چه چیزی یک مدیر برند موثر را ایجاد می کند؟

Brands have become increasingly important as a foundation for competitive strategy. Unfortunately, although brand managers are responsible for brand strategy development and execution, little is known about what makes a brand manager effective. A model is developed to understand what intangible capital embodied by brand managers influences brand management capabilities and resultant brand performance. Measures of brand manager intangible capital and brand management capabilities are developed through an iterative scale development process. Hypothesis testing, derived from a survey of brand managers, indicates that brand manager human, relational and informational capital influences brand management capabilities and resultant brand performance, and brand manager intangible capital has an indirect effect on brand performance via brand management capabilities. By delineating and operationalizing the intangible capital and capabilities of brand managers, this study provides a theoretical and empirical foundation for future research on brand managers, tools for assessing current brand manager capital and capabilities, and guidance in relation to intangible capital and capabilities needed by brand managers.

What makes a brand manager effective? This question has become increasingly important as competition has evolved toward being brand-based. Given the evolving nature of competition, firms today strive to employ brand managers who are able to understand issues such as protecting brand equity against competitive threats and leveraging and capturing brand value. However, little academic study has been engaged to identify what it takes to be an effective brand manager, although much research has been engaged on brands and their importance to the firm (e.g., Buil et al., 2009, Fuchs and Diamantopoulos, 2010, Keller, 1998 and Ozsomer and Altaras, 2008). The lack of research specifically addressing this issue is surprising given the importance of brand managers to a brand's performance. This study contributes to the literature in two distinct ways. First, this study identifies the specific intangible capital elements (e.g., the types of knowledge and skills that are critical to a brand manager's performance) and capabilities of brand managers. Although prior research has begun to suggest the importance of examining intangible capital at the individual level (Griffith and Lusch, 2007 and Nath and Mahajan, 2011), researchers have not identified marketing specific intangible capital, nor what specific intangible capital is important for brand managers. The authors engage in an iterative process to identify and create measures to effectively assess the elements necessary for understanding brand manager intangible capital and brand management capabilities. By developing measures of brand manager intangible capital and brand management capabilities this study not only provides specificity to allow for greater academic research, but also provides tools for assessing the intangible capital and brand management capabilities of brand managers, therefore contributing not only to academic discipline, but also to marketing practice and marketing education. Second, building upon the literature within marketing focused on understanding marketing professionals as key firm resources (e.g., Dickson, 1992, Griffith and Lusch, 2007, Nath and Mahajan, 2011 and Verhoef et al., 2011), this study contributes to the understanding of how a brand manager's intangible capital is leveraged into brand management capabilities to provide for enhanced brand performance. Specifically, although researchers have offered a conceptual extension of resources at the marketing professional level (e.g., Griffith and Lusch, 2007 and Nath and Mahajan, 2011), researchers have not empirically demonstrated that the intangible capital embodied in marketing personnel has any effect on firm level outcome variables. This study empirically examines brand manager intangible capital as a key influencer of brand performance. As such, this study answers calls for the quantification of value to the firm of marketing professionals (e.g., Court et al., 2005 and de Chernatony and Cottam (nee Drury), 2009).

While this study contributes to the understanding of what makes a brand managers effective, greater research efforts are needed given its limitations. First, this study is limited due to its cross-sectional design. Although the results of this study suggest that brand manager's intangible capital influences brand management capabilities and resultant brand performance, inferences to causality are limited. As such, the brand manager intangible capital and brand management capabilities identified in this study should be examined longitudinally. A longitudinal assessment of new brand introductions could provide substantial insights into brand manager intangible capital, brand management capabilities and their effects on brand performance. Second, although the model addresses important aspects of brand management, the model is not comprehensive. For example, individual level tangible capital elements could be incorporated (e.g., firm resources that are made available to brand managers). Furthermore, it could be argued that intangible and tangible capital elements interact to influence brand management capabilities or brand performance. As such, future research should examine a broader scope of brand manager capital, as well as the role of firm level tangible and intangible capital. Third, there are a number of moderating constructs that could potentially provide a more comprehensive understanding of what makes a brand manager effective. For example, a brand manager's self-efficacy may have a significant impact on the relationship between brand manager capabilities and brand performance. Research on emotional intelligence suggests that people with a high level of emotional intelligence could be more capable of identifying potential problems and solving problems in a creative way than people with lower emotional intelligence (Kidwell, Hardesty, & Childers, 2008). Incorporating constructs into the model could help better understand brand manager effectiveness. Fourth, examination of how the measures developed in this study relate to managing global brands or across culturally distinct market should be investigated. In a global context, branding becomes more complicated. For example, Eisingerich and Rubera (2010) identify differential drivers of consumer brand commitment across national markets, Dimofte, Johansson, and Bagozzi (2010) demonstrate how ethnically diverse domestic consumer relates differently to global brands, and Ozsomer (2012) denotes brand effect differences (i.e., global versus local) across categories in emerging markets. Future research could examine whether the items identified in this study allow researchers to capture these unique effects related to global brands. Given that three of the four intangible capital elements of brand managers were found to influence brand management capabilities, future research could explore the specific roles these intangible capital elements play in the structuring, organization and communication of brands. For example, which intangible capital elements are more important when examining new brands versus established brands? Which intangible capital elements are most effective when brand managers reposition brands? Which intangible capital elements are most effective when brand managers adjust for consumer culture positioning (Westjohn, Singh, & Magnusson, 2012)? Are these brand manager intangible capital elements equally effective for European, Asian and North American brand managers? These and other questions would provide greater insight into the challenges of brand management. Given the increased importance of brands in the competitive landscape, greater research on brand managers and brand management capabilities is needed.