Manager, Brand Strategy & Planning

Location: Hershey, PA

Summary:

Responsible for advancing brand strategy and planning across Hershey’s total portfolio.

Responsibilities:

• Brand Positioning: Work with VP & Director of Brand Strategy and brand teams to lead brand positioning work (the foundation of all brand strategy).
• Creative Audits: Lead brand creative audits, working with brand teams to review and compile past consumer-facing creative, help facilitate multi-day working sessions, and spearhead next steps.
• Insight development: Lead insight development and refinement with Marketing & Insights teams on key consumer promotions and major in-house campaign work.
• Brand Excellence: help advance Hershey’s “Brand Building Framework”, building tools and processes to improve marketing practices, ensure consistency of execution, instill shared language throughout the organization, and serve as a springboard for all strategic planning.
• Creative Briefs: intake all creative briefs, review with Director of Brand Strategy, and manage feedback with marketers.
• Marketing Training: Assist Learning & Development leader and Director of Brand Strategy in developing best-in-class marketing training and tools, spanning topics like brand building, positioning, creative briefs, creative feedback, etc.
• Other Brand Strategy: Lead key brand strategy projects, partnering with Marketing teams and Director of Brand Strategy, inclusive of innovation strategy, brand character work, and more.
• Creative Review: Participate in The Hershey Company’s two “Creative Councils” – a creative review process where Marketers present content to align with Marketing VPs.
• Connections Planning: Work with media and Marketing teams to create comprehensive consumer connection plans.
• Assist with all other brand and creative strategy needs.

Core Competencies:

• Brand strategy and marketing fundamentals
• Strong oral and written communications skills
• Ability to lead projects, build and negotiate timelines, and manage key stakeholders
• Blending abstract thinking with practical commercial needs
• Advertising and media
• Ability to analyze and interpret advertising test/MMM results
• Collaboration & teamwork
• Attention to detail
• Ability to appropriately flex between divergent and convergent thinking as needed

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor's degree required
• 4-6+ years of experience in (A) Planning/Strategy at a Creative Agency, (B) Brand/Marketing Excellence work in CPG, and/or (C) Brand Strategy at a major Marketing Consultancy
• Experience in Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) preferred, but not required