Read http://www.find-mba.com/article/535/should-i-do-a-specialized-mba

I would say that unless you can see a clearly defined career path, and have an absolute idea about what kind of brand management role you want to end up in, that either a general MBA or an MBA with a focus in marketing would be more relevant.

Certainly, there are aspects of brand management that justify a deep dive - but the core principles (positioning, design, valuation, etc.) can all be addressed through a more general coverage in marketing.

For the specifics, you could always opt for short brand management focused executive education courses at some point.

So I got a 690 on my GMAT.

I gather that this isn't high enough to get into Haas or NYU Stern.

What about some other programs that are strong in marketing, that are within my GMAT range? What about USC (Marshall) or Indiana (Kelley)?

Take a look at http://www.find-mba.com/board/27082

USC's a good school, and its marketing concentrations overlap with some of your interests, and you could expose yourself to some brand management and strategic marketing curriculum.

Minnesota Carlson might be worth considering as well - it's strong in marketing for retail, if you are interested in that at all.

The more I look at USC, the more I like it. Its concentration in "Product Innovation and Brand Management" looks fantastic.

Thanks for the recommendation on Minnesota. However, I'm less interested in a purely retail-oriented approach, and more superficially, I'm not that fond of Minneapolis.

I think it's really coming down to Marshall. But I think I'm going to apply to Stern as well - even though my GMAT is a bit low, maybe my background is specialized enough for them to look past the 690.

NYU Stern would be a reach, but not out of the question. The bottom of the 80% range tends to be around 680; so it would depend mainly on your previous work experience (ie how much and your capacity,) your references, and your essays.

I like Stern's essays because they really encourage you to be creative: one of them asks you to "describe yourself to your MBA classmates" (you can respond to this one through artwork or multimedia.) This could work in your favor if you don't like writing cookie-cutter essays (I certainly don't!)