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THE BRAND MANAGER'S 
PERSPECTIVE

All of our brands are strategically crafted to ensure maximum sales for their relevant markets. We interviewed one of our Brand Managers in Copenhagen who is responsible for regional brands, including Moments in the U.K.

NESIBE ZIRZAKIRAN

Int. Associate Brand Manager, Regional Brands

How long have you been at STG and what was your background before joining?

I have been working in STG for almost 3 years now, coming from marketing background, having studied bachelor in business management, and masters in branding and communication management in Denmark.

Previous to STG, I had the opportunity to work in Coca Cola and a marketing consultancy firm for a short term.

Tell us about your role and what the job involves?

I am an associate brand manager in machine rolled cigar category and I am managing our brands that have a strong and strategic local market presence, mainly across European markets including the Moments brand in UK.  

My responsibilities include planning and strategising the future of the brands. Optimising and simplifying brand portfolios, handling brand-related commercial initiatives that drive revenue and market growth, enabling markets to activate and present our brands through brand communication content and guide amongst many other things.

How do you decide which products to bring to market?

I believe it is a combination of factors that we take into consideration.

It is both inside-out and outside-in perspective. We deep-dive into customer and consumer trends and developments, market landscape, competitor performance as well as understanding how our brands share a role in each market and cover price, portfolio gaps.

It is overall a process that is considering many different realities. A product that will be launched needs to bring a unique value and cover a untapped commercial opportunity.

Are there any global trends in cigars that have not yet reached the UK?

Compared to the rest of Europe the UK is a late adopter to many developments, such as different flavours and smaller cigar formats.

Continental Europe has a more diverse portfolio of smaller cigar types and it will be interesting to see how the landscape changes with more consumers than ever before looking for both value and quality alternatives to cigarettes. 

Can you tell us what you have planned for the UK market?

For the UK market, my efforts are towards building a healthy product pipeline for the Moments brand; establishing a strong brand that drives value, building growth engines in the portfolio and enabling the market to achieve their profit targets through developing strong brand communications.

There are definitely up-coming developments within the Moments portfolio to look out for this year. 

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Using a planogram is essential to not only maximise your profit per shelf, but also to help your staff remember where products are to be found when dealing with customers. If you want further advice on how to maximise your sales please book a visit from one of our trade reps who will be happy to advise you.