Group Product Manager - Marketing - FMCG

UB at a Glance

In 1915, the foundation of the - Good Times- was laid, with the coming together of five breweries in South India, and now has grown to a multiple brewery operation across India. Today, our beer and non-alcoholic business has shown strong growth and we are considered undisputed king of the Indian beer market.

United Breweries Limited is synonymous with innovation and aggressive marketing that is complemented by a strong distribution network which encompasses an impressive spread of owned and contract manufacturing facilities across the country.

Our flagship brand - Kingfisher- has achieved international recognition consistently and has won many awards at international beer festivals. Our most popular beer, Kingfisher Premium Lager beer, is currently available in around 60 countries and leads the way among Indian beers in the international market. UB has created a diverse product portfolio and consistently created some of the most successful brands, including Kingfisher Strong, Kingfisher Ultra, Kingfisher Ultra Max, Kingfisher Ultra Witbier, Kingfisher Storm, Heineken and Amstel.

We believe in serving the consumer by ensuring a diverse brand portfolio.

Just So You Know

UBL is an equal opportunity employer, which values diversity & inclusive work culture. Our people are all equally talented in unique ways, we come from diverse traditions, personal experiences, and points of view and we want to include yours. Are you ready to join the UB family & inspire us with your new thoughts and ideas!

Broad objective of the role

The Group Product Manager of Kingfisher Ultra will report to the Category Head of the Super Premium Segment. The GPM will support the development of product strategy and lead execution of brand-plans including media planning for all variants of brand Kingfisher Ultra & Kingfisher Ultra Max; guide market research studies, oversee campaign design and execution and drive seamless marketing operations and reporting activities.

Roles & Responsibilities :

Product Strategy and ATL Budget Management

- Determine brand performance from past year indices, determine brand strategy and objectives for the financial year (e.g. footprint expansion, unaided awareness score increase, brand trials)

- Determine priority markets, marketing activities, devise required budget for all activities (performed bottom-up) to achieve brand objectives and plans

- Determine on-ground activation of consumer engagement activities planning (e.g. Ultra Derby, Ultra SoulFlyp etc); Draw up budgets and detailed plans

- Lead day to day budgetary management involving sponsorships, costs, overheads for the brand. Manage vendor relationship and payments.

- Coordinate with Sales and Regional Marketing team to understand breadth of distribution, volume output per outlet, types of outlets and visibility required, signage and other on-ground sales requirements

- Plan and coordinate with the Media team/agencies to execute the media strategy of the brand

Market Research and Consumer Insights

- Drive analytics from research to determine the future outlook for the brand

- Partner with external consultants to plan and implement market research activities and post-campaign evaluation studies for the brand

- Define the brief and research scope for the brand(s); Draw inferences, in partnership with the agencies and market research consultants

- Lead brand diagnostic and development research; Support Definitive Researches (e.g. consumer profiling, demographic study) conducted at the function/department level

- Independently assimilate learnings and inferences from available syndicated studies and conducting market visits to understand the on-ground sentiment

- Track competition activities, brand health metrics, and campaigns to determine actionable insights

Campaign Design and Marketing Innovation

- Contribute to the development of annual campaign plan considering changes in consumer behavior and market environment

- Partner with the creative agency by providing a robust brief and consumer insights for the brand to enable the development of robust brand campaigns

- Coordinate with agency and production house to finalize detailed plans and budgets; Resolve issues from a brand perspective on campaign design and execution matters

- Partner with other agencies (brand, PR, outdoor, and event) to develop detailed plans for on-ground activation

- Partner/ Coordinate with the digital team/agencies to manage and execute the social media strategy for the brand

- Coordinate with CTC and research agencies, to drive any NPD activities for the brand

Marketing Operations and Reporting

- Develop and re-organize detailed plans and budgets based on plan achievement and market developments for the brand(s) under the purview

- Drive adherence to internal SOPs and guidelines pertaining to marketing operations (for approvals, submission etc.) for the brand; Create reports for weekly/monthly/quarterly meetings

- Create Job Lists for the brand, highlight issues and red flags to the Category Head for identifying effective resolution needed; Implement corrective actions, as required

- Coordinate with regional breweries to ensure timely availability of revised packaging material for excise approvals

- Proactively identify changes in existing SOPs and recommend to Category Head for approval and execution

- Ensure compliance to ICFR guidelines for all budgets related to brands under the purview

Education guidelines - MBA in Marketing

Desired experience

- Minimum 5 years of experience

- Specific experience in sales/product marketing and marketing operations management

- Experience working in the FMCG/AlcoBev industry

- Deep knowledge of market research, consumer behavior, campaign design, and on-ground activation