Working as a brand manager entails being in charge of a company’s branding strategies and campaigns. In today’s highly competitive market, this is an invaluable role, as organizations are racing to make themselves stand out and catch their target audience’s attention. It is no wonder, then, that work opportunities for brand managers are plentiful.
If you have landed an interview for this role, then make sure to include the following questions in your interview prep.
1. “Why does brand management matter?”
This might seem like a rather simple question with an obvious answer, but hiring managers purposefully ask this to gauge your understanding of branding and its role within any business.
When giving your response, provide clear examples of how branding influences marketing and sales, exhibiting your insight as a seasoned professional. This will highlight your experience and show that you’re aware of the importance of your role.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Branding influences the way a company’s target audience views its product or service. Successful branding allows for a company to stand out, especially in an oversaturated market, allowing for it to pose a unique selling point. This is why brand management plays a crucial role in any business, as it oversees the development of impactful campaigns that will draw customers in.
2. “Can you give us a few examples of good branding campaigns?”
Through this question, your interviewers can scrutinize what elements you consider important within a campaign as well as your ability to recognize both strengths and weaknesses. What’s more, this is a good way to see if you keep up with other companies’ branding efforts.
In your answer, provide examples of exceptional branding efforts, offering a detailed account of what makes them so. Focus on campaigns that are both notable in execution and successful in post-campaign performance to present a rounded and informed opinion.
SAMPLE ANSWER
One of the latest branding campaigns that stood out to me was by Company X. The reason for this was the way they encouraged their audience to share stories about how they use the company’s product, allowing for brand awareness to grow across several social media platforms and increase its impact through authentic engagement.
3. “What kind of metrics do you use to measure brand awareness?”
Depending on the company’s goals, different metrics are needed to measure the success of a campaign. What interviewers want to know through this question is your knowledge of different metrics and their applicability.
So, when providing your answer, showcase how you have used metrics in the past, and highlight your approach and experience with them.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Depending on what the campaign’s objective is, I utilize a different set of metrics. However, I rely primarily on website traffic, brand search volume and presence score to get a complete image of the brand awareness of a certain product or service online.
4. “How would you describe your personal brand identity?”
This is a rather creative way for interviewers to get a better understanding of who you are, as well as your core values, aspirations and interests. Your answer should focus on your skills, experience and overall strengths, summarizing why you are a unique and fitting candidate for the role.
SAMPLE ANSWER
I am dedicated to helping small businesses develop impactful branding that pushes for sustainable, long-term growth. So far, I have had the opportunity to work exclusively with organizations within the health and wellness industry, helping them expand their client base from a local to an international level by recalibrating their branding efforts to capture the right audience. I believe my personal brand aligns with your company’s brand identity, as my commitment to transparent and positive messaging complements your values.
5. “Based on what you know about our company, how could you improve brand awareness?”
It goes without saying that you should never show up at an interview without doing your due diligence on the company you are hoping to work for. With this inquiry, hiring managers are not only checking if that is the case, but they’re also measuring your understanding of their brand as well as your creativity.
It’s vital, then, that you have some key suggestions and changes in mind.
SAMPLE ANSWER
The first step I would take as your company’s brand manager would be to double down on increasing your social media presence. This would allow for the product to reach your target audience more effectively, while also drawing in a younger demographic who might also be interested in this product.
6. “How do you determine when it is time to stop implementing a branding strategy?”
During the interview, hiring managers will gauge your ability to not just direct successful branding strategies but also change directions when needed.
Your answer should demonstrate an analytic approach to brand strategy, listing the elements that would help you determine whether you should stay on the current course or take an alternative route.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Once a branding strategy is implemented, I set a specific timeframe within which certain targets must be reached. If, within this timeframe, they are not met, then I conduct a holistic review of the current plan to locate areas that need further refinement or adjustment. Once this is completed, it’s time to use these findings and reformulate the existing brand strategy.
7. “What motivates you about this particular role?”
Hiring managers often look for candidates who are not only well-suited for a role but also motivated to undertake it. With this question, then, they are gauging your interest in their organization and your motivations to work there.
Your answer should delve into specific parts of the job and company that caught your attention when you applied. It’s wise to tie in your experience, skills and expertise into your response, which will also demonstrate your suitability for the role.
SAMPLE ANSWER
I believe that my current experience is perfectly aligned with the requirements of this role, making me a suitable candidate. Beyond that, I have always been interested in your organization’s work and your dedication to creating innovative products through sustainable and environmentally conscious means. This is an objective that is important to me both on a professional and personal level, and it was a primary motivator when I applied for this role.
8. “In previous roles, have you ever disagreed with leadership about the brand direction? How was this resolved?”
When asking this question, hiring managers want to ascertain your conflict resolution and problem-solving skills. Your answer should describe the situation, detailing what the point of conflict was and how this was resolved. It’s important that you highlight what you learned from this conflict and reflect on the positive outcome.
As a side note, when answering this question, make sure not to badmouth any previous employers or disclose any sensitive or private information, as this could raise a red flag for your interviewer.
SAMPLE ANSWER
In my previous role, my supervisor and I had differing opinions on metrics to use in our next brand campaign. I had suggested a new metric that I believed would render more accurate data about the performance of that particular campaign; however, my supervisor was reluctant. I collected the necessary information to support my suggestion, including real-time examples, and I was able to present a convincing case. Throughout the campaign, the metric provided useful insights to the point that it was integrated into future brand campaigns too.
9. “Can you give us an example of a brand strategy you oversaw that did not perform as well as expected?”
While you may want to highlight your strengths as a job candidate, hiring managers also want to know about your weaknesses. The purpose of this question is to determine how you have responded to failure in the past and your ability to adapt and overcome it.
Your answer should provide the necessary context, outlining the objective of the brand strategy and pinpointing what you believe went wrong. Your closing statement should reflect on what could have been done better, and what steps were taken to address the issue to showcase your self-awareness and adaptability.
SAMPLE ANSWER
A few years ago, I was tasked with overseeing a brand strategy that was expected to do quite well when it was first launched. Unfortunately, the metrics proved otherwise, which led to a complete reformulation of this strategy. What we discovered during our reassessment was that alternative channels were needed to reach our target audience more effectively. Once these changes were implemented, we noticed an immediate improvement in the performance of our brand strategy.
10. “How would you describe your management style?”
As you’ll be undertaking a managerial position, it’s crucial for hiring managers to get a good picture of your approach to leadership. What is more, your answer will help them determine if you’re compatible with the company’s culture and values, as well as your experience in leading a team.
SAMPLE ANSWER
As a manager, I have always strived to keep a balance between guiding colleagues and allowing them autonomy over their work. Over the years, I have been actively adopting a strategic leadership style, as I have found it to result in a more forward-thinking and agile team that encourages collaboration, visualization and motivation among everyone.
Final thoughts
Preparing for an interview can be a daunting task, but the more time you spend practicing your answers, the far readier you will be.
The above questions are just some examples of what you might be asked during your brand manager interview and should prepare you to stand out as a job candidate. That said, strive to rehearse answering a diverse range of interview questions to avoid making major mistakes on the big day.
Got a question? Let us know in the comments section below.
Originally published on April 25, 2015.