Brand and Franchise Development Director

(CLOSING FRIDAY 26 APRIL)

Founded in 1977, The Really Useful Group (RUG) exists to represent, manage, and license the work of the most commercially successful composer of all time, Andrew Lloyd Webber. We oversee the portfolio of brands (Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Starlight Express etc.) under Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals and collaborate with best-in-class partners to extend them into traditional and non- traditional entertainment mediums.

The Director of Brand & Franchise Development will manage and be responsible for all outputs of the Brand & Franchise Development team across licenced theatrical productions as well as new business. The Really Useful Group is expanding its range of business activities and IP exploitations, delivering franchise plans for key Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals IP. These franchise plans include new category exploration across the Entertainment industry from location-based experiences to consumer products to new publishing formats to digital projects and more.  The Director Brand & Franchise Development will be expected to deliver an annual brand development strategy that supports and drives all business objectives and activities. 

The Director of Brand & Franchise Development will be expected to work across ALW Musicals related projects – both licenced theatrical productions and new category projects as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber specific projects and activities.

MAIN JOB TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead, develop and manage the Brand & Franchise Development Team, a team made up of brand managers, marketing, social media and comms experts.

• Responsible for the development and the execution for the brand development and brand marketing strategies across key ALW franchises and brands with support from the marketing and creative teams.  

• Lead the development, delivery, and review of all brand development plans across the ALW Musicals portfolio, working with the Head of Marketing to ensure productions remain the central focus. 

• Take overall control of setting, presenting and gaining board approval for the annual brand development and marketing strategies and budget. Manage the budget throughout the year ensuring ROI is optimised.

• Partner with new business / commercial team across category exploration and the development of new and live projects, overseeing the marketing and brand development across all new projects ensuring consistency across territories and alignment with franchise values. 

• Lead and oversee creative strategies and design process to bring ideas and content to life in a manner that supports commercial objectives and brand.

• Lead and support the Head of Marketing and Senior Brand Manager on brand led campaigns and strategies that support the overall objectives of each key franchise plan. 

• Partner with the Director of PR on all communications strategies and action plans across Andrew Lloyd Webber, shows/musicals and the corporate brand.  

• Responsible for the integration of Music across all brand and audience development, drive conversations with digital streamers and deliver launch and sustain campaigns for all Music related products. 

• Overseeing the creations and maintenance of brand tools and materials for the effective functioning of the Brand & Franchise Development team including toolkits, guidelines and resources.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Advising on the development of the corporate brand and supporting both the CEO and HR function on the delivery of this. 

• Establishing actionable plans based on new business opportunities and industry trends to ensure the continuous improvement of the company’s marketing efforts. 

• Managing key stakeholder relationships and being the key point of contact for RUG’s longstanding partners including the coordination of external agencies. 

• Providing development opportunities and guidance for the brand development team, running workshops, organising training days and instilling a motivated, creative, and enthusiastic team culture.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• 8+ years in a brand marketing or franchise development role
• Experience managing a team of brand managers, marketing and comms professionals and creatives 
• Experience developing global brands and creating multi-agency brand strategies
• including creative, media & comms
• Experience developing new audiences and customers through high engagement on digital channels
• Innovative and highly motivated