Know-How Exchange : Branding

https://www.allbusiness.com/lecture/12274574-1.html
https://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/publications/magazine/4/5/0610sj
https://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/resources/ask/how-would-you-define-produ...

Brand Manager manages the brand image and whole portfolio

Product Manager manages one or more products.

Duh! A brand manager manages a brand. A product manager manages a product.

David has provided an excellent response. To add just a little more - sometimes the most important branding element of a product is the product itself, just ask Steve Jobs. The iPod, iPhone and now iPad are all made in a factory, and they were designed by the very best product designers (called industrial designers)

Jobs, as a "product" and “brand” manager, is concerned with the physical aspects of things such as - form and function, product atheistic, human factors and quality feel to name a few. So by whichever title, somebody needs to be the keeper of the superior product design. As marketers, we can no longer just slap on marketing to generic MP3 players and the like.

hope this helps,

Steve

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_design

https://www.ideo.com/

Some very nice thoughts have been postyed above but all of them assume physical product. Wat about a 'financial services product' such as insurance or a credit card?

Here from the perspective of the team creating and selling the 'product' the BRAND and the features and benefits of the product are so closely linked that it is often impossible to really understand where one starts and the other begins.

And so there is very little if any diffeence between a product manager and a brand manager in this scenario.

I would suggest that typically a 'BRAND" has a number of products and or services under it's umbrella 'CITIBANK' might be an interesting example. Therefore the jobof the brand manager is to ensure that any product developed fits correctly within the core 'BRAND VALUES' of Citibank and ADDS BRAND VALUE to the overlal proposition (not just financial value).

The product(s) manager's role is to ensure that the product is saleable usable and profitable.

So I believe that this is the subtle diffeence between the two. But it depends how big your operation is and how many products you have.

IN my case, I currently have to fulfill both rolls since we are a relativeley small organisation.

Good luck.

Matthew