The best brand manager (s ) in the world

We have surveys and polls on which is the best brand in the country, best brand in the world etc. I often wonder why we don’t have surveys and polls on who is the best brand manager or for that matter Brand Managers. After all there must be somebody managing these brands so effectively that they are voted as the best in their respective categories. Is it an individual responsibility or a collective responsibility? Who is to be credited with the honour? …. Is it the brand manager or the CEO; is it the agency or the client? The debate can rage on
A brand manager is expected to take a brand through its Product Life Cycle (PLC). Right from product development, launch, growth, maturity and decline. At each stage the challenges are enormous and complex. R & D, Budgets, Competition, Brand Extension, the list is endless.
Do we have someone among us to draw inspiration from? Is there a role model for all the young brand managers out there? Well the truth is we need not look beyond our homes. I think the best brand managers available in this world are our parents. And there is a lot we can learn from them than we could in a Brand Management Seminar or a fast track course. But do we have the time? Think about it for a minute. Our parents give birth to us, launch us into this world, take responsibility for our growth, help us mature and probably are with us when we reach a decline. At each stage the brand (we) needs are meticulously taken care of, sometimes the brands are more in the portfolio (brothers and sisters), the needs are different, the benchmarks are different, but they are clearly defined, conflicts handled,a perfect roadmap is laid, segmented effectively and effectively taken through the PLC.
Well I can extend this article and map each function, draw parallels and go on and on. But I would like to keep the article simple and short. In marketing inspiration needs to come from real life and not theory. So the next time if there is a vote for the Best Brand Manager or Managers am sure you know who to cast it for