Brand Manager – Kids

About The Smiley Company

As one of the world’s top 100 licensors, award-winning The Smiley Company is working with over 460 licensees and best-of-class retailer partners globally to launch the iconic Smiley and Newmoji brands across fashion, home and entertainment sectors. We are a collective of fun-loving people with a passion for creating and storytelling. As part of our commitment to diversity, we cultivate a workplace of learning and inclusiveness. For nearly 50 years, Smiley has shaped the way by sharing optimism and happiness, expressing itself through iconic and creative products. With a commitment to create a happier, more equal and sustainable world, The Smiley Company also funds philanthropic non-profits the Smiley Movement, a matchmaker for good, and the Charity Film Awards, the world’s biggest campaign for charity and caused-based films, driving donations, views, media coverage and celebrity engagement. Today, Smiley has become more than just an icon: it’s a brand and a lifestyle, reminding people just how powerful a smile can be.

About the Role

The Marketing Department is a central hub of the Smiley business and has both a trade and consumer facing function. We are a small, dedicated team doing big things – positivity, agility and adaptability are critical for this fast-paced role. The Brand Manager – Kids will drive and support the brand management across the business including brand strategy, messaging, tone of voice and guidelines, and own the messaging for The Smiley Company’s core business internally and externally. As part of this, you will need to design, manage and implement the Kids brand strategy to ensure that objectives are met with maximum efficiency.

This role reports into the Brand Director.

Core Responsibilities

  • Strategy & Vision

The Brand Manager – Kids will manage the establishment of the business’s brand building strategies across all channels, and oversee content creation and product development for the Promotions, Retail Activations, Education and Entertainment categories. This will be done in collaboration with key department stakeholders across the business.

You will be a digital first Brand Manager with an understanding of media, gaming and digital platforms (eg: YouTube, Roblox and TikTok) and kid consumption trends within the broader web, app and video landscape.

You will manage and maintain a distinctive, differentiated and engaging customer brand proposition, including visual identity, tone of voice, product and service style that informs ‘what we do and how we do it’ across the entire customer journey.

You will ensure that all relevant teams receive direction and support for the ongoing brand development and adherence to any guidelines.

  • Insights

You will manage and maintain insight and research efforts inclusive of consumer insights, consumer segmentation, competitive intelligence, industry trends and developments.

Customer insights: you’ll monitor the evolving market conditions and brand health to ensure the long-term financial and reputational success of the Smiley brand.

You will also conduct and manage focus groups and quantitative studies.

Specific Responsibilities

  • Project management, relationship building, asset management
  • Content creation, idea generation, product development & approvals
  • Process-oriented approach and finding ways to drive efficient work
  • Strategic thinker with a growth mindset

Experience

  • +5 Years of experience in Licensing Brand Management and Marketing with children’s lifestyle brands, with an understanding of Media and Digital platforms
  • An ability to work independently and proactively with minimal direction
  • Proven track record of driving and delivering results, with the ability to collaborate and build relationships
  • Exceptional task management across multiple work streams with attention to detail
  • Experience on Kids specific brands required

Interested applicants are advised to send their CV and a covering letter to Charlene Beedie – charlene@smiley.com

ACAMAR FILMS – Senior Licensing Manager, International

Acamar Films

Acamar Films is an award-winning television production and distribution company with a growing international mission to create iconic content. Founded in 2005, Acamar Films is the creator of the hit pre-school series ‘Bing’. Since its debut on the BBC in 2014, Acamar’s hit pre-school series Bing has gone on to achieve considerable international success, with highlights including winning an International Emmy and Writers Guild Award as well as being a BAFTA nominee; distributed to 130 territories globally; the number one most requested pre-school title on BBC iPlayer; gained three billion lifetime views on YouTube, and we have launched the Bing app, with 1 million downloads within 18 months.

In addition, Acamar has grown our strategic rights licensing arm, exploiting Bing’s IP rights internationally. There are now 5,000 Bing licensed products and formats including toys, games, books, theme parks, live events and digital products.

This is a hugely exciting time to join Acamar Films, with plans to take its proven track record for building enduring audiences to the USA, South America and Asia.

Purpose of the Role

Reporting to the Licensing Director of  Europe, Middle East and Africa,  the Senior Licensing Manager, International will secure and manage licensing agents across the region to deliver annual agreed revenues across all categories by implementation and execution of the EMEA licensing roll out strategy.  Key objectives will be management of specific territories and increasing revenues by working closely with agents to develop joint business plans and programmes  of consumer products roll outs.  Working closely with internal Acamar teams to provide all necessary updates as well as sales tool kits to agents, and ensuring product launches are supported via Acamar’s digital platforms.  The successful candidate will liaise closely with our master toy licensee to ensure market-appropriate toys are launched in the market and supported in line with Acamar’s licensing and product development strategy.

The role will cover all areas of consumer products from identifying agents, conducting due diligence and ensuring excellent onboarding by first-class inductions. Driving sales and commercial opportunities in specific markets as well as identifying pan-European or multi-territory opportunities, the role will involve some travel to trade shows and relevant markets.

This position works closely with internal teams including product development, live events and promotions, marketing, content and audiences, YouTube, digital, social media, production and design.

You will have first-class experience over a number of years in the pre-school sector and will be a commercially minded strategic thinker, passionate about developing a licensing programme that will delight our audience across the region.

What You’ll Do

  • Agent and territory management
  • Identify, appoint and induct new agents
  • Drive revenue through agents and pan-regional or direct agreements
  • Implement and execute the EMEA licensing strategy in collaboration with the Director of Licensing, EMEA
  • Management of deal memo and contract process
  • Commercial management of all allocated partners ensuring updated information and resources
  • Conducting competitor analysis
  • Work with the wider team on revenue growth strategies for new territories such as the U.S.
  • Development of long-term, sustainable business and delivering on annual targets
  • Ensuring all deals are communicated in a timely way
  • Making sure that key retailers across EMEA are kept abreast of Bing IP through brand presentations and retail roadshows (independently and in conjunction with agents)
  • Ensure timely preparation of retail listings each season by market
  • Work with the Director of Licensing, EMEA to recommend CMF and marketing spend as appropriate for key markets to ensure sales support and retail activations across key product categories e.g. competition prizes, instore events, point of sale
  • Work closely with the Marketing team to ensure market and product roll out alignment
  • Work with the Content and Marketing teams on a key product release calendar to ensure key product launches are being highlighted to the Bing community via Acamar’s social media platforms
  • Travel to key international markets as required

What You’ll Bring

Essential Skills

  • A passion for licensing
  • Excellent at building relationships and able to forge strategic relationships with retailers directly as well as in collaboration with agents
  • Proven and demonstrable track record of successful pre-school licensing
  • Excellent organisational ability
  • Minimum of Intermediate level user of Excel and PowerPoint
  • Cultural understanding and sensitivity

Desired Skills and Experience

  • Experience of working in a high-growth team in a medium-sized organisation
  • A thorough and detailed knowledge of Bing, its ethos and content

Most importantly, the best qualified candidate will be strongly aligned with Acamar core values, which include: collaboration, creativity, curiosity, diversity, and kindness.

Candidates should apply via www.acamarfilms.com/careers