Brand manager vs associate product manager

The differences between brand managers and associate product managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a brand manager and an associate product manager. Additionally, a brand manager has an average salary of $97,789, which is higher than the $89,963 average annual salary of an associate product manager.

The top three skills for a brand manager include brand management, digital marketing and customer service. The most important skills for an associate product manager are product management, project management, and user stories.

Brand manager vs associate product manager overview

	Brand Manager	Associate Product Manager
Yearly salary	$97,789	$89,963
Hourly rate	$47.01	$43.25
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	127,429	107,763
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	10	10

What does a brand manager do?

A brand manager is an individual responsible for adapting a brand strategy that targets the potential market for a company's product while maintaining its integrity. Brand managers assist in developing products while managing budgets for the advertising and promotion of their new products. They usually work under the supervision of marketing managers or chief marketing officers (CMOs) to implement and execute their marketing initiatives. Brand managers also provide an analysis of sales forecasts and create reports on product sales.

What does an associate product manager do?

An associate product manager is someone who assists the product development teams in the development of new product features. The duties of an associate include formulation of product strategies, collection of quantitative product data, and interpretation of consumer feedback. The requirements to qualify for the position include a bachelor's degree in computer science, marketing, business management, or a related field, the ability to maintain strong customer relations, and excellent communication skills.

Brand manager vs associate product manager salary

Brand managers and associate product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Brand Manager	Associate Product Manager
Average salary	$97,789	$89,963
Salary range	Between $72,000 And $131,000	Between $65,000 And $122,000
Highest paying City	Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	California
Best paying company	Meta	Meta
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Start-up

Differences between brand manager and associate product manager education

There are a few differences between a brand manager and an associate product manager in terms of educational background:

	Brand Manager	Associate Product Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Georgia	University of Georgia

Brand manager vs associate product manager demographics

Here are the differences between brand managers' and associate product managers' demographics:

	Brand Manager	Associate Product Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5%	Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between brand manager and associate product manager duties and responsibilities

Brand manager example responsibilities.

Direct and coordinate photo shoots; conduct live training sessions; manage marketing asset library; CRM strategy.
Manage paid search campaigns including keyword generation, ad copy testing, landing page optimization, PPC and SEM.
Manage global product development teams with cross-functional oversight for manufacturing, sourcing, finance, design and supply chain management.
Manage POS merchandising and distribution of promotional items.
Develop and manage new health brand strategy including creation of healthcare professional/dietitian program.
Obtain certification through a cheese and wine class.

Associate product manager example responsibilities.

Manage e-commerce packaging program, displays and packaging.
Lead a cross-functional team to launch the diabetes monitoring product.
Manage seven brand categories in the livestock feed and pet feed industries
Manage POS analysis to build sales tools, identify trends, and report performance.
Manage cross-functional teams to develop and produce new product for Chinese, UK and European markets.
Manage the department of a medical diabetes blood glucose manufacturing leader of visual blood glucose test strips.

Brand manager vs associate product manager skills

Common brand manager skills

Brand Management, 8%
Digital Marketing, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Project Management, 5%
Brand Marketing, 5%
Product Development, 4%

Common associate product manager skills

Product Management, 9%
Project Management, 6%
User Stories, 5%
Market Research, 5%
PowerPoint, 4%
Customer Service, 4%

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Brand Manager vs Associate Product Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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