Brand Director - Four Roses Distillery

Four Roses Distillery, is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Brand Director, based in Lawrenceburg, KY reporting to the CEO. The BRAND DIRECTOR role is pivotal in driving the development of cutting-edge strategies and brand-building programs for our dynamic brand portfolio. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in brand management, a strategic mindset, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams to achieve business objectives. This position conducts job duties in a manner that demonstrates a strong food safety culture which ensures the safety and quality of our products.

Major Responsibilities

Innovative Brand Strategy Leadership, Insights and KPIs

• Aligned with Four Roses business objectives, develop and execute innovative and comprehensive brand strategies that increase brand awareness and drive sales within Four Roses brand portfolio
• Collaborate with executive team and senior management to ensure strategic alignment.
• Establish long- and short-term brand and business goals, oversee design, planning, execution and achievement of brand growth and market share
• Lead development of Four Roses Brand Portfolio strategies and development and activation of new line extensions
• Inspire robust marketing plans that are: Based on strong business analytics, Innovative and reflective of strong growth and brand-building principles, Creative and motivating, Grounded in consumer, shopper, and trade insights
• Collaborate with R&D, design, and production team to bring new products to market.
• Analyze data to identify trends, opportunities, and threats; translate insights into actionable strategies
• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to track brand performance
• Adjust strategies based on performance metrics and market conditions
• Analyze financial data to ensure profitability and ROI
• Assume accountability for the plan and profit delivery of the portfolio within the US

Brand Research and Industry Trends

• Oversee market research to gather consumer insights and competitive intelligence
• Conduct annual Brand Audit and other marketing related research projects
• Direct all market research activities; monitor progress, adjust as necessary to align brand strategy with overall annual marketing strategy
• Evaluate research findings to understand and accurately anticipate consumer response to formulate effective marketing campaigns resulting in increased product visibility and sales growth
• Set the direction of the brand and anticipate shifts in the business to adapt strategies as necessary; ability to learn, asks the right questions to gain knowledge
• Understand the competition and maintain our point of differentiation, review market research of competition and trends, consumer demographics, buying habits, and preferences
• Initiate new trends, seek out opportunities to change customer perception and market share to position the brand competitively

Planning and Budgeting

• Provide short- and long-term market forecasts and reports by directing market research collection, analysis, and interpretation of market data
• Develop short- and long-term budget planning through annual Department budget creation, achieve financial objectives of Four Roses through scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions
• Work effectively with the finance team to ensure optimal resource allocation across markets and activities
• Manage external agencies to ensure on-time and on-budget
• Ensure delivery of brand profit targets for each region

Marketing/Direct and Indirect Communications/Public Relations

• Develop and manage brand communication strategies
• Oversee the creation of marketing materials, including advertising, PR, and content
• Ensure consistent messaging across all channels

Support & Collaboration with Sales Function

• Work closely with sales leadership to align marketing strategies with regional sales goals; Conduct regular planning sessions, refine, adapt, and optimize strategies and enhance marketing effectiveness
• Develop integrated sales and marketing campaigns that drive regional growth
• Collaborate on customer engagement strategies to enhance brand loyalty and drive sales
• Ensure marketing initiatives support sales objectives and vice versa
• Develop customizable marketing plans that can be adjusted to address the unique needs and opportunities of each region
• Share market research and consumer insights with the sales team to inform regional strategies
• Develop sales enablement materials tailored to regional markets; coordinate with sales to allocate available marketing resources effectively across regions
• Provide sales teams with marketing tools, training, and support to enhance their effectiveness
• Work with sales to develop and maintain strong relationships with key customers and distributors

Managing and Enhancing Brand Value

• Define and manage the brand portfolio architecture
• Ensure consistency and coherence across all brand touchpoints
• Develop guidelines for brand usage and positioning while ensuring inclusive, and socially responsible/ ethical marketing practices and activities that reflect diverse consumer needs
• Ensure brand consistency of external promotion of marketing and sales tools/advertising/product design, etc. are within brand guidelines
• Ultimate gatekeeper maintaining Four Roses long-term vision of brand equity
• Oversee POS program, sets parameters to reduce waste; evaluates maximization of resources
• Develop and plan brand marketing and advertising campaigns/programs resulting in brand awareness and value
• Oversee digital asset management system used to store, share and search assets in-house
• Develop and execute digital campaigns to drive brand awareness and engagement
• Measure and report on the performance of digital marketing activities
• Work with the Product Packaging Team and lead new product development branding, deliberate and review new product packaging and launches
• Oversee product launch strategies and execution
• Develop strategies to enhance brand visibility and sales at the point of purchase; monitor and analyze the effectiveness
• Collaborate with sales teams to optimize in-store and online merchandising
• Lead digital marketing efforts, including social media, SEO, and online advertising
• Provide oversight, strategy/vision for Four Roses Visitor Centers

Qualifications

Required Competencies

• Strong analytical skills and the ability to turn “insights to actions.”
• Strong verbal and written communicator who can create clear images through words
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to operate effectively in a collaborative matrix.
• Strong results orientation, with a track record of superior financial performance
• Positive, trustworthy, genuine character with excellent reputation
• High energy, positive attitude, team player; leads cross functional teams/builds relationships
• Collaborator/Networker; demonstrates ability to pull from and leverage diverse thinking, ideas, and viewpoints from across the business to build an optimal solution(s) and approach
• Strategic Thinker/Data Driven and analytical ability to distill and synchronize various data sources to develop fact-based and strategically sound recommendations; committed to measuring impact and optimizing ROI
• Considered a marketing expert, understands how to define customer and consumer targets, and develop product portfolios and positioning that address their needs. Knows how to build and execute effective marketing campaigns, delivering support for sales, and driving adoption of marketing tools and resources
• Displays innovative and creative ideas based on solid market research, executes with focused financial results
• Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods; social networking sites/digital space
• High level proficiency in MS Office Suite
• Exceptional knowledge and execution of structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar in writing and verbal communication skills
• Excellent ability to manage multiple tasks on deadline, highly organized, results driven project manager, focused attention to detail
• Financial/budget management skills, P&L understanding and proficiency
• Stays on top of industry trends in marketing and consumer psychology, demonstrates knowledge of latest industry news and information
• Global mindset with passion for working across cultures. Demonstrates a global perspective as well as knowledge of local and regional business concepts and practices. Values diversity of cultures, thinking, and disciplines to deliver objectives

Required Education and Experience

• Must be at least 21 years of age
• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or related field
• A minimum of 8 years of progressive marketing experience in the alcohol beverage industry in brand management, field marketing, consumer insights, digital marketing, product development, media, and/or other related areas
• Experience successfully building and leading a high performing team.
• Demonstrated experience in developing, executing, and managing brand plans.
• Experience working with and managing outside agencies (promotional, creative, research, branding, media, etc.)
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute innovative “big ideas” that grow brands
• Ability and willingness to travel 35%-50% of the time, including some weekends. Must have flexibility in travel schedule in year 1 of position if more travel is required for market acclimation. Travel should decrease to some degree after year 1

Preferred Education and Experience

Master’s Degree in Business and a minimum of 10 years marketing experience