Question

You have just been hired as a brand manager of toothpaste for a large consumer products company. Your job mainly involves encouraging the advertising and production groups to promote and manufacture your product more effectively. These departments are not under your direct authority, although company procedures indicate that they must complete certain tasks requested by brand managers. Describe the sources of power you can use to ensure that the advertising and production departments will help you make and sell toothpaste more effectively. (Remember, you have NO positional authority, so many sources of power are not available to you)

Answer 1

Explanation:

If I am hired as brand manager I would do the following:

Step 1: To conduct an analysis with Production team & Sales Team

This step serves as the base to understand the challenges, process and the victory achieved so far. The aim is to promote the product. So it is necessary to analyze the challenges from both production team and mainly with sales team. I would do an analysis and find possible ways to fix those.

Step 2: Conduct a training program associated with step 1

After analyzing the possible way, since I don't have a direct control over the team, I would conduct a training program and will list down ways to face the challenge and promote the product. It will be conducted as a "Knowledge-sharing session"

Step 3: Concentrate on advertisement too

The best way to reach the product is through advertising through the media. The best advertisement can attract people and bring business.

Step 4: Re-analysis: This is where an hand-holding process gets initiated and continue through out. Once again go back to step 1 and the process continues.