanding by key stakeholders of what is to be delivered at what cost. Product and Service Development Strategy: Continue to drive the development strategy for Cunard, based on customer insight, market trends and cues from within the luxury sector (notably hotels and restaurants), and in line with our desired market positioning. Product and service visions are to be developed across the entire customer journey and prioritised in accordance with customer importance against current performance and evaluated against relevant ROI. The Brand Manager is responsible for the coordination, writing and be called upon for the presentation of business cases for all related product and service developments. Continuous Product Improvement Strategy: Provide support and direction as an integral part of the design, delivery and on-going management against each vision ensuring the appropriate cost/quality level is delivered. Consistency: Ensure the brand specification delivery is maintained and monitored throughout the customer journey, identifying any shortfalls, initiating corrective action where necessary and communicating updates to all key stakeholders at a global level. Measurement: Working with the Insight Director ensure the brand s market performance and customer satisfaction is monitored against key criteria at a global level, and recommend action to correct shortfalls, sharing best practice throughout the fleet. Refits and New build Strategy: Coordinate the briefing and specification of all customer focussed refits and new builds to ensure adherence to the brand strategy, cost effective consistency and development of the fleet to meet researched customer and potential Page 2 of 6
customer needs, devising new ship concepts and signatures based on sound business cases. Brand Partnership opportunities include: Revenue opportunities via Licensing and Retail (either brand partner goods sold on board or Cunard branded goods retailed on board or elsewhere. Acquisition and awareness raising opportunities via access to and use of brand partners customer databases, communications and events to promote Cunard, or promotion of the brand partnerships in Cunard marketing activity to raise its profile. Exclusivity via offering Cunard customers access to exclusive third party events, products or services, either as part of the core Cunard proposition or via limited time promotions. Enhancing the on board Product and Service through appropriately aligned brand partners. In order to accomplish the above partnership role, the Brand Manager will take the central role in identifying, approaching and managing partnerships with third parties on behalf of Cunard Marketing, whilst ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are engaged and involved in maximising any opportunities. By example, if there is an opportunity to co-host an event with the third party, then the Cunard Events Manager would take the lead; or if there is a PR opportunity, then the Cunard PR team would take the lead; or if there are opportunities to sell brand partner goods on board the ships, then this would be managed by the Retail team. Act as role model for the behaviour and attitudes expected of those around us as a key member of the Cunard Marketing team Budget Management / Financial Responsibilities / Revenue / Sales / Cost Management Accountable for the brand development budget, including brand stewardship Take into account the cost impact of all proposals and ensure cost efficiency of all brand products and services, to match customer budgets and meet brand commercial objectives Accountable for the ensuring all Licensing opportunities are maximised to a minimum of 100k per annum. Administration Responsibilities Ensure all areas of responsibility meet with legal and regulatory protocol Ability to manage all admin responsibilities linked to budget, planning and team management responsibilities Ability to construct sound commercial based business cases for any changes necessary to the brand specification Other Responsibilities Develop, deliver and be accountable for regular brand steering meetings to secure senior level buy in to all major brand initiatives Lead or represent the Cunard brand across all relevant projects / initiatives with accountability to provide brand direction and specification. Attend Marketing Department Meetings and Product/Marketing Meetings and develop good working relationships with key Operations and senior shipboard personnel Page 3 of 6
Liaise closely with key interfaces through agreed work flow processes Manage all external agencies (used as required for brand development projects) harnessing a culture of collaboration and co-development as well as budget/time management. Foster a close relationship with Carnival UK s Sales and Distribution Department to ensure correct delivery of the brand through sales channels HESS Responsibilities Lead by example by taking care of the health and safety of yourself and others Report all accidents, near miss incidents and work related ill health conditions to your manager/supervisor/team leader Follow safety rules and procedures Use work equipment, personal protective equipment, substances, and safety devices correctly Take part in safety training & risk assessments and suggest ways of reducing risks Appoint shore side risk assessment Subject Matter Expert's as required to review and approve ship risk assessments Actively promote safe working within your team and encourage safe behaviours Demonstrate safety leadership in accordance with our Elev8 safety behaviours General Responsibilities Adhere to Corporate Policies and Procedures, including Code of Conduct, Audit Procedures and any control related responsibility for financial data entered, stored, or reported via business systems within employee s control (list not exhaustive). Special Requirements (Equipment Used, External Contacts etc): Other Features of Job (travel, hours of work, working conditions etc): Regular overseas travel for ship visits Potential unusual hours during project development/ship re-fits or launch periods Location: Southampton Offices Page 4 of 6
Person Specification Job Title: Brand Manager, Cunard Department: Marketing Education, Qualifications and Training Experience of taking a senior role in the Brand Management for a significant, lauded service based brand across communications, product and service offering. Desirable (one or more of): CIM Business Management or Hotel Management Degree MBA Product and/or architectural and/or service design qualifications Experience Blue chip brand management experience developed in a BtoC environment Experience of managing, developing and implementing brand and customer centred strategies: o Product/architecture/service design o Branding design (creative look/feel/tone) Use of research to evidence and plan Experience of product development Experience of influencing at a senior level Experience of building multi-faceted marketing relationships with third parties Excellent and proven negotiation skills Team Management Commercial cost /quality understanding Desirable: Delivering the above in the Hotel/hospitality/leisure sector Work Based Competencies Competencies that refer to the specific work related skills required for successful performance in the role. (e.g. technological competence, written ability, numerical ability, relevant legislative or procedural understanding, analytical ability, organisational ability and project management etc. Team leadership, marketing skills, planning ability writing ability, analytical skills, budgetary control skills, Page 5 of 6
numerical data analysis skills, relevant legislative understanding, project management skills, spreadsheet + presentation skills, commercial understanding. Strategic thinker Project Management Analytical and logical Excellent communication and influencing skills Good presentation skills Desirable: Behavioural Competencies Competencies that refer to the personal characteristics and behaviour required for successful performance. Please ensure that this is linked to the generic competency framework. For example Commercial Acumen, Communication, Customer Focus, Influence, Motivation and Commitment, New ideas/continuous improvement, Problem Solving and Decision Making, Team Work. Each level of competency required should be described specific to the level of the role. Customer focus, Brand Champion personality, enthusiastic, driven, excellent communicator, good influencer, creative thinker, good planner problem solver, good overseer of agency relationships, good people manager team player, yet able to work on own initiative, good motivator decision maker, excellent attention to detail organised good commercial acumen. Ability to work well to tight deadlines, hands on attitude, approachable. Logical thinker, Can do attitude. Intellectually astute Page 6 of 6