We're on the lookout for a Brand Manager to join the team. If you're a fan of our saké spritzes and are passionate about spreading the word, drop us an email at hector@shimadrinks.com.
After first discovering the world of Saké whilst living in New York, Co-founders Matt & Hector packed their bags and travelled to Japan to uncover the craftsmanship behind the vast history and complex flavour profiles. After returning to London and struggling to source interesting and affordable bottles in the UK, they set about experimenting with cocktails, launching their first Saké Spritz, Plum & Hibiscus, in 2021. Shima is their love letter to Saké.
Why Shima?
- The RTD market is booming, with the global market set to be worth £60bn by 2030.
- Saké is also growing, and as reported by The New York Times in March 2023, “exports from Japan more than doubled in volume from 2012 to 2022, from roughly 14 million litres per year to nearly 36 million litres.”
- The Spritz category continues to be a favourite for consumers, with a recent study by Bacardi reporting that at least 55% of consumers in the UK consider the Spritz their go-to drink.
- As a delicious RTD Saké Spritz, Shima is primed to take advantage of the market.
The Role & Responsibilities
You will be responsible for executing the brand strategy to help achieve our ambitious long-term growth targets. Hitting the ground running, the key objectives from our marketing activity will be to:
- Build brand awareness;
- drive trial and conversion; and
- Developing Shima’s unique positioning in the market.
You will manage and deliver projects and campaigns to create a strong consumer pull for the brand across the on-trade, off-trade and online.
Reporting directly into the Founders, you will be part of an early-stage, ambitious brand, where you’ll be given the freedom and responsibility to shape the brand, lead projects and have high impact.
This role will be responsible for:
BRAND PLANNING
- Working with the Founders to develop annual brand & marketing plans, building out budgets and setting clear KPIs for all activity.
- Managing the marketing budget on an on-going basis, regularly reporting on effectiveness.
DRIVING AWARENESS & TRIAL
- Finding unique ways to tell people about Shima and partnering with PR contacts to get Shima in front of the right eyes.
- Identifying and actioning opportunities that will recruit new consumers to the brand and get them drinking our Saké Spritzes.
- Creating inventive marketing tactics to help the brand gain new listings.
EVENT MANAGEMENT
- Developing relationships with brands outside of the drinks space to partner on events that can reach our target audience.
- Creating a stand-out events kit that lands our brand message in a memorable way.
- Delivering best-in-class samplings on a regular basis to drive trial and conversion.
- Overseeing the execution of events from start-to-finish.
TRADE MARKETING
- Developing key sales tools and POS that will drive ROS in our partner on and off-trade accounts.
- Creating and delivering compelling on and off-trade staff training and incentive programs.
BRAND PARTNERSHIPS
- Identifying relevant adjacent lifestyle brands to partner with an executing to a high standard.
- Creating events and activations to drive trial in partnership with other brands.
- Managing co-creation projects with brand partners.
YOUR CHARACTER
- Strategic - strong understanding of brand positioning and an ability to create and execute strategic brand plans.
- Creative - your natural approach is to want to do things differently to the way they’ve always been done.
- Thirsty - driven to make things the best things can be and a curiosity to learn quickly in areas of development.
- Commercial – comfortable working with leaner budgets and a resourceful negotiator to drive maximum value from spend.
YOU’RE BRILLIANT AT
- Being highly creative and generating original ideas
- Working across multiple projects at once and prioritising which things will have the biggest impact
- Having a strong eye for design and brand aesthetics
- Executing with excellence and delivering outstanding results
- Working autonomously and confident making decisions, but not afraid to ask for help
- Tracking the results of marketing activities and being agile to change tack
YOUR EXPERIENCE
- 2+ years marketing experience
- F&B industry experience, preferably within drinks
DETAILS
- Start - ASAP
- Location – WeWork offices in London, flexible with least at 3 days spent together per week
- Competitive Salary, negotiable based on experience
- Hours - Full time. Flexibility will be essential as startup business needs do fluctuate
