Senior Brand Manager - Smirnoff (Secondment) - London

Please note this is a 12 month secondment

Diageo Context
Diageo was created in 1997 but its business is built on the principles and foundations laid years before by giants of the industry – Arthur Guinness, John Walker, Elizabeth Cumming and many more. Today, Diageo is a world class leader in beverage alcohol, producing an outstanding collection of over 200 brands and owning the top two largest spirit brands in the world, Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff and 20 of the world’s top 100 spirit brands. Its portfolio also includes Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s and Windsor Whiskies, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo has built a strong platform for growth – through investment in its own brands, and by acquisition to broaden the geographical footprint and category depth and range. The company’s strong local business units are well-positioned to win in increasingly competitive and fast-paced environments. Diageo’s portfolio is well-diversified across price-tiers, enabling it to participate where consumer opportunity is greatest, and to capture shifts in consumer preference.

Diageo’s culture is built and maintained by the five values that underpin its business and guide how Diageo works. At Diageo, employees are passionate about its customers and consumers and want to be the best. They give each other the freedom to succeed and value each other. Employees work hard so they can be proud of what they do and how they do it. While Diageo moves at pace, constantly evolving and improving, its values remain consistent. Diageo wants that employees live these values every day, everywhere so that Diageo can be proud of what they do and be the best that they can be.

More about Diageo is available at its web site: https://www.diageo.com/

Role Dimensions

Diageo brand teams are the custodians of our brands and work to ensure the future growth and success of said brand. As a member of this team you will be the guardian of our the brands within this category and work to shape their future.

Specifically you will work in the Smirnoff brand team. Smirnoff is the No 1 spirit brand in the GB market and the biggest recruiter of LPA-24 into the spirits category. We are at the start of an exciting new era for Smirnoff – we have recently launched a new brand positioning and we now need to bring that positioning to life in culture to create distinction and talkability for Smirnoff so that it is a buzzing cultural icon. At its best, Smirnoff is an audacious spark that shapes and makes culture.Smirnoff also needs to play a key role in drinks – making sure we have delicious drinks for multiple occasions and ensuring those drinks offer a compelling reason to choose a spirit & mixer or a cocktail over beer or wine.

As Senior Brand Manager your job will be to continue to drive Smirnoff’s No.1 status and grow the whole spirits category.  We need to make Smirnoff the most vibrant and exciting brand in the GB market, recruiting and re-recruiting consumers by showing up in a distinctive and culturally relevant way.

Top Accountabilities

Functional:

• Lead connections strategy and planning on Smirnoff.
• Build a digital strategy that enables Smirnoff to thrive in a digital environment.
• Develop industry leading, channel-first digital content that will step-change our ability to communicate with our audience in a meaningful and relevant way.
• Work with the Europe innovation team to develop and deliver a world class innovation pipeline that will create future brand and category growth. Own and deliver the launch plans for all new launches.
• Lead the annual brand planning cycle for the brand (MBP)
• Coach and support the Brand Manager and Assistant Brand Manager on the team.

Leadership:

Win through Execution

• Sets and pursues direction without guidance and takes a wide view of their accountabilities
• High energy and ambition to achieve successful outcomes and high standards
• Balances analysis and execution and adjusts thinking in the face of new information
• Actively spots opportunities or issues and identifies which are urgent and important
• Generates a range of workable solutions, decides what should be done and takes action

Shape the Future

• Sees the big picture and possibility from multiple angles and through a creative lens
• Frames issues in a way that creates clarity and incorporates others’ best thinking
• Accurately digests large amounts of information and breaks down complex problems thoroughly
• Challenges themselves and others to take on new or unfamiliar tasks and ways of working

Inspire through Purpose

• Finds broader meaning in their work and aspires to make a significant difference
• Reads their environment and understands how culture and context influences people’s perspectives
• Is actively aware of the impact they have on others and tunes in to the needs of individuals around them
• Communicates in a compelling, persuasive and impactful way
• Draws on a variety of influencing styles to engage different audiences

Invest in Talent

• Displays confidence in their ability to meet challenges and succeed
• Maintains belief and optimism and bounces back quickly from setbacks or failures
• Demonstrates a realistic and thoughtful awareness of their own capabilities
• Proactively seeks feedback and development for growth and takes action

Ideal experiences / Qualifications / capabilities

• 6+ years of relevant marketing experience
• Existing capability to build genuine relationships built on mutual trust & respect
• Successful management of senior stakeholders, resulting in strong and positive outcomes
• Holistic skill set across various marketing growth drivers as well as a track record of delivering transformational business results
• Comfort with dealing with ambiguity, complexity and working within a fast-paced, entrepreneurial and matrixed environment
• A history of working across media, digital, experiential, PR, culture
• Demonstrated brilliant execution to high standards across various pillars of brand building
• Deep personal accountability for great performance
• Strong commercial and numerical acumen with attention to detail