Brand team, within marketing, within sales

I’m utterly biased, but to me, any organisational structure which has brand within the reporting line of marketing, is as daft as HR reporting into Accounts who in turn report to the IT department.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with some phenomenal marketing directors and switched on teams. They are great at what they do… which is marketing.

According to the bots, marketing is ‘the process of promoting products by understanding and satisfying customer needs to build customer relationships and generate sales.’

So, what the feck does that have to do with brand?

Brand needs access to the centre of the organisational. The culture. To understand, shape, and prioritise your purpose. To take a holistic view of everything you do. To help you clarify. To stay true.

But wait, I hear CEO’s say; ‘our business has a dedicated brand manager, a whole team in fact!’

Ok. To whom do they report? What are their targets? What area of the business do you classify them as? Who gives them a no?

Until brand earns a seat at the board, you’re not firing on all cylinders.