The Brand Management Structure in Consumer Packaged Goods

In the past decade or so, debate on the continued relevance of the brand management structure as a form of marketing organisation has intensified in the wake of changes that have taken place in the marketing environment. Factors such as the increased power of information by grocery retail chains and the increased use of category measures of performance in the grocery sector are deemed to have rendered the brand manager organisational form obsolete. This book extends the discussion by juxtaposing the perceptions of two key parties in the FMCG equation; the manufacturer dimension and the retail chain dimension. The book establishes the current status and future prospects of the brand management structure. It concludes that, although changing environmental factors may call for modifications, the abandonment of the brand management structure is not foreseen; not even in the distant future. In addition, there is no mutual exclusivity in brand and category organisation; the two are compatible and can work jointly. The book makes interesting reading for managers, directors, business academics and students who take an interest in consumer packaged goods marketing.

Ranga Chimhundu: BBS(Hons), PG DipM, MBA, MCom. Doing postgraduate research in Marketing at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Has published in refereed journals. Robert P. Hamlin: MA, MBA, PhD. Senior Lecturer, Department of Marketing, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Widely published in refereed journals.