Tips for a Brand Manager for a TV Station

by Forest Time

A brand manager is responsible for overseeing the development, improvement and communication of a television station's brand. A TV station's brand helps to attract and entice potential viewers. In order to successfully manage a brand in today's digital marketplace, a TV station brand manager would be well advised to follow a few basic rules.

Get On the Web

An Internet presence is critical for a television station these days, not only in terms of marketing but also for providing content. If news is not provided over the Internet, consumers will go to different sites. If shows are not streamed over the Internet, viewers will watch them somewhere else. A website is a vital medium to communicate a television station's brand. Ads that appeal to the station's target demographic and that promote the station's content should be prevalent on a station's websites, and the website should be linked to social advertising sites that essentially provide free advertising, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Personalize Your Brand

If a brand is going to be successful, it needs to have a personality. The personality of a TV station's brand is what appeals to viewers emotionally. The types of advertisements you air on your station, the types of shows you air, and any advertisements for the station itself should all reflect the personality of the station in a way that speaks to the target audience. In station IDs and promos, uses language, music, graphics and a tone of voice that appeal to that demographic and reinforce the station branding.

Maintain Brand Consistency

In addition to personality, it's important to make sure that your brand has consistency. Advertisements on the Internet should communicate the same values as those aired on the station. The commercials a station airs should be similar in tone to the content a station produces. If you're doing a good job personalizing your brand, viewers will begin to think of the station as a person. The unfortunate side of that fact is that, like a person, inconsistency in tone will be seen as a sign that your brand and station is unpredictable and untrustworthy.

Seek Outside Opinions

To be sure you're doing the best job possible as brand manager, it's essential to seek outside opinions and feedback. Employees working under you, and even station employees in other departments, may simply be too close to the product to be able to see any problems with your branding strategy. One way to overcome this limitation is to conduct polls or surveys of viewers. If you want to catch potential branding mistakes before they air, you may want to hire a part-time outside consultant or ad agency to periodically appraise your branding decisions with a professional eye.

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