Torchora
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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Brand Associate

💰 $40,000 - $60,000

MarketingBrand ManagementRetail

🎯 Role Definition

The Brand Associate supports day-to-day brand activation and retail execution to ensure consistent brand presence and strong shopper experiences across channels. Working cross-functionally with sales, creative, e-commerce, and operations, the Brand Associate executes merchandising plans, coordinates promotional materials, tracks campaign performance, and gathers market feedback to inform future brand strategy. This role requires a proactive, detail-oriented marketer who can manage multiple activation projects, maintain retailer relationships, and translate on-the-ground insights into actionable recommendations.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Retail Merchandiser
  • Marketing Coordinator
  • Sales Support Representative

Advancement To:

  • Senior Brand Associate / Brand Coordinator
  • Brand Manager / Assistant Brand Manager
  • Trade Marketing Manager or Shopper Marketing Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Account Manager (Retail)
  • E-commerce Merchandising Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Own and execute in-store and e-commerce merchandising plans: deploy point-of-sale (POS) materials, set shelf layouts, ensure correct pricing and signage, and verify visual standards at targeted retail accounts to maximize shelf velocity and brand visibility.
  • Coordinate product launches and promotional campaigns end-to-end by creating operational checklists, aligning timelines with supply chain and retail partners, and confirming POS materials and inventory are in place for launch dates.
  • Support national and regional trade marketing programs by preparing retailer briefs, monitoring promotional calendar compliance, and reporting on redemption and ROI metrics to the Brand Manager.
  • Develop and maintain strong retailer and distributor relationships through regular store visits, retail audits, retailer training sessions, and timely follow-up to address product placement or merchandising issues.
  • Conduct market visits and competitive store checks to collect qualitative and quantitative insights—photograph fixtures, document competitor pricing/promotions, and report shopper behavior trends to inform trade and brand strategy.
  • Prepare weekly and monthly performance reports, consolidating sell-through, inventory levels, promotional results, and retail compliance data to identify opportunities and risks for brand growth.
  • Manage sampling programs including planning, distribution logistics, and tracking sampling ROI; coordinate sample inventory and approvals with product management and legal teams when needed.
  • Coordinate creative asset requests and localize marketing collateral by working with internal design teams and external vendors to ensure timely delivery of retail signage, displays, and digital imagery aligned with brand guidelines.
  • Execute influencer and local sponsorship activations in-market by managing vendor contracts, briefings, logistics, content approvals, and measurement of reach and engagement versus campaign objectives.
  • Support shopper marketing initiatives by collaborating with agencies and retailers to test in-store promotions, bundle offers, and POS innovation, then measuring the impact on conversion and average transaction value.
  • Track and reconcile brand-related budgets, purchase orders, and vendor invoices; ensure marketing spend adheres to plan and escalate budget variances proactively to the Brand Manager.
  • Serve as the internal coordinator for cross-functional teams—aligning sales, supply chain, legal, and e-commerce—to resolve execution issues and ensure campaign timelines are met.
  • Maintain and audit brand asset library and product imagery for retail partners and e-commerce platforms, ensuring all creative files meet retailer specifications and are consistently updated.
  • Assist in the development of sell-in materials and retailer pitch decks by providing up-to-date POS imagery, performance cases, and promotional recommendations that support category growth and retailer placement.
  • Provide retailer and field teams with training materials and quick-reference guides to ensure consistent product knowledge and selling points are communicated at point of sale.
  • Monitor digital campaign performance for brand social channels and e-commerce partner pages; gather performance metrics and collaborate with digital specialists to optimize creative and messaging for conversion.
  • Facilitate retailer compliance and retail standards programs by creating compliance checklists, conducting audits, and recommending corrective actions and re-training where necessary.
  • Drive continuous improvement by collecting POS feedback from field visits, surfacing friction points in the shopper journey, and proposing scalable process or merchandising changes to improve conversion and customer experience.
  • Manage third-party vendors and display fabricators: obtain quotes, evaluate samples, coordinate production schedules, and confirm quality and on-time delivery of fixtures and POS materials.
  • Lead and document post-promotion analysis and lessons learned: compile campaign results, highlight best practices, and recommend optimizations for future activations and product introductions.
  • Coordinate cross-channel calendar management—synchronizing retail promotions, e-commerce campaigns, influencer launches, and seasonal marketing initiatives to ensure cohesive brand storytelling.
  • Support compliance with packaging, labeling, and promotional regulatory requirements by liaising with legal and regulatory teams and ensuring materials are approved before distribution.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist with ad-hoc data requests and prepare exploratory analyses for brand performance questions; create simple dashboards or pivot tables to support decision-making.
  • Support the organization’s local brand strategy by contributing insights from retail execution and shopper observations into quarterly planning sessions.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate merchandising and promotional needs into operational requests for supply chain and logistics teams.
  • Participate in cross-functional sprint planning and regular status meetings to communicate activation priorities and remove execution blockers.
  • Help maintain CRM and retailer contact records, ensuring contact details, visit notes, and follow-up actions are accurately logged.
  • Provide administrative support for brand events and trade shows, including logistics, sample inventory, booth setup coordination, and on-site brand representation.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Retail Merchandising: knowledge of planograms, shelf sets, POS execution, and fixture installations with proven ability to translate merchandising standards into field actions.
  • Trade Promotion Management: experience supporting promotional planning, execution, and post-promotion analysis with familiarity in basic trade ROI calculations.
  • Reporting & Analytics: proficiency creating and interpreting sales reports, sell-through analysis, and promotional lift using Excel, Google Sheets, or basic BI tools.
  • E-commerce Content Management: ability to upload and QA product content, imagery, and promotional banners on retail partner platforms and D2C sites.
  • Project Management: experience managing multiple activation timelines using project trackers, Gantt charts, or task tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday.com.
  • Digital & Social Fundamentals: understanding of social campaign metrics, influencer activations, and basic paid/digital performance indicators (CTR, CPM, engagement).
  • Adobe Creative Suite Basics: working knowledge of Photoshop or Illustrator to prepare simple asset edits or annotate creative requests for designers.
  • CRM & Retailer Systems: experience using CRM or trade platforms to track retailer relationships, scheduling, and activity logs (Salesforce, HubSpot, or equivalent).
  • Budget & Invoice Management: ability to track marketing budgets, process POs, and reconcile invoices with attention to detail.
  • Photography & Visual Documentation: capability to capture clear in-store photos and annotate visual merchandising discrepancies for reporting.
  • Retail Math & Inventory Awareness: understanding of inventory flow, reorder points, and basic arithmetic to manage stock levels and sample counts.
  • Basic SQL or data query ability (preferred but optional): for extracting simple datasets or working with analysts on campaign measurement.

Soft Skills

  • Strong written and verbal communication — able to produce concise retailer briefs, training materials, and post-activation summaries.
  • Highly organized with excellent time management and the ability to prioritize competing deadlines in a fast-paced retail marketing environment.
  • Problem-solver with pragmatic bias to action — identifies execution barriers and drives follow-through to resolution.
  • Relationship builder — comfortable interacting with retailer buyers, field teams, and internal stakeholders to influence outcomes.
  • Detail-oriented and quality-focused — ensures merchandising and creative execution match brand standards.
  • Adaptable and resilient — able to pivot based on market feedback or changing retail priorities.
  • Collaborative team player — works effectively across marketing, sales, operations, and creative partners.
  • Data-informed mindset — uses metrics and qualitative feedback to recommend optimizations and improve brand performance.
  • Customer-centric — focused on creating superior shopper experiences that drive conversion and loyalty.
  • Professional presentation skills — able to deliver succinct updates and pitch ideas to internal stakeholders and retail partners.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Communications, Retail Management, or related field — or equivalent practical experience in retail/brand roles.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s with emphasis in Marketing, Brand Management, or a related discipline; MBA or advanced marketing coursework is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Marketing
  • Business Administration
  • Communications
  • Retail Management
  • Advertising
  • Consumer Psychology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1–4 years of experience in brand marketing, trade marketing, retail merchandising, or a merchandising/support role for CPG/retail brands.

Preferred:

  • 2–5 years experience supporting brand activations, retail execution, or e-commerce merchandising with demonstrated track record of improving in-store or online performance metrics.
  • Experience working with national retail accounts, brokers, or distributor networks and familiarity with retailer compliance programs and POS production.
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