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The differences between product line managers and brand 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 product line manager and a brand manager. Additionally, a brand manager has an average salary of $97,789, which is higher than the $97,237 average annual salary of a product line manager.
The top three skills for a product line manager include product management, customer service and PLM. The most important skills for a brand manager are brand management, digital marketing, and customer service.
| Product Line Manager | Brand Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $97,237 | $97,789 |
| Hourly rate | $46.75 | $47.01 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 158,908 | 127,429 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A product line manager is an individual who provides product and market intelligence by increasing the market share of a company. Product line managers must create competitive analysis and interpret market trends so that they can provide recommendations and guidance to the company. They are required to identify target markets and should come up with strategies for market penetration. Product line managers must also monitor the creation and development of new products as well as to measure the success of the products in the market.
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.
Product line managers and brand managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Line Manager | Brand Manager | |
| Average salary | $97,237 | $97,789 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $178,000 | 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 | ON Semiconductor | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a product line manager and a brand manager in terms of educational background:
| Product Line Manager | Brand Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between product line managers' and brand managers' demographics:
| Product Line Manager | Brand Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% | Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5% |
| 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% |