Manos Spanos

Originally from Greece, Manos Spanos discusses the path he took through international marketing to his current position as a Product Director at Johnson & Johnson.In this episode Manos touches on the importance of both traditional and non-traditional media outlets, as well as keys to his success which include passion and teamwork. http://brandfasttrackers.com/podcasts/brand fast trackers manos spanos.mp3 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:00:00 EST

Manos Spanos has a good idea of what it takes to succeed as a marketer in the increasingly global marketplace.
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During his first four years with the company in Greece, Spanos matriculated from a trainee position to become a group product manager, gaining valuable experience at every rung on the ladder.Then Spanos took the leap to become marketing manager for Johnson's international baby franchise, which eventually led to his current post.

In the new position Spanos has embraced both its challenges and rewards."I would love to spend all of my time doing advertisement," he says, "but reality has it different."The Product Director estimates that copy development and other related tasks consume 20 percent of his time in a given week.Broader brand management tasks, including logistics, competitor tracking and market research, also comprise a "hefty" slice."In the periods where you are heavily involved with advertisement that might take a big chunk of your time, but in a normal and typical weekday it doesn't take more than 20 percent," he says.Strategy planning, pricing concerns, promotional and placement activities, along with sales force efforts consume the final 50 percent of Spanos' time.

Within that largest block of time, Spanos devotes many hours to interact with retailers, as demanded by recent market consolidation trends."Getting [retailer] feedback is a big part of the game, and it is indeed necessary as the trade is getting more and more concentrated into those big players," he says."They have a very important role, not only in judging or accepting our strategies, but also [providing] input."Retailers' close relationship and unique connection with consumers gives them a different perspective from large CPG companies, he notes.But brand managers who view retailers as a necessary evil have the wrong attitude."It's more a partnership and collaborative relationship," he says, where teamwork is critical.

One of the best ways for brand managers to gain a greater appreciation and affinity for cooperation is by seeking out opportunities to work overseas."It really is an experience that is different and unique from everyday line management," according to Spanos.He says the biggest asset gained through such an experience is exposure to different consumers and the ability to "learn how to think globally and act locally."Not just a cliché, this mentality is applicable - and necessary - for the successful deployment of new brands and products in foreign markets.The process of adjusting a familiar business model or product to better appeal to a specific group - without deviating from a brand's core equity and strategy - is a challenging and invaluable learning experience for aspiring brand managers.It's also a task that requires patience and a greater willingness to assimilate the input of others."There will be times where you will have to put a stick on the ground and make tough calls … but for the most part, experience says that once you've got everybody aligned (and once people are convinced about the vision, the mission and your strategies) then things flow much more simply and easily - and from what I've seen so far they are also much more successful."

The chances for up-and-coming marketers to enjoy a similar international experience may be growing, as Spanos predicts more unified global launches in the near future.He warns, however, that marketers must not ignore the unique qualities that differentiate international consumers."The way you adjust everything for the particular target group, for the particular region, for the particular country you're launching I think is also very significant, and I don't think that's going to go away.I think we're going to see that the broad ideas are going to be the same, but the execution will always have something to do with the local country."

Regardless of the target audience, Spanos believes it is critical for CPG brands to embrace their essence and authenticity."Be real," he stresses.
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Brands with the ability to branch beyond television and print advertising would be wise to invest in as many alternative media as they can comfortable afford, Spanos says.As we enter an era where Chief Marketing Officers are often pushing for new ways to gain leverage, Spanos believes marketers must continue to break barriers."If you don't test [different marketing strategies] you're never going learn.I would never suggest in this day and age that you would go out and invest all the money that your brand has behind something that has not been tried … but once you've exhausted the bucket of money to do the traditional stuff, put some money aside for testing new things.If they work then here is your answer for your CMO, here is your promotion opportunity, here is a way to make your brand much more relevant to the consumer."

To achieve international success (or earn your shot at a project abroad), Manos suggests finding a mentor and striving to hone your collaboration and cooperation skills.He also suggests creating a personal five-year plan and concentrating on specific areas importance for your firm, rather than spreading your time thinly across manifold projects.