How to be a Brand Manager

Workshop to help new Brand Managers kick start their career in way that
maximizes your full potential as you manage your career in brand management.

We make your team of brand leaders better
We can customize programs to the needs of your team with a
strong menu of interactive brand leadership workshops
1. Strategic Thinking
2. Brand Plans
3. Positioning Statements
4. Creative Briefs
5. Brand Analysis
6. Better Advertising
7. Media Plans
8. How to Run Your Brand
9. Managing your Marketing Career
10. Motivational Lunch and Learns
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The Brand Leadership Center
We make brands better.
We make brand leaders better.
My hope is you can use this at the start
of your career—with tips on what you
need to do to get to the next level.
We’ll focus mainly the Assistant Brand
Manager and Brand Manager role.

Advice from a former CPG
Marketing Executive

Love What You do.
If you don’t love the work,
how do you expect the consumer to
fall in love with your brand?

Skills Assessment
Based on your skills, experience and behaviors, what type of marketer are
you? Where are your gaps in skills, experience and behaviors and what’s
your game plan for closing those gaps?
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While every Brand Leader claims to be a
generalist, we normally each have a lead
desire and lead strength:
1. Do you like running the business and managing products?
2. Do you like being creative, either generating ideas or executing creativity?
3. Are you a strategic thinker, enjoying the planning side of the business?
4. Are you a leader of leaders, with a passion for leading people?
If you had to force yourself to choose one, which
one would you pick?

What is your lead strength as a Brand Leader?
Managing Products Creating Concepts/Ideas
Leadership of PeopleStrategic Thinking
L
M
H
Forced Choice: This model forces you to pick one core strength (high), two at the middle
point and forces you to have one that falls to the low level.
• Continue in Brand
Management
• Shift across industries
• Lead Private Equity
Turnarounds or Acquisitions
• Entrepreneurship
• Executional Agency
• Subject Matter Specialist
• Ideation Brainstorm
Facilitation
• Business Development
• General Management
• Stay within Brand Management
• Cross Functional into Sales
• Partner in Entrepreneurship
• Personal Executive Coach
• Consulting/Coaching
• Thought Leadership
• Adjunct Professor
• Business Development
• Writing/Speaker Series

Managing Products
Where is the sweet spot where talent meets passion?
• You’re naturally a business leader, who enjoys the thrill
of hitting the numbers–your financial or share goals for
the year. In Myers Briggs, you might be an ENTJ/INTJ
(introvert/extrovert, intuition, thinking, judgment) the
“field general” who brings the intuitive logic and quick
judgment to make decisions quickly to capitalize on
the business opportunity.
• You like the innovation side more than the advertising.
You are fundamentally sound at all the core elements
of running a business: forecasting, analytics, finance,
distribution, working each of the functional areas to the
benefit of the products. You may have some gaps in
creativity or people leadership, but you’re comfortable
giving freedom to your agencies or team to handle
coming up with ideas.
• My recommendation is that you stay within Brand
Management as long as you can. If you find
roadblocks in your current industry, go into new
verticals before you venture into new career choices. If
you go outside, consider running businesses on behalf
of Private Equity companies or even venture out into
Entrepreneurship where you take your core strength of
running a business to making it on your own.
Strategic Thinking
• You enjoy the planning more than the execution.
You might fall into the INTP, where you’re still
using logic and intuition, but you are stronger at
the thinking that helps frame the key issues and
strategies than the tactical solutions to the
problems. The introvert side would also suggest
that your energy comes from what’s going on in
your brain, more than what others are saying.
• If you stay within industry, you’d be very strong in
a global brand role, general management or even
a strategic planning role. You need to either
partner with a strong executer or build a strong
team of business leaders beneath you.
• Going outside, you’d enjoy consulting and thought
leadership which could turn into academic or
professional development type roles.

Creative Concepts/Ideas
• You are the type of Brand Leaders open to new
thinking, highly creative and you connect more to
ideas and insights than strict facts and tight
decisions. You believe facts can guide you but
never decide for you. They are high on perception,
allowing ambiguous ideas to breathe before closing
down on them. They respect the creative process
and people. They are intuitive but opt for how
something feels as they use their instincts for what
is a good or bad idea. You may have gaps on
organization and strategy that hurts you from being
a senior leader.
• Going forward beyond Marketing, you might opt to
switch to agency side or find a subject-matter
expert role (Innovation, Marketing Communication
or Public Relations) that better suits your strengths.
• You may be frustrated if you stay within traditional
marketing as it pushes for creativity, but really, it
rewards safe choices.
• You find natural strength in leading others–getting
the most from someone’s potential. You’re good at
conflict, providing feedback, inspiring/motivation.
You are a natural extrovert, where you get your
energy from seeing others on your team
succeeding, almost more than yourself. As you
move up, you should surround yourself with
people who counter your gaps–whether that’s on
strategy or execution.
• You might find yourself better at Management than
Marketing, and you should pursue a General
Management role. You also would benefit from a
cross functional shift into a sales function.
• After you hit your peak within the corporate world,
consider careers such as executive coaching
where the focus remains on people.
Leader of People

Honest Reflection to Match up what you love with what your good at,
avoiding what you hate or lack talent.
Finance
Writing long reports
Project Management
Sales Management/Presentations
Creative Solutions
Conceptual Mind
Strategic Planning
Leadership Coaching
Public Speaking
Heavy Advertising Experience
Accounting
Forecasting
IT/software/technology
Administrative
Legal Negotiations
Details
Copywriting
Event Planning
Production
Executional Details
Product Innovation
LoveHate
Lack of
talent
Talented

Great marketers
#1: Have a way to get what they need.
#2: What they need is the right thing to do.
Great marketers get both.
Bad marketers fail on 1 or 2.

Expected Behaviors in Marketing
• Hit the deadlines: Don’t look out of control or sloppy. We have enough to do, that
things will just stockpile on each other.
• Know your business: Don’t get caught off-guard. Make sure you are asking the
questions and carrying forward the knowledge.
• Open communication: No surprises. Keep everyone aware of what’s going on.
Present upwards with an action plan of what to do with it.
• Listen and decide: While it’s crucial that we seek to understand, it’s equally
important that we give direction or push towards the end path.
• We must get better: When we don’t know something, speak in an “asking way”,
but when we know, speak in a “telling way”.
• We control our destiny: We run the brands, they do not run us. Be slightly ahead
of the game, not chasing your work to completion.
• Regular feedback for growth: You should always take feedback, good or bad, as
a lesson for you. Not a personal attack or setback.

Leading and Managing in Marketing
• Hold your team to a consistently high standard of work in strategic thinking, planning,
execution in the market. Consistency in the Quality of marketing outputs:
Advertising/Media, Innovation/New Products and In-store/Promotion
• People Leadership: your team knows the team vision and is consistently motivated by
where you want to go. Seen as actively interested in helping your team to manage
their careers.
• Processes: you organize, challenge and manage the processes so your team can
execute. Your team gets things done on time. Deadlines, on budget, on forecast.
• Coaching: Teach, guide and direct your team members for higher performance.
Training and Development: provides on-going skills development to make the
team better. Motivation and Recognition: you are seen to actively provide positive
commentary to team players, one on one and in public.
• Consistent Communication: Both written and spoken, big and small. Easily
approachable and makes time to wander. Actively Listens to Team: asks the big
strategic questions, not the small tactical details
• Leadership during times of pressure: results, ambiguity, change and deadlines.

Brand Stewardship in Marketing
• Crafted a Team Vision to help align & motivate team. Stewart of the direction of the
brand and gatekeeper to all things strategic
• Takes the time to engage in deeper strategic thinking to ensure it’s not just about
execution. Challenges team to stay on strategy, yet provides motivation for creative
solutions.
• Consistently in the relationships you’ve built with the Sales Team and agencies.
Influence beyond your team with core stakeholders: R&D, Finance, HR, global.
• Need For Speed: We don’t do things fast for the sake of it; we do things fast so we can
take advantage of opportunities that have a window.
• Focus: One target, one message, one strategy at a time. Three strategies with three
tactics per. Do something big each morning and each afternoon.
• Follow Your Instincts: Listen to your inner thoughts: too many times people fail
because “they went along with it”.

• In the first 90 days of any new
job, you tend to get a bit dumber
before you get smarter.
• You over-think everything, you
stop using your instincts and you
pressure yourself to perform. Too
much information, uncertainty
over how to do it right, it feels
confusing and over-whelming.
• While you can try to fight the “idiot
curve”, sometimes it’s just better
to realize it’s there.
At every level, the Idiot Curve shows up
Use the Idiot Curve to your advantage, playing the “I’m new” card
and using first 90 days to ask as many questions as you can.

Early on, the marketing job is about execution and
you learn strategy THROUGH the execution.

Skills assessment for Brand Leaders
5. Analytical Thinking
6. Deep Dive Analysis
7. Analytical story telling
8. Report Writing
1. Strategic Thinking
2. Strategic Story Telling
3. Brand Plan writing
4. Plans presentation
13. Market Research
14. Consumer Insights
15. Big Idea for brand
16. Creative Brief writing
9. Media Planning
10. Advertising Development
11. Managing Agency
12. Creative Feedback and
Decisions
Analytics
Brand
Planning
Positioning
and Briefs
Advertising
We have mapped out the 32 skills a brand leader needs, under 8 skill areas
21. Influencing Sales team
22. Customer knowledge
23. Consumer promotion
24. Sales calls/presentations
17. Leading innovation process
18. Concept writing
19. New product development
20. Launching new products
29. Managing Brand processes
30. Legal & Regulatory
31. Forecasting
32. P&L management
25. Managing Direct Reports
26. Coaching teams
27. Influencing across company
28. Managing upwards
New
Products
& Claims
Go-to-
Market
Leadership
Managing

Accountable
to results
People
Leadership
Strategic
Thinking
Broad
Influence
Authentic
Style
1. Manages core team members: focus, communication, solutions,
results, let others shine.
2. Hold everyone accountable to the goals of their tasks
3. Make it happen, get things done, don’t let details/timeline slip
4. Interested in your people’s development and career development
5. Coach, teach, guide your team for higher performance.
6. Provide honest assessments to your people and upwards.
7. Strategic thinker, strategically challenges team, agencies, peers.
8. Steward of brand vision, gatekeeper of things off strategy.
9. Push for innovation, open to others’ ideas.
10. Active listener, asks questions, seeks opinions, can decipher
decisions, owns the strategy.
11. Influence beyond sphere, by defining strategies, flexible to other
solutions.
12. Influence up through organization.
13. Is conscious of your impact on others with and beyond your team.
14. Leadership during times of pressure: results, ambiguity, change,
deadlines.
15. Consistency in how you show up as a leader.
Behaviors Assessment for Brand Leaders
We have mapped out the 15 key leader behaviors you have to master

Do a self assessment by scoring
yourself out of 5 for each of the 32 skills
and each of the 15 leader behaviors.
Get peers or a boss or past direct
reports to also provide assessments.
Use the gaps you find to alter what experience you may
need to help manage your overall growth.

Where is your career now and
where do you want to go next?
Brand Management goes through four key levels: Assistant Brand
Manager, Brand Manager, Marketing Director and VP/CMO. Here is a
checklist of what it takes to get past each level.
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Associate Brand Manager
Role
5 Key Areas You Should Focus on

Analytical story telling
• A great ABM is able to tell stories, where others just see data.
Be pro-active
• A great ABM can get what they want.
• A great ABM takes action and moves before being asked.
• A great ABM puts their strategic thoughts forward.
• A great ABM is accountable in the ownership of their work.
Make it happen
Contribute strategically
Be accountable
Achieving success as an Assistant Brand Manager
Before an ABM is promoted, we usually need to see all five, and we
need to see you start to act like a Brand Manager.
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5
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1. Analytical Story Telling
A great ABM is able to tell stories, where others just see data.
• There is tons of data all over—share results, tracking, test scores, etc. One of the
most critical skill an ABM can work on is developing stories with the data. It’s one
thing to have the data point, but another to have thought it through and know what it
means, and what action you will take on this data. Look for patterns or data breaks,
ask questions, start putting together stories and challenge the stories.
• Use stories backed up by data to sell your recommendations. Never give a data
point without a story or action. You risk letting someone else take your data and run
with it or tell a story different from yours.
ABM SUCCESS

2. Be Pro-Active
A great ABM takes action and moves before being asked.
• Most of the projects for ABMs are already set by your manager. When you are new,
it’s comfortable to wait for your projects. But don’t get in the habit of waiting for
someone to create your project list.
• But a great ABM starts to push ideas into the system and create their own project
list. Some of the best ideas come with a fresh set of eyes and we need a continual
influx of new ideas.
• We also start to see the ABM making good decisions, on their own, and
communicating to their boss. Not asking permission but telling what they want to do
and look for the head nod. Know what’s in your scope and align with your manager.
ABM SUCCESS

3. Make It Happen
A great ABM can get what they want.
• Instead of just functionally managing the steps of the project, great ABM’s “make it
happen”: faster, bigger and better.
• Faster means you understand what are the important milestones that need to be hit.
Manage the bottle necks: the task that have the longest completion time, that impact
the entire project. Sometimes you need to push with an inflexible but motivating fist to
get it done.
• Bigger means you want to do more than is required. You find that magic to make it
even have a bigger impact. Creative solutions or motivating others to do more.
• Better means you have to take the same people and get them to give their best ideas
or their best effort or their best work. Guaranteed you will meet many points of
resistance. Every project will. Solving these and still getting the most you can, is
what separates the great ABMs from the rest.
ABM SUCCESS

4. Contribute Strategically
A great ABM puts their strategic thoughts forward.
• You need to be a strategic thinker—asking the right questions to ensure you are
focused on the right area, where you can gain a positional power that leads to higher
growth and profit for your brand.
• Ensure you are staying strategic and not just falling in love with some execution not
aligned to your brand’s strategy. It’s so easy to be lost in your own “cool” projects. At
the ABM level, showing that you can keep things aligned to the strategic is just as
important as being strategic.
• Speak up and represent your strategic thinking. Standing up for your thoughts shows
that you are in the game, that you are thinking, and that you believe in your strategic
thoughts. Silent ABMs never last.
ABM SUCCESS

5. Accountability
A great ABM is accountable in the ownership of their work.
• Accountability is the stepping stone to ownership. And the ownership of the brand is a
sign you can be a Brand Manager. We need to see that before giving you your own
brand.
• Great ABMs motivate but don’t delegate If you have to step in, then jump in. You
cannot let things slip or miss. You have to stay on top of the timelines and lead those
on your project teams. You have to be action oriented, and solution focused. You can
never allow your team to get stuck.
• Be the hub of communication to all team members, and to key stakeholders, including
upwards to your manager.
ABM SUCCESS

How to Fail as an ABM
1. Can't do the analytical story tell.
2. Struggle to deal with the ambiguity of marketing.
3. Slow at moving projects through.
4. Selfishly think about themselves.
5. Don't work well through others.
6. Miss answers by not being flexible.
7. Fall for tactical programs that are off strategy.
8. Hold back from making contributions to the team strategy.
9. Settle for "good" rather than pushing for "great".
10. Poor communicators, with manager, senior management or partners.

The best new marketers listen to the subject
matter experts they are supposed to lead.
In year one, they will learn more from them
than they will from their manager.

Don’t expect too much too soon.
From what I have seen and experienced,
the work you do in your 20s will pay off
in your 30s and you’ll milk it in your 40s.
The sacrafices you make now, and they
will be sacrafices will pay off later

The Courses I took that I use on a regular basis
1. Marketing
2. Accounting
3. Finance
4. Economics
5. Math (Stats, Functions)
6. Logic
7. Psychology
8. Art
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Marketing is half art and half
science. You need to be good
at a braod array of subjects.
If you can’t do accounting,
you will eventually fail.

How to Land an ABM job
• MBA: This was the #1 source of our ABMs. It gave us the chance to have a
consistency in our recruiting efforts, allowed us to have a focused timing for
the hiring and even a consistency in starting dates so we could measure
and compare ABMs. One of the silent secrets no one can say is that an
MBA ensures that ABMs are late 20s, rather than 22–which makes it easier
for them to work with the sales teams. Now, people always ask me: “Do I
need an MBA?” My answer is “No, but it sure helps”. It allows you to be
part of the formal recruiting process, get in front door and be judged by that
very process, rather than just a one-off hiring manager who is in a panic and
doesn’t know what they want. My question to you is “Can you do an
MBA?” because if you can, I’d recommend it.
• Head Hunter and Recruiters: This was our second source for ABMs,
especially when we needed ABMs outside of the formal recruiting process.
There are some Headhunters that specifically fill ABM roles and you should
make sure you are connected with them. If you are lucky, you can get a
head hunter who gives you tips on your resume or feedback on your
interview. Ask for the feedback. Stay in touch regularly.

• Networking: As the economy has gotten worse, some companies have cut
back on the use of Head Hunters and opted for using a “finder’s fee” to
employees that recommend someone. So if you can connect with ABMs
that already work at the company, they have an incentive to actually get you
hired. The advantages to networking is they’ll tell you the hiring manager,
process and interview tips. They’ll also alert you to when someone quits. I
would recommend you write down the 10-20 companies you want to work
for, and get networking with other ABMs, BMs or the HR manager.
• Experience in the Company: A generation ago, many started off in sales
and then moved over to marketing. It still can happen, but it’s becoming less
common. If you try this route, push to get over the marketing quickly so you
don’t get stuck in a role you don’t want.
• Job Posting: Don’t wait for the postings, or you’ll be missing out on most of
the jobs. The HR department puts up the job posting, either because the
company has exhausted all other methods. The posting doesn’t always
mean there is a job, but HR using it to fill the resume bank. The new method
for hiring is to go on to Linked In and put “We are Hiring” in job groups

• Write your resume for the job you want, not as a way to tell who you
are and your life story: I’ve reviewed 1000s of resumes. Don’t put “VP
student union” on your LinkedIn, put “Pursuing a Career in Brand
Management”. You have to shift to be forward looking, not past.
• Make your resume look like you can do the job. Re-arrange all your
experience so that it lines up to the job you want. Have you done some of
the things we need you to do? Analytics, creativity, project management,
leading others, making decisions, pressure to deliver numbers, fast past
environment, dedicated to completing the task at hand, achieving results.
• Focus your resume. Get rid of the stuff on your resume that has nothing
to do with the job you want. It feels like it’s just your insecurity wanting to
keep it on there, and like any communication, less is more.
• Make your biggest accomplishment, no matter what it is (eg. champion
chess player, captain of the hockey team, dean’s list or won a case
competition) a center point on your resume and that you link it to the job you
want in the future.

• In the interview, find an energy level in telling your stories. Every answer
should tie back to fitting with the job you are going for. Have each story linked
to part of the job and how it would help you when you are working there.
• Forward Looking Answers: Answer the questions in a way that nails down
what they want to hear, not what you necessarily want to say. Yes, tell your
story, but realize that you’ve got to connect to being able to do the job.
• Know your audience, you might interview with HR, mid level managers and
senior managers. Your story, tone and interaction might change based on who
you are meeting with. You need to get a consensus in the hiring process—so
you need to impress each one, in a unique way that makes them back you in
the meeting.
• Ask really good questions—could be lined up to the skills, or what might be
part of your criteria for taking the job. But never ever say “nope, I’m good, I have
all I need to know”. This shifts it to a dialogue where you engage. If you can
make it conversational and not interrogation, that makes it even better.
• Close by “almost” asking for the job. Lay out the 1-2 main points of why you
would be a success.

Range of Marketing Career Options
Social
Media
Internet
Marketing
ResearchMedia
Company
Brand
Manager
Retailers
Each career has unique skills and strengths that can be a fit for you. I’ll do one class on careers
and talk about your personal brand. If you ever want to talk about these, let me know.
Ad
Agencies
Public
Relations
Event
Marketing
Small
Business

Brand Manager
Role
5 Key Areas You Should Focus on

1. Ownership
A great BM takes ownership of the brand.
• Many BMs struggle with the transition from being the helper to being the owner. As
you move into the job, you have to get away the idea of having someone hand you a
project list. Not only do you have to make the project list, you have to come up with
the strategies from which the projects fall out of.
• A great Brand Manager talks in ideas in a telling sense, rather then an asking sense.
It’s great to be asking questions as feelers, but realize that most people are going to
be looking to you for decisions. They’ll be recommending you’ll be deciding.
• When managing upwards be careful of asking questions—try to stick to solutions.
You just gave up your ownership. Your director wants you to tell them what to do, and
debate from there.
BRAND MANAGER SUCCESS

2. Strategic Direction
A great BM provides a vision & strategies to match up to.
• Bring a vision to the brand. Push yourself to a well-articulated 5-10 year brand vision great.
But a vision can be as simple as a rallying cry for the team. But you have to let everyone
know where you want to go.
• The strategy that matches up to the vision becomes the road map for how to get there. As
the brand owner, you become the steward of the vision and strategy. Everything that is off
strategy has to be rejected.
• Communication of strategy is a key skill. Learn to think in terms of strategic pillars, with 3
different areas to help achieve your overall strategy. Having pillars constantly grounds you
strategically, and is an easy way for communicating with the various functions. Each
function may only have 1 strategic pillar but seeing how it all fits in is motivating.

3. Managing Others
A great BM spends the effort to make their ABM as good as can be.
• Most BMs struggle with their first five direct reports. The key is to keep self evaluating
and looking for ways to improve with each report.
• Most BMs struggle to shift from “do-er” to “coach. They think they can do it faster, so
they may as well do it. They just become the “super ABM”.
• Many BMs fail to share the spot light, so it becomes hard to showcase the ABM. But
the work of your ABM reflects 100% of how good of a manager you are.
• ABMs need feedback to get better—both the good and bad. I see to many BMs not
giving enough feedback. And so many afraid of “going negative” so the ABM is left in
the dark or left thinking they are doing a good job.
• Great BMs take the time to teach up front, give the ABM some room to try it out and
then give hands-on feedback in real time. Use weekly meetings to give both positive
feedback and address gaps.
• Brand Mangers should do QUARTERLY sit down performance reviews with their
ABMs, who have the capacity to learn faster than annual reviews allows for.

4. Working the system
A great BM gets what they want and need.
• The organization is filled with groups, layers, external agencies, with everyone
carrying a different set of goals and motivations. You can see how the organization
works and appreciating what are are the motivations of various key stakeholders. You
then use that knowledge to begin to work the system.
• You are starting to see key subject matter experts giving you their best. You
understand their personal motivations and find a way to tap into those motivations as
a way to to ask people for their best. It might be an odd step, but from my experience
a really motivating step. Very few people ask for “your best”.

5. Dealing with Pressure
A great BM can handle pressure: ambiguity, results, relationship
and time pressure.
• Ambiguity is one of the hardest pressures. As a leader, patience and composure
help you sort through the issues. The consequences of not remaining composed are
a scared team and choosing quick decisions with bad results.
• If the Results don’t come in, it can be frustrating. Reach for your logic as you re-
group. Force yourself to course correct, rather then continuing to repeat and repeat
and repeat. Challenge team to “this is when we are needed”
• Relationships. Be pro-active in making the first move to build a relationship. Try to
figure out what motivates and what annoys the person. Understand and reach for
common ground, which most times is not that far away.
• Time Pressure. It’s similar to the ambiguity. Be organized, disciplined and work the
system so it doesn’t get in your way. Be calm, so you continue to make the right
decisions. Use time to your advantage.

How to fail as a Brand Manager
1. Struggle to Make Decisions
2. Not Analytical Enough
3. Can't Get Along
4. Not good with Ambiguity
5. Too slow and stiff
6. Bad people Manager
7. Poor communicators, with manager, senior management or partners
8. Never Follow Their Instincts
9. Can't Think Strategically or Write Strategically
10. They Don't Run the Brand, they Let The Brand Run Them.

The best Brand Managers
figure out how to work the
system, by getting buy-in
as to what they want and
then go make it happen.

Building your personal brand,
around an idea and a plan
We look at the needs of employees and then build the rational and
emotional benefits to find you a unique position. Then build a big idea and
create a personal brand plan.
3

Employer insights
What do employers want?
Your key features
What does your brand do?
Rational benefits
What do consumers get?
Emotional benefits
How does that make them feel?
Define employer
needs
Define target, need states,
enemies and insights.
Rational benefits
Match your experience up
against needs of hiring
manager, and in their voice
answer “so, what do I get?”.
Ladder up to emotional benefits you provide employers
Product features
What is your key strength,
your experience, your
skills your leadership
style? What past
experience fits roles?
1
3
2
Emotional benefits
Look at rational benefit,
asking, in the hiring
manager’s voice “so how
does that make me feel?”
4

What
Employers
want
What your
Peer group
does best
What
are you
great at
Winning zone:
Your clear difference
matters to employers
Losing zone:
Your peers are
better than you
Risky zone:
Equally meet employer
needs. You win through
proven experience or your
ideals/values are a fit.
Dumb zone:
Competitive battle
where no one cares
Finding that USP that makes you stand out
You have to be better or different or you won’t get the job.

Where is your authentic emotional Leadership zone?
It may help steer you to where you should be in your career or how you want to emotionally position
yourself as a potential leader, either on resumes or interviews.
Consulting
Professor Turnarounds
General Management
CMO/VP
People Leader
Client Service
Personal Coaching
Entrepreneur
Work for yourself
Public Speaking
Teaching Coaching
People Leader
Brainstorming
Sales Mgmt.
I’m curious for knowledge
I feel
optimistic
I want
to be in
control
I am
comfortable
I want
to be
myself
Our
consumer
Mo vated
Special
Successful
Inspired
Excited
Interes ng
Alive
Cool
Playful
Popular
Trendy
Likeable
Friendly In mate
Happy
Easy-going
Nurtured
Compassion
Down-to--earth
RelaxedHonest
Family
Trust
Safe
Respect
Reliable
Knowledge
Wisdom Smarter
Competent
I want to feel liked
I want
to feel
free
© Hotspex Inc
I want to be
noticed
What is your natural emotional zone you can win on?

How you define yourself, what primary benefit you provide
and what secondary benefit you provide,
and how do you do it
Building your 7-second brand pitch

As a brand coach, we make brands better and
we make brand leaders better, by provoking
you to think differently about your future.
What is your 7-second brand pitch?
Example using Beloved Brands

As a brand coach, we make brands better
and we make brand leaders better,
by provoking you to think differently
about your future.
We create smart
brand plans that
everyone in your
organization can
follow
We build a winning
brand positioning for
your brand that are
better or different
We coach
brands on find
advertising
from their
agency that
drivers growth
We challenge you with unique
ways that disrupt your thinking so
you look at the same problem
through a unique lens.
We coach
brands on
strategy,
positioning &
advertising.
We train brand
teams on the
fundamentals of
brand management
We coach high
level brand
executives In
personal settings
We coach brand
leaders on the
fundamentals of
brand management
Motivating key-
note speeches to
teams on passion,
careers &
personal
branding.
Our Beloved Brands library of brand content
through our book series, weekly blog articles,
PowerPoint files, videos and public appearances.
Expanding on the 7-second pitch to create your
60-second brand pitch

As a brand leader, I find growth where others
couldn’t and create a motivated team
that delivers great work to drive results.
What is your 7-second brand pitch?
Example using a senior marketer

As a brand leader, I find growth where others couldn’t,
I create a motivated team
that delivers great work to drive results.
Led global launch of
Listerine Pocketpaks with
Canada as lead market.
Created marketing program
from scratch: positioning,
advertising, package design,
in-store program.
Known as turnaround
expert, having led
turnaround plans on
Zyrtec, Nicoderm and
Purell.
History of
success in finding
high performance
advertising that
drives growth.
Led marketing team at
J&J share gains on 9 of
12 brands, sales growth
on all 12.
Proven track
record of 20 years
of driving growth
while moving up to
VP marketing.
Hands on coach, who
gives honest feedback
and uses teaching
moments to make the
team better.
Led team into and
through merger
between J&J and Pfizer,
with no departures of
key team members.
Reputation for making
my team better, with a
motivating & challenging
style that gets the best
from people.
Created a training
program for the team
on the fundamentals of
marketing with a 100
page book
Developed new Listerine
brand vision that guided the
brand to double digit annual
growth for a decade.
Expanding on the 7-second pitch to create your
60-second brand pitch

Taking the Big Idea down to the promise level, using
my Beloved Brands personal brand as an example.
Promise Experience
Brand Story
Freshness
Positioning
Innovation Culture &
OperationsCommunication
Strategy
Brand Plan
The
Big
Idea
We’ll unleash the
full potential or
your brand and
team of brand
leaders.
We help you find
your right answer
and leave you with
an execution ready
big idea, plan and
creative brief.
We bring new ways of
looking at problems to
help find the growth that
others couldn’t. It’s like
having a VP marketing in
the room.
We have created unique
tools & formats to help
trigger new thinking that
unlocks the business
problem you’re facing.
Target brand leaders
who are feeling stuck
and can’t find the
path to growth, or
find their team lacks
the fundamentals.
Brand Leaders

Build a Brand Plan that
focuses your efforts in the
market place

Purpose
Values
 What do you want your brand to be in the next 5-10 years? Think of the
next 5-10 years. Where do you want to be? What would you like to
accomplish? Think of big goals, far beyond the year at hand. While you
may be focused on the current year, bigger thinking and helps frame why
you’re doing what you are doing.
 Why do you do what you do? Why do you get up in the morning? Why
did you choose this profession? Why did you get into this business or
career? I find you have to keep asking this question because every time you
ask it again, it becomes even richer and deeper. The first few answers are
usually just on the surface and no one will connect with that. Go deeper.
 What do you believe in? These are quotes that help project your opinion
into your Personal Brand. At a senior level, usually the connection is made
with people who share the same values. You need to find your values so
you can project them to the market. Do you have a theory or belief that you
want to blow out and have everything link to.
Worksheet Summary for your personal Brand Plan
Continued on next slide

Goals
Tactical Plan
Strategy
 What do you need to achieve? Linked to your vision for the next 5-10
years, do you have a financial goal, lifestyle, industry, role, location, job
level, risk profile, retirement age, bucket list of things you want to
accomplish?
Key
Issues
 What is getting the way from achieving your vision/goals? Assessing
your situation will help identify potential gaps in your career, potential type-
casting of your experience, what is your family situation and any factor in
the way of where do you want to go next?
 How can we get there? The how part of your career transition starts how
you position yourself in the market, your networking options (headhunter,
past employers/peers, associations) and the focused choices you see for
your next role (e.g. GM or VP marketing). Like a Brand, make these hard
choices before going to the market, so you go in with a focus.
 What do we need to do to execute the strategy? Resume, networking
list, routine, Linked In, social media, project work.
Worksheet Summary for your personal Brand Plan

Purpose
Worksheet Summary for writing of a Brand Plan
Goals
Values
Tactical
Plan
Strategy
Key
Issues
At Beloved Brands, believe we want to get brand leaders to think different believing that the thinking that got them
here, might not be enough to get them to where they want to go next.
Beloved Brands wants to be the voice of the modern brand leader, challenging every everyone to push themselves to
make great work that connects with consumers and reach their full potential.
• Consumer first
• Think Different
• Passion matters
• Results driven
• Leave client to execute
• Continue 10% sales growth for 2015.
• Add 5 new client in 2015.
• Grow business in Europe and Asia by 2015
• Launch 1 new e-book per year in 2015 and video boot camp for 2016.
Lead key clients with Brand
Coaching
Grow our Executive
Coaching program
Building the Training
Programs
Leverage new
technologies
• New verticals
• Geographic Expansion
• Build in CPG
• Advertising Coaching
• 1 on 1 tools for VPs
• Entrepreneurial program
• Career Coaching
• Launch two e-books
• Create new video series
• Skype coaching
• How do we continue building the brand coaching business in North America?
• How do we build one-on-one executive coaching business?
• How do we reach new marketing teams for learning and development opportunities?
• How do we build our advertising coaching business?
• How do leverage new tools (e-books, video, Skype) to broaden reach?
Using Beloved Brands as an Example
• Corporate Training
• Boot Camp Training
• Retreats
• Key Note speaker

Promise:
We’ll unleash the full
potential or your
brand and team of
brand leaders.
Experience:
We help you find your
right answer and leave
you with an execution
ready big idea, plan and
creative brief.
Story:
We bring new ways of
looking at problems to
help find the growth that
others couldn’t. It’s like
having a VP marketing in
the room.
Freshness:
We have created
unique tools & formats
to help trigger new
thinking that unlocks
the business problem
you’re facing.
Strategy:
Target brand leaders
who are feeling stuck
and can’t find the path
to growth, or find their
team lacks the
fundamentals.
Purpose: At Beloved Brands, believe we want to get brand leaders to think different believing that the thinking that
got them here, might not be enough to get them to where they want to go next.
Brand Vision: Beloved Brands wants to be the voice of the modern brand leader, challenging every everyone to
push themselves to make great work that connects with consumers and reach their full potential.
Personal Brand Road Map
Values: Consumer first, think different, passion matters, results driven, leave client ready to execute
Goals: Continue 10% sales growth, add 5 new client, grow business in Europe and Asia, launch 1 new e-book
The Big Idea: We make brands better. We make brand leaders better.
Lead key clients
with Brand
Coaching
Grow our Executive
Coaching program
Partner of choice
for Training
Programs
Leverage new
technologies
Strategies:
Tactics:
• New verticals
• Geographic Expansion
• Build in CPG
• Advertising Coaching
• 1 on 1 tools for VPs
• Entrepreneurial program
• Career Coaching
• Launch two e-books
• Create new video series
• Skype coaching
• Corporate Training
• Boot Camp Training
• Retreats
• Key Note speaker

Get key influencers to provide you with a recommendation of support
of you. Make sure they are real, and even push them to match up the
story you wish to tell.
Use the views of others to help tell your story
60

Map out your Values/Views and projecting those into
the marketplace to find a match
“The most Beloved Brands are
either different, better or
cheaper. Or else, not around for
very long.”
“A Beloved Brand uses the love that consumers
have for the brand to replicate the positional
power of a Monopoly: higher growth and
profits.”
“If you don’t love the work you
do, how do you expect your
consumer to love your brand?”
Senior Leaders have Opinions: Lead with your View and Connect
• Having 3 views mapped out makes you more powerful in the interview process.
Layer these views/values into your resume.
• Project them into the market through social media—blog, twitter, Linked In. You can
join up to 50 groups in Linked In where you can comment, be noticed and connect
with people who share the same views or values.

Taking your experience to a Resume
Building the resume
starts with your brand
idea, layers in the
experience to fit that
idea, and keeps
everything simple,
results oriented and
clean.
Only put in information that
the reader wants to hear,
not what you want to say.
There may be projects you
are proud of that no one
else cares about.

Every executive should
have a well-crafted Bio for
themselves, that outlines
your big idea for you as a
Brand, tells the story of who
you are, what you believe
in, where you came from
and how you can help
whoever is reading this bio.
Take Everything into Creating a Bio for yourself
Graham is one of the voices of the modern brand leader. He started Beloved
Brands, knowing he could make brands better and brand leaders better. Graham
believes passion matters in marketing, because the more loved a brand is by
consumers, the more powerful and profitable that brand will be.
Graham spent 20 years in brand management leading some of the world’s most
beloved brands at Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer, General Mills and Coke, rising
through the ranks up to VP Marketing. Graham played a major role in helping
Pfizer win Marketing Magazine’s Marketer of the Year award. He has an
MBA from the Ivey Business School, ranked the #1 International
business school by Business Week.
As a Brand Coach, he can help you create a winning positioning
statement for your brand, write a brand plan everyone can follow,
find advertising that drives growth and train your team of Brand
Leaders on everything marketing. The client roster for Beloved
Brands includes the NFL Players Association, Reebok, Pfizer
Capital One, 3M, Sun Products and Earls.
Graham’s weekly blog (beloved-brands.com) has a vast following
with over 3 million views, and his public speaking appearances
inspire brand leaders to love what they do.
Graham Robertson • Beloved Brands

Graham Robertson
Promoted to VP Marke ng at Pfizer, leading a
broad por olio of CPG brands that included
Listerine, Band-Aid, Benylin, Nicore e,
Nicoderm, Reac ne, Visine and Purell.
Won a na onal case
compe on gradua ng
with Commerce degree
Finished on the dean’s list and 2nd in
class during my MBA at Ivey
As a Senior Brand Manager developed new Listerine brand vision
that guided the brand to double digit annual growth for a decade.
Launched new adver sing that drove share from 25% to 55%.
Led global launch of Listerine Pocketpaks
by crea ng unique marke ng program from
scratch: posi oning, adver sing, package
design, in-store, won Product of the Year.
Promoted to Director, added allergy business to por olio. Led rapid
brand turnaround on Reac ne/Zyrtec moving from distant/declining
#2 behind Clari n into a high growth brand and a clear #1 brand.
Led the company’s two largest categories--Oral Care
& Smoking Cessa on—launching significant Nicoderm
turnaround, from double digit declines to 20% growth
Led team through merger with J&J and Pfizer with our team
achieving best results of any country during the two merger
years: share gains on 9 of 12 brands, sales growth on all 12.
Created Beloved Brands
as a bou que consul ng
firm that helps brands
and brand leaders reach
their full poten al.
1
7
6
5
4
3
2
8
10
Able to increase employee engagement from the marke ng team,
innova on across the board, be er adver sing with all 10 brands
delivering adver sing results in the top 20%. Led team into and
through merger, with no departures of key team members.
9
1 King Street, Toronto Ontario Canada • 416 885 3911 • graham@beloved-brands.com
1989
1994
1997
2001
2010
2005
10 career highlights that prove I’m a Brand leader who ﬁnds growth where others couldn’t
Using a timeline to add flavor to your resume

Create a laminated Brand Placemat to
showcase your personal brand
We make brands better. We make brand leaders better.™
Brand Coaching
We promise to make your Brand better by
digging deep on the issues, providing
advice that challenges you, and coaching
you along a strategic pathway to reaching
your Brand’s full potential.
Brand Leader Training
We promise to make your team of Brand
Leaders better, by teaching sound
marketing fundamentals and challenging
your team to push for greatness so
everyone can unleash their full potential.
Create a winning brand positioning
Write brand plans everyone can follow
Find advertising that drives brand growth
Drive creativity and innovation
Make your team of brand leaders better
2
3
4
1
5
We bring our vast brand experience to your table
“Beloved Brands assisted us in the
transformation of our brand positioning and
company culture. Graham helped steer
people towards ﬁnding their own solutions
and owning them, as opposed to just giving
people the answers.”
Keith Gordon
President, NFL Players Inc.
“Beloved Brands has been a tremendous
asset to Earls. They helped us to
uncover a new vision, brand DNA and
strategic business plan. We were so
pleased with the results, we used Beloved
Brands to develop Earls’ cultural brand
service values which were rolled out to all
6000+ employees.”
Monique Gomel
VP Marketing, Earls Restaurants
The great brands we have worked on What our clients have to say
front back

Social Networking means on line and in Person
• Using social media will make you seem more modern as a Brand Leader. Pick
the social media options that best tell your story. Stay focused because social
media can exhaust you. Do you have a blog? You have to at least write weekly.
What is your lead social media vehicle and support option? Linked In, Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or even emailing.
• Watch how you use twitter? Keep your twitter feed at least 90% business to stay
consistently focused. And only 10% fun: avoid 38 Football tweets on a Sunday.
• Network has to be very personal and authentic way. Most people are bad at
networking, bad at staying in touch. It’s OK that you’re bad at it, and it’s OK that
you’re using networking to search for a job. Get past the hesitation or guilt and
just do it. This creates a huge opportunity for you to do it better than everyone
else. If you can be the one that links friends, that gives you more power.
How to Tell Your Story?

Make It Personal and Real
• Be the social connector in your group that links people together. Add personal
touches, whether that means coffee, personalized notes or coffees. With the digital
world we live in, we still have needs for serotonin. A 15-minute catch up does wonders
for people. A personalized note just feels good.
• What’s your communication package look like? Think of it like a leave behind: what
story would you leave behind. Yes, the resume is obvious, but what else would you
leave behind. Create one.
• If you’re looking to get into marketing, do up a brand plan for a charity and leave it
behind at an interview. Do up your business card, a brochure. Vista print is so cheap
these days. Moo.com offers even more innovative options.
How to Tell Your Story?

Once you frame what your
personal brand is all about,
you might notice that you start
to show up differently even in
the simplest of conversations.

Passion matters: If you
don’t love what you
do, how do you expect
your consumers to
love your brand?

Best of luck to a successful career in
whatever you choose and wherever you go.
Make sure you realize that what you will
mostly remember is the friends you made
and your great vacations.
Have fun because in the end,
the energy you get by having fun will
inevitably pay off for you.

We make brands better. We make brand leaders better.

We create a winning brand positioning for your brand.
We write brand plans that everyone can follow.
We find advertising that drives growth for your brand.
We will make your team of brand leaders better.
1
2
3
4
As a brand coach, we make brands better and
we make brand leaders better, by provoking you
to think differently about your future.

We create a winning brand positioning for your brand
Beloved Brands Inc.
55 Bridewell Cres., Richmond Hill, ON Canada L4C 9C3 T: 416-885-3911 E: graham.robertson@beloved-brands.com
CREATIVE BRIEF FOR GRAY’S COOKIES
1. Why Are We Advertising
· Drive awareness and consideration of the new Grays Cookies as “The Healthy Choice to Snacking” brand
positioning.
2. What’s the Consumer Problem We are Addressing
· Cookies are my enemy. I’m always watching what I eat. And then BAM, I see a cookie and I’m done. As
much as I look after myself, I still like to sneak a cookie now and then.
3. Who are you talking to?
· “Proactive Preventers”. They do whatever it takes to stay healthy, they run, workout and eat right.
Women, 25-45 with bulls-eye target of 35-40. For many, Food can be a bit of a stress-reliever and escape
even for people who watch what they eat.
4. Consumer Insights
· “I have tremendous will-power. I work out 3x a week, watch what I eat and maintain my figure. But we all
have weaknesses and cookies are mine. I just wish they were less bad for you”
· “I read labels of everything I eat. I stick to 1500 calories per day, and will find my own ways to achieve
that balance. If I eat a 400 calorie cookie, it may mean giving something up.”
· “I shop at Whole Foods and love to explore the new items. The last few years, there have been some
tremendous advances in making great tasting options—in a healthy package.”
5. What does our consumer think now?
· I’ve never heard of Grays Cookies. But I’d likely need to try it and see if I like it. If it really does taste that
good, it’s something I might consider as a snack.
6. What do you want your consumer to think/feel/do? (Desired Response)
· We want them to try Grays and see if they like the great taste.
7. What should we tell them? (Stimulus: benefit)
· Grays Cookies are the best tasting yet guilt-free pleasure so you can stay in control of your health. You have
to try it to believe it.
8. Why should they believe us?
· Grays combines the great taste in a low fat and calorie sensible cookie. In blind taste tests, Grays Cookies
matched the market leaders on taste, but only has 100 calories and 2g of fat.
· In a 12 week study, consumers using Grays once a night as a desert were able to lose 5lbs.
· Grays uses all natural ingredients.
9. Tone and Manner
· Successful. Motivated. Reliable. In Control. Natural.
10. Media Options
· Main creative will be in specialty health magazines, event OOH signage and in-store. Want to carry the
idea into digital, social media and a microsite.
11. Mandatories
· The line: “best tasting yet guilt-free pleasure” must be included in the spot.
· 25% of Print must carry the Whole Foods logo as part of our listing agreement.
· Legal disclaimer on the taste test and the 12-week study.
Creative BriefThe Big Idea
1
We use a workshop style process that helps your team find a winning brand positioning, pushing
the emotional benefits. We can validate with consumers through a testable brand concept. We’ll
work to create a Big Idea that frames the external and internal promise of your brand. We’ll
leave you with an execution ready creative brief to hand to your agency.
Customer Value
Proposition Positioning Statement
I’m curious for knowledge
I feel
optimistic
I want
to be in
control
I am
comfortable
I want
to be
myself
Our
consumer
Mo vated
Special
Successful
Inspired
Excited
Interes ng
Alive
Cool
Playful
Popular
Trendy
Likeable
Friendly In mate
Happy
Easy-going
Nurtured
Compassion
Down-to--earth
RelaxedHonest
Family
Trust
Safe
Respect
Reliable
Knowledge
Wisdom Smarter
Competent
I want to feel liked
I want
to feel
free
© Hotspex Inc
“Emo onal cheat sheet” for brands
I want to be
noticed
Emotional Cheat Sheet Brand Concept
Mapping 5 Connectors
We coach brand leaders on creating a brand idea and
brand positioning that will help your brand win in the market.

We work with your team to dig deep to uncover the key issues. We use a workshop
style process to help your team lay out a long range strategic road map and brand plan
that everyone in your organization can follow. We then work with your team to create
actionable project plans for each tactic with goals, milestones and budget.
Purpose
Worksheet Summary for wri ng of a Brand Plan
Goals
Values
Tac cal
Plan
Strategy
Key
Issues
• At Apple, we want to make a dent in the universe by challenging the status quo and thinking differently.
• We believe equally in art and technology.
• Apple wants everyone in the world to be part of the future.
• Consumer first
• Simplicity and ease-of-use
• Stylish designs
• Fast-to-market
• Community
• Con nue 10% sales growth
• Double market share in Asia,
• Launch 5 new technologies per year.
Regain Leadership in Smart
Phone technology
Geographic focus
into China
Build around Cloud
technology
High service to ghten
Apple community
• Size op ons
• Win on design
• Launch watch
• Specific products
• Brand Building
• New retail space
• Launch into TVs
• Integrate retail
purchasing
• Take services online
• Increase courses
• New retail spaces
• How do we ba le Samsung/Google in smart phones?
• How do we expand our growth beyond a fla ening North American market?
• Where will the next round of innova on come from?
• How do we strengthen bond with our most loyal Apple users?
Using Apple as an Example
Promise:
We make it so easy
to use electronics,
that you will feel
smarter and at the
leading edge of
technology
Experience:
Apple starts with the
consumer experience
& works back to the
technology,
elimina ng
frustra ons.
Story:
Technology shouldn’t
be in mida ng or
frustra ng. We make
it simple enough so
you can be engaged
right away.
Freshness:
Surprising technology
that changes the
world. Every product
is stylish, simple, easy
to use & leap frogged
compe tors.
Strategy:
Technology with
stylish designs made
simple & consumer
friendly stretching
across a broad array of
electronics products.
Purpose: At Apple, we want to make a dent in the universe by challenging the status quo and
thinking differently. We believe equally in art and technology.
Brand Vision: Apple wants everyone in the world to be part of the future.
Brand Strategy Road Map for the Future
Values: Consumer first, simplicity and ease-of-use, stylish designs, fast-to-market, community.
Goals: Con nue 10% sales growth, double market share in Asia, launch 5 new technologies per year.
Strategies: Regain Lead in
Smart Phone
Technology
Geographic
focus into
China
Build around
Cloud
technology
High service to
ghten Apple
community
Tac cs:
• Size op ons
• Win on design
• Launch watch
• Specific products
• Brand Building
• New retail space
• Launch into TVs
• Integrate retail
purchasing
• Take services online
• Increase courses
• New retail spaces
The Big Idea: Apple makes technology so SIMPLE that everyone can be part of the future
© Beloved Brands Inc.
Brand Assessment
Con nue/Enhance
• Stay focused on things going right, accelerate
against them. Con nuous improvement.
Minimize/Reverse
• Close the leaks, develop turnaround plans or
re-focus the team against the trend.
Take Advantage of
• Build plans to mobilize the brand to see if the
opportunity is a winning space for the brand.
Avoid/Con ngency
• Iden fy and measure the risk, explore plans to
avoid. Fill the gap before a compe tor.
What’s Inhibi ng
the Growth?
What are the
untapped
Opportuni es?
What are
the Threats?
What’s Driving
the Growth?
Defining Key Issues Strategy Worksheet Idea Evaluation
Strategic Road Map 1 Year Brand Plan Project Plans
We coach Brand Leaders to build highly focused
strategic brand plans that everyone in your organization can follow
We write brand plans that everyone can follow2

Advertising AdviceProvocative Voice Agency SearchAdvertising Audit
We work with your brand team and agency to find advertising that drives growth on your brand.
We conduct advertising audits to help uncover better processes for your team. With a
provocative voice, we provide advice at every stage of the advertising process from assessing
creative briefs through judging advertising ideas to final production. We also provide agency
evaluation and lead search processes.
We coach brand leaders and agencies at every stage so they
can to create better advertising to drive growth on your brands
We find advertising that drives growth for your brand3

Strategic Thinking
Brand Plans
Positioning Statements
Creative Briefs
Brand Analysis
Better Advertising
Media Plans
How to Run Your Brand
Managing your Marketing Career
Motivational Lunch and Learns
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
“Graham makes Brand Leaders. His
boot camp style instruction is perfect
for the development of anyone in
brand management. He challenges
you to be better, makes you question
your decisions with rigor and
provides the right level of coaching
to bring you to the next level.”
Program
Participant
Here is the menu of workshops that we provide:
We can customize training programs to the needs of your team with
a strong menu of interactive brand leadership workshops
We will make your team of brand leaders better4

We like that our clients speak on our behalf
“Beloved Brands assisted us in the transformation of our brand positioning and company culture.
Graham helped steer people towards finding their own solutions and owning them, as opposed
to just giving people the answers.”
Keith Gordon
President, NFL Players Inc.
“Beloved Brands has been a tremendous asset to Earls. Graham helped us to uncover a new
vision, big idea for the Earls brand and strategic business plan. We were so pleased with the
results, we used Beloved Brands to develop Earls’ cultural brand service values which were
rolled out to all 6000+ employees.”
Monique Gomel
VP Marketing, Earls Restaurants
“The knowledge base of Beloved Brands is quite vast and practical, he literally helped to
upgrade my strategy team significantly. He took our planning team through several modules from
strategic thinking to creative briefs and overall brand management. Graham is a great developer
of people, and I would love to work with him again.”
Feyi Olubodun
Head of Planning, Grey Advertising, Nigeria

Graham is one of the voices of the modern brand leader. He started Beloved
Brands, knowing he could make brands better and brand leaders better. Graham
believes passion matters in marketing, because the more loved a brand is by
consumers, the more powerful and profitable that brand will be.
Graham spent 20 years in brand management leading some of the world’s most
beloved brands at Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer, General Mills and Coke, rising
through the ranks up to VP Marketing. Graham played a major role in helping
Pfizer win Marketing Magazine’s Marketer of the Year award. He has an
MBA from the Ivey Business School, ranked the #1 International
business school by Business Week.
As a Brand Coach, he can help you create a winning positioning
statement for your brand, write a brand plan everyone can follow,
find advertising that drives growth and train your team of brand
leaders to reach their full potential. The client list for Beloved
Brands includes the NFL Players Association, Reebok, Pfizer
Capital One, 3M, Sun Products and Earls.
Graham’s weekly blog (beloved-brands.com) has a vast following
with over 3 million views, and his public speaking appearances
inspire brand leaders to love what they do.
Graham Robertson • Beloved Brands

At Beloved Brands, we promise to
make your brand better and make
your brand leaders better.
We believe passion matters, because
the more loved a brand is by
consumers, the more powerful and
profitable that brand will be.
We will challenge you to think
differently about your future, because
the thinking that got you here may
not get you to the next level.
Our Credo
Brand
Personality
Products
& Services
Internal
Beacon
Consumer
Views
We create winning a brand
positioning, brand plans that
everyone can follow and
ﬁnd advertising that
drives brand growth.
With 20 years of CPG
Marketing experience, it’s
like having a VP Marketing
in the room. We bring a
sound planning process with
provocative tools that
make you think different.
We will provoke you to think
different. We coach when you
feel stuck and when you
want to push when you
want to push to reach
your full potential.
Big Idea:
We make
brands better.
We make brand
leaders better.
Passion in marketing
Matters. We believe the
more loved a brand is by
consumers, the more
powerful and proﬁtable that
brand will be.
The Big Idea behind Beloved Brands
We make brands better and we make brand leaders better,
by provoking you to think differently about your future.

LOVE IT
INDIFFERENT
BELOVED
LIKE IT
Brands move along Love curve1
Promise Experience
Story
FreshnessStrategy
Connect to build love in 5 ways
Brand Consumer
2
Brand
Power
Media
Consumers
Influencers
Culture
Channels
Competitors
Suppliers New Entrants
Love creates sources of power3Power drives profit in 8 ways4
We believe passion matters, because the more loved
a brand is by consumers, the more powerful and
profitable that brand will be.
Higher
Margin %
1
2Premium
Price Trading
Up
Stealing
share
Get
loyal
Users
to use
more
5 6
3
Lower Cost of
Goods
Efficient Spend4
7 8
Enter
New
Markets
Find
New
Uses
Price Cost
Share Market Size
Higher
Volume

We would love the
opportunity to help you to
make your brand better.
We love what we do and we
know that it shows at every
stage of the project.
Graham Robertson • Beloved Brands • 416 885 3911 • graham@beloved-brands.com

How to be a Brand Manager

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