Brand Development

Our brand is at the heart of everything we do as a business, from the products on our shelves through to the way we communicate to our team members. More importantly, our look and the way we communicate influences what our customers and people on the high street think about us; so it’s important for us to be clear and consistent in all of our communication.

As a business it’s important that we have clear guidelines for the look and feel of our brand, that we are passionate about protecting what we have developed and ensuring that we deliver our brand consistently.

A vital part of the Brand Development role is the creation and maintenance of the brand bible that contains guidelines for using the brand across a wide range of applications. This includes all internal and external communications, store signage and supplier relations.

What will I learn?

The Brand Development graduate scheme is an 18 month programme in which you will learn:

• The principles that determine how the brand is represented
• How to apply these principles to all physical manifestations of the brand and recognise instances of where they have and have not been applied correctly
• How to ensure the brand has sustainability and longevity through refreshed iterations

What’s it like working in Brand Development?

Our Brand Development team acts as the guardian of the Wilkinson brand. This necessitates cross functional working across all departments. In terms of daily responsibilities this equates to involvement in a wide range of activities, amongst these are:

• Developing the brand agenda – setting, monitoring and maintaining a set of principles, including tone of voice and imagery, that determine how the brand is represented
• Category reviews – supporting category management teams when selecting products, packaging, POS and display mediums to ensure we are representing the direction in which the brand is moving
• Performing trials for brand initiatives to determine through customer feedback any aspects of the brand that would benefit from being refreshed
• Multi-channel branding – working with our multi-channel team to ensure that the personality of our brand is brought to life online
• Representation in all major project teams to ensure that brand guidelines e.g. use of logo, colour palette, icons, strap lines, appropriate tone of voice etc are adhered to

Brand Development – can I apply?

To apply for our Brand Development graduate scheme you must:

• Have a 2:1 or higher marketing, business or design related degree
• Have an interest in global retailing
• Have an interest in pursuing a career within marketing, and whilst experience within a marketing role is not essential it would be desirable
• Be commercially aware with an understanding of the importance of brand and marketing and their wider impact on the business
• Be able to influence across the business and communicate at all levels
• Be legally able to work in the UK and have permanent UK residency status. If you hold a Tier 1 or Post Graduate Work Visa you are not eligible to apply for any of our graduate schemes
• Hold a full UK drivers licence and be willing to use your own vehicle for any travel required as part of your retail and other placements
• Be willing to stay in hotel accommodation for up to five nights a week during your four month retail placement
• Be willing to spend time working in other areas of the business during your training programme
• Be willing to relocate to Worksop, or to live within a reasonable daily commutable distance of Worksop, at the end of the retail placement (Summer 2012)
• Be committed to self development and excited about a career in retail