Communications manager vs brand manager

The differences between communications managers and brand managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a communications manager, becoming a brand manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a brand manager has an average salary of $97,789, which is higher than the $81,304 average annual salary of a communications manager.

The top three skills for a communications manager include customer service, property management and yardi. The most important skills for a brand manager are brand management, digital marketing, and customer service.

Communications manager vs brand manager overview

	Communications Manager	Brand Manager
Yearly salary	$81,304	$97,789
Hourly rate	$39.09	$47.01
Growth rate	8%	10%
Number of jobs	26,350	127,429
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	42	39
Years of experience	4	10

What does a communications manager do?

A communications manager is responsible for overseeing a company or organization's public relations by devising various strategies and finding new opportunities. They must craft and produce marketing materials such as campaigns, advertisements, newsletters, social media engagements, and press releases to shape and improve a brand or company. Furthermore, a communications manager must accomplish administrative tasks such as preparing reports and necessary documentation, reaching out to advertisers, leading communication letters, and coordinating with marketing personnel from other departments.

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.

Communications manager vs brand manager salary

Communications managers and brand managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Communications Manager	Brand Manager
Average salary	$81,304	$97,789
Salary range	Between $53,000 And $122,000	Between $72,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ
Highest paying state	California	Rhode Island
Best paying company	McKinsey & Company Inc	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between communications manager and brand manager education

There are a few differences between a communications manager and a brand manager in terms of educational background:

	Communications Manager	Brand Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Georgia

Communications manager vs brand manager demographics

Here are the differences between communications managers' and brand managers' demographics:

	Communications Manager	Brand Manager
Average age	42	39
Gender ratio	Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1%	Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	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	16%	10%

Differences between communications manager and brand manager duties and responsibilities

Communications manager example responsibilities.

Co-administered sales campaigns in Salesforce, CRM to efficiently manage sales productivity of communication and leads.
Lead and manage marketing department's copywriting and editing team and develop many aspects of corporate communication.
Manage creative agency relationships and lead execution of commercial excellence awards program, Americas mid-year growth summit and kick-off meetings.
Manage all Medicaid paperwork, manage staff payroll, client attendance.
Manage all facets of community programs and recruitment for HIV prevention clinical trials.
Train in YARDI to complete daily transitions, manage resident ledgers and prepare weekly/monthly reports.

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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.

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Communications manager vs brand manager skills

Common communications manager skills

Customer Service, 16%
Property Management, 9%
Yardi, 5%
Project Management, 5%
Press Releases, 4%
Web Content, 4%

Common brand manager skills

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

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Updated January 8, 2025

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