Brand managers' expected and perceived responsibilities in the automobile industry
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CLEOPATRA A. VELOUTSOU is a lecturer in Marketing in the department of Business and management, University of Glasgow. She holds an MBA and was awarded a PhD from the Athens University of Economics and Business in Greece. Her primary research interests include the areas of brand management, marketing organisation, relationship marketing and marketing communications. She has published in these areas and her papers have appeared in various journals such as the Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, the European Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Management, and the Journal of Product and Brand Management.
Abstract Fast-moving consumer goods and industrial brand managers’ perceived responsibilities have been examined in the past. Very little is known, however, about the organisation of the marketing activities and the brand managers’ role in various durable consumer goods industries. In addition, the effectiveness in the delegation of duties to the lower-level marketing personnel, the expectations of the marketing managers from their subordinates, and the perceived responsibilities of the employees themselves have not been investigated. Using data collected from a sample of 18 brand managers and nine marketing managers via personal interview in Greece, this paper aims to give some insight into these issues. It reveals that brand managers have a relatively clear understanding of what their job involves. Acting as middle managers, they are expected to scan the environment, implement brand programmes and evaluate their brand performance.
INTRODUCTION
tant issue, since it decisively influences the companies’ strategic orientation and affects marketing performance.1 Marketing personnel develop and control the total brand expression, and influence, to a large extent, the content of the front-line employees’ interactions with customers. Given the contribution of the marketing organisation in the contact with customers to advance the company’s success, both academics and practitioners agree that the marketing organisation must harmonise with the environment and the circumstances in which the company operates.2 The existing research on marketing
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Institutions constantly try to improve their competitiveness in the market and to develop offers that will appeal to their target customers. From the companies’ perspective, the implementation of the marketing concept will be achieved with the development of a suitable supporting organisational structure. The job descriptions, the responsibilities and the authority given to employees, as well as the degree that the employees recognise their role in the company, are fundamental to improve competitiveness. The organisation of marketing activities has always been a very impor-
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䉷 HENRY STEWART PUBLICATIONS 1350-231X BRAND MANAGEMENT VOL. 9, NO. 6 452–462 JULY 2002
Cleopatra A. Veloutsou Lecturer in Marketing, University of Glasgow, Department of Business and Management, The Gi
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