Senior Brand and Marketing Manager at Kenya Airways

Brief Description

• Job Purpose Statement: This job exists to guard and maintain the KQ brand Integrity, drive Customer Preference and loyalty to grow brand love, analyse markets and propose strategies; implement those strategies through market research, product development and advertising while at the same time involving KQ in sustainable community development within the KQ network.  This role is also responsible for developing and implementing corporate marketing strategies that focus on demand and lead generation Globally. You will drive customer preference and loyalty to KQ brand by analyzing, proposing and implementing relevant marketing growth strategies within the assigned globally through online and offline marketing. Your product portfolio includes the full range of the KQ Brand and sub brands (KQ Pride, KQ Maintenance & Engineering, KQ holidays, KQ Charters among the others). 
• Manage brand and advertising by creating, overseeing, and promoting KQ brand, products, and services, to drive customer preference and loyalty thus generating increased revenue.

Detailed Description

Corporate Brand

• Manage the KQ Brand across the product Portfolio (Brand Custodian)
• Plan and execute brand look and feel to ensure consistency throughout KQ product Portfolio.
• Implement and align the advertising strategy to the brand and, positioning, and messaging, naming and collateral for new and existing products and services.
• Direct media strategies and execution of plans thereof to ensure right Brand messages and understanding of KQ products and services by customers and other stakeholders.
• Planning and executing periodic customer surveys to develop insights for business growth.
• Develop and implement brand and advertising strategy, positioning, and messaging, naming and collateral for new and existing products and services.
• Working closely with the Marketing & Communications team to ensure KQ brand presence within the regional markets including regular audits that ensure product and brand integrity in line with the brand manual/ standards.

 Global Strategy Formulation

• Define, design, develop and implement marketing strategies, to drive brand awareness, customer preference & loyalty, corporate revenues via omnichannel within the assigned territory.
• Work with stakeholders (sales director, head of PRM & their staff, Communications team, brand manager) to establish marketing growth strategies to support the assigned regions’ revenue goals.
• Work with stakeholders (Brand, communication, research, loyalty and digital commerce teams) to plan strategic brand initiatives aligned to the corporate strategy, within the assigned region.
• Evaluate market trends and competitor intelligence across various platforms to ensure strategies are aligned to market conditions.
• Report in writing the performance on the various campaigns and their impact on thebottom-line. (M&E).
• Designand implement creative strategies and media executions (360 view) with agencypartners.
• Setand achieve KPIs for online and offline channels within the assigned region.

 Products

• Guides Brand application across the product range with clear support for IFE, Catering, Fleet and Duty free.
• Recommend the nature and scope of present and future product lines by reviewing product specifications and requirements, appraising new product ideas and/or product or packaging changes.
• Assesses market competition by comparing the company's product to competitors' products.
• Obtains product market share by working with the Head of Marketing to develop product communication strategies.
• Manages and executes new route launches by developing time-integrated plans with sales, advertising, and production.
• Work with the Company’s senior leadership and product/service management teams to define, launch and drive Kenya Airways ’next generation product solutions targeting various consumer segments.

 Demand Creation and Market Stimulation (Corporate Marketing)

• Lead the development and implementation of marketing plans aligned to the assigned regions objectives, providing inputs and local insights to ensure relevance to market context and working with regional stakeholders (General managers, PRM, digital commerce).
• Drive promotional activities through an IMC approach to achieve laid out objectives.
• Plan and propose efficient media channels and buys (both offline and online) to achieve required efficiencies and reach for the assigned region.
• Work with research to plan and monitor campaign and channel performance with the aid of tracking tools and propose relevant actions to ensure assigned objectives are met.
• Provide regional sales with aids and tool kits to effectively market KQ brand within the assigned region.
• Ensure optimal exposure of direct first is established as the preferred channel in the assigned region.
• Ensure effective cross selling of other KQ products within campaigns, in the assigned region.
• Monitor day to day in market campaigns in the assigned region, ensuring the team is aligned with the brand guidelines, processes, timelines and provides regular tracking and reporting.

 Budgetary control

• Develop annual global Brand & Sustainability cost centrebudgets.
• Monitor and control the individual cost centre budget.
• Seek partnerships that will ensure efficient budgetary utilization.
• Prepare and implement brand/advertising budgets as well as monitor to ensure expenditure is in line with the company business plan.

Strategic Communication

• Strategic positioning of KQ Brand in the regions
• Brand management & visibility across retail network wide
• Regional media influencing and brand endorsement.
• Corporate Event Management - leverage to communicate the brand in the region.
• CorporatePartnerships management.

 StakeholderManagement

• Workclosely with research, marketing & communication to execute research thatwill help understand how to handle competition. SOV, Brand Health & BrandAwareness
• Hold regular meetings and 1:1 with Regional/Country Managers and GSA to exchange ideas as well as corporate direction and expectations in relation to marketing.
• Jointly with Marketing and Communication Manager identify & implement Sustainability initiatives within the network in line with the KQ focus areas.

 StaffDevelopment

• Manage dedicated Marketing and Brand Managers
• Set and cascade KPIs to team members, ensuring clear understanding of deliverables.
• Identify and recommend appropriate development interventions(training and other initiatives) for individual staff that work under you, ensuring these interventions are well captured in the employee’s appraisals for alignment with the HR support manager. 
• Ensure team members are compliant and understand KQs safety, security and health requirements, expectations through relevant provisions(induction, iLearn, Training, KQ world)
• Ensure team members compliance around confidentiality, security and protection of KQ’s internal information handled during day-to-day duties, is maintained from unauthorized access, disclosure, destruction, corruption, inspection, recording or modification

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing/ Business Studies/Communications
• Membership/Certification –Relevant Marketing Societies
• CIM Accreditation
• 8 years’ experience in adynamic market environment
• Experience in handling thisvast market is an added advantage