WHAT DOES AN INTERNATIONAL MARKETING MANAGER DO?

Published: Oct 06, 2025 - The International Marketing Manager develops and executes brand and marketing strategies for key global markets, with a strong focus on the DACH region, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives. This role oversees the creation of data-driven campaigns, leveraging user insights, market research, and cross-functional collaboration to optimize brand positioning and growth. The manager also integrates creative, analytical, and localization efforts to deliver cohesive international marketing programs that drive engagement and performance across regions.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for International Marketing Manager

1. International Marketing Manager Duties

  • Artist Management: Work with Global Marketing to help increase the number of Rap, Grime, R&B and Hip-Hop artists entering the GPS (Global Priority System)
  • Audience Targeting: Identify and set audience and consumption targets around a defined list of artists with strong GPS potential
  • Genre Leadership: Be the genre lead within Warner Music International, initiating release plans in conjunction with Warner Music marketing managers and artist managers for all Warner Music repertoire that fits within the defined genre bucket
  • Portfolio Management: Manage a portfolio of artists that sit within a genre, and support the growth of these in partnership with Warner Music to ensure maximum flow of talent
  • Market Analysis: Work with regional leads to understand the specific genre makeup of opportunity global markets and communicate
  • Network Development: Increase global genre knowledge, establishing a network of international marketing managers who work within the genre and support the growth and impact of the global network of genre specialists within WMG
  • Knowledge Sharing: Driving discussion, sharing learnings, and highlighting where there are gaps in global coverage
  • Budget Management: Manage marketing budgets approved by the head of department, monitor sales, streaming’s and activity on each project to ensure targets are being met
  • Release Coordination: Manage and coordinate physical and digital releases where rights are not held
  • Cross-Functional Liaison: Liaise with the marketing manager, production team, repertoire sources and artist management to ensure release dates are met
  • Team Support: Proactive support of domestic and local marketing teams to achieve the best possible set-up scenarios for priority releases, ensuring delivery of valuable content to partners to develop artists both on and offline
  • Performance Optimization: Maximise promotional results, streaming strategies and sales against marketing spend and budgets

2. International Marketing Manager Details

  • Marketing Planning: Collect and review international marketing and promotion plans to create impactful global and local marketing plans
  • Digital Campaigns: Work with digital managers and management to build community, databases, and viral campaigns
  • Creative Direction: Provide creative input for international online marketing
  • Integrated Marketing: Ensure that all online and offline marketing/promotion is integrated
  • Collaboration Support: Support Global A&R teams in identifying and securing appropriate collaborations/features
  • Channel Expansion: Support identification and expansion of regional and global owned and operated channels within associated genre pillars (partner with regional leads)
  • Campaign Innovation: Increase marketing best practices by executing multiple new and innovative campaigns
  • Campaign Execution: Execute large-scale, high-impact marketing campaigns for a roster of artists
  • Playbook Development: Work with Warner Music Global Marketing Team to create a playbook of all WMG-owned genre channels and associated content series
  • Coverage Analysis: Make recommendations as to where there are gaps in global coverage of channels and content, and work to fill these
  • Stock Monitoring: Monitor initial stock orders
  • Inventory Coordination: Liaise with stock control to initiate and ensure a smooth process of shifting stock
  • Territory Representation: Represent and champion the needs of international territories in the best interests of the overall project
  • Data Analysis: Work with Warner Music data analysts and Warner Music International team to develop, report and analyse results, as well as report on all promotional and local marketing activity to senior management, artist management and Warner Music team

3. International Marketing Manager Responsibilities

  • Strategic Planning: Create detailed strategic marketing analysis and plans and formal recommendations for evaluation
  • Product Strategy: Collaborate with Business Development and Senior Sales Managers to identify new product development strategies for assigned market segments
  • Strategy Implementation: Implement these strategies to achieve successful completion goals
  • Product Line Management: Work with the Business Development Team to create annual and ongoing product line strategies
  • Marketing Coordination: Provide input to the marketing communication team to ensure efficient execution of selected strategies
  • Competitive Analysis: Monitor and understand competitors’ marketing strategies and develop appropriate responses
  • Pricing Strategy: Work with Product Managers to develop market-pricing positions and monitor market share for the assigned area
  • Launch Execution: Develop the marketing segment of product launch plans and assist in execution
  • Communication Liaison: Serve as the primary contact for marketing communications with subsidiaries, sister divisions, and corporate headquarters
  • Global Representation: Act as the key representative for SMA in global marketing initiatives and projects involving SHI and sister companies
  • Project Leadership: Lead global marketing efforts and ensure strategic alignment across regions
  • Asset Management: Maintain control of the company's intellectual property assets
  • Cost Analysis: Provide centralized pricing and cost control analysis

4. International Marketing Manager Job Summary

  • Brand Strategy: Set brand and marketing strategy for priority international markets with a particular focus on the DACH region
  • Program Management: Manage the end-to-end build of marketing programs by collaborating with creative teams, product marketing, and agency partners
  • Project Coordination: Work with internal and external production teams on the scope of work, project timeline, and resourcing needed for effective execution
  • Trend Research: Research and implement new and most relevant user trends with a particular focus on the DACH region
  • User Insights: Develop deep user research insights and translate these into compelling brand and marketing strategies or campaigns
  • Data-Driven Planning: Develop data-driven brand positioning, pricing, packaging, and promotional plans in collaboration with cross-functional teams
  • Growth Strategy: Ensure that the International growth strategy meets overall business goals
  • Creative Alignment: Serve as a key voice in assuring marketing and creative come together as one cohesive narrative to meet prospective members' needs
  • Localization Management: Collaborate with HQ teams to ensure localisation efforts are complementary and additive to global strategies
  • Performance Analysis: Partner with the Data team to understand market-level campaign performance and user behaviour to inform future optimisation and campaign strategies

5. Senior International Marketing Manager Accountabilities

  • Go-to-Market Strategy: Develop full-funnel go-to-market strategies in defined priority markets around the world
  • Marketing Management: Manage holistic International Marketing plans
  • Consumer Insights: Utilize consumer insights to get a deeper understanding of consumers and develop insight-driven marketing
  • Data Analysis: Draw on qualitative and quantitative insights to understand brand, media, customer, and product insights by geo
  • Performance Growth: Drive growth and impact across all major international KPIs such as customers, revenue, conversion, marketing ROI, LTV, and retention
  • Campaign Execution: Partner with Creative and Marketing for campaign rollouts and execution
  • Agency Management: Manage agencies through briefing, providing strategic direction, and executional oversight
  • Channel Optimization: Partner with Media, Communications, CRM, and Brand Strategy teams to optimize across channels
  • Project Monitoring: Monitor the progress of projects from start to finish and compile ongoing reporting
  • Program Documentation: Create and maintain internal presentations and documents for active marketing programs
  • Cultural Awareness: Maintain current knowledge of local cultural trends and media consumption patterns