Assistant Brand Manager at MECCA Brands
No one day is the same as an Assistant Brand Manager, which is one of the reasons I love what I do! I work across two of MECCA’s private label brands, MECCA Max and Kit. My role is super collaborative, working with specialists in Product Development, Operations, PR as well as the wider business to bring a product or an idea to life. As an Assistant Brand Manager, we support our Brand Managers as custodians of our brands. We create and execute marketing campaigns, develop new products and brand strategies, plan visual merchandising, manage budgets and stock, plus so much more with the support of the wider team. One day you can be planning merchandise updates, while another day you’re on a photoshoot for a new product lunch!
When I was 15, I really thought I had everything planned out; the degree I was going to do and where I would be by 30. Well, it definitely didn’t work out the way I thought but I’m glad it didn’t. I grew up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne and absolutely LIVED for dancing. It was a huge part of my life. I didn’t have the best technique but I definitely had a lot of spirit (“Bring it On” was my favourite movie). When I was in VCE I didn’t do as well as I had hoped and decided to take a complete side step by pursuing an acting career, however after a couple years I realised acting was not for me. After some time figuring out what my next step would be, I enrolled into university to do a communication degree (a super scary decision in my mid-20s). I truly didn’t think I would be accepted so I didn’t talk about it or plan for it, but to my surprise I was accepted and it was one of the very best decisions I’ve made. After getting into the swing of university MECCA entered my life! I loved MECCA; their stores, products and staff, so I thought it would be the most phenomenal job while completing my degree. I was so lucky to be hired as a store host whilst having absolutely zero experience with makeup, but I was beyond excited to dive head first into this new world! Over the next 3 years I learnt as much as possible, soaking up every tip and technique from some of the most talented artists, to become a Colour Specialist. Shortly after throwing my graduation cap up in the air I applied for the Graduate Program, and on a hot Friday afternoon I received the call with an offer to join the program.
100%. If you’re passionate, solutions-focused, gritty (willing to jump into the ring), have a willingness to try new things and if you work well in a team you could definitely work in Brand Management. There are lots of skills you can learn on the job (mastering a pivot table in Excel, managing a budget, presenting in front of others etc), however if I look to the people in my team (who are incredible at what they do) they all share the above characteristics.
It takes a village to bring a new product or idea to life but one of the coolest things about my role is that I’m lucky enough to be involved at nearly every step. It’s amazing to understand the full process and learn from people who have a variety of different skills and experience.
Some things definitely don’t go to plan and are out of our control, so you have to plan for the unplanned! Some days will challenge you more than others, but it’s all part of the process and you can learn so much from the more challenging days.