MKT30170 Brand Management

Academic Year 2022/2023

This course is designed to help you develop a practical understanding of the tools, rules, and strategies of brand management. Firms realize that the brand names associated with their products or services are the most valuable assets they have. Despite this realization, the task of how to manage a brand is difficult.

Much of this difficulty stems from our inability to identify and accurately assess the value of brands (i.e., brand equity). In other words, if you cannot measure the value of your brand, how can you determine if your marketing plans were successful or not? Given these types of difficulties, I start with the position that the focus should be on consumer knowledge (i.e., how consumers perceive your brand) because this is where brand equity resides. If we have frameworks and tools that can measure what consumers think of a brand, we can get an estimate of brand equity. Then, we can examine how managerial decisions are likely to shape and contribute to brand equity. With this in mind, I have organized the course into two modules.

Module 1: Understanding and Measuring Brand Equity

“What do brands mean to consumers?”

* Understand and apply the concept of brand equity
* Assess how consumers perceive brands
* Determine how you can change these perceptions to achieve brand positioning by applying some of the latest findings from consumer psychology

Module 2: Strategic Brand Equity Management

“How does branding go wrong?”

* Evaluate how marketing decisions that are made to improve brand performance can advance brand equity or inadvertently lead to an erosion of brand equity
* Apply these principles and conduct a brand audit that not only measures brand perceptions of a brand but also identifies current marketing decisions that are leading to an erosion of brand equity

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the semester, you should have fundamental knowledge to:

* Understand why brands are important to both firms and consumers
* Understand and apply the concept of brand equity to existing brands as well as evaluate their positioning
* Measure and interpret brand performance
* Implement strategies to minimize erosion of brand equity and maintain brand value perceptions
* Manage brands of different types and across various geographical regions

Indicative Module Content:

Module 1: Understanding and Measuring Brand Equity

Module 1.1 Brands and Brand Equity
* What is Brand
* Brand Equity

Module 1.2 Brand Knowledge: Building Blocks of Brand Equity
* Brand Elements to Shape Brand Knowledge
* The Not-So-Obvious Effects of Counterfeits
* Marketing Programs to Deliver Brand Knowledge

Module 1.3 Brand Positioning
* Brand Positioning
* Case Study: Lululemon

Module 1.4 Measuring Brand Equity
* Qualitative Methods
* Quantitative Methods

Module 2: Strategic Brand Equity Management

Module 2.1 How Product Decisions Impact Brand Equity
* Brand Extension
* Brand Prominence and Drivers of Luxury Brand Consumption
* Case Study: Land Rover North America

Module 2.2 How Advertising Decisions Impact Brand Equity in the Digital Era
* Branding in the Digital Era
* Case Study: Hunger Game: Catching Fire

Module 2.3 Managing Brand Over Geographic Boundaries
* Brand Management Over Geographic Boundaries
* Case Study: Proctor & Gamble: "Always" Russia

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

24
Total

24
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This course adopts multiple methods of instruction commonly used in MBA classes, which include lectures, case studies, and a brand audit project.

Throughout the semester, I will encourage you to think critically about the various branding challenges that organizations face today. In order for you to exercise your critical thinking skills, you must come to class prepared. This means you should read the assigned materials, especially the major business cases, ahead of time. I very much look forward to hearing what everyone has to say. In fact, I heavily count on your contributions to make the class fun and engaging for everyone!

As outlined in the grading section, some assignments will be completed individually (e.g., quizzes) while others in a team (e.g., brand audit project). This mix of individual- and team-based assignments is intended to replicate what happens in the real world. As all group members will receive the same grade in group-based assignment, it is important for teammates to invest appropriate time and effort in group assignment.

This module will take place face to face with supporting documentation available online through Brightspace. Each week’s content will be delivered to you through a mix of lectures, in-class discussions, and live case studies. For the majority of classes, Power Point slides will be used to deliver concepts. There is no required textbook for this module, students will have a supplemental reading list and may be given class notes whenever appropriate.
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Recommendations:

Students should have an introductory knowledge of marketing before taking this module. This module is not recommended to UCD students who have not completed "Marketing: Firms, Customers & Society" or international students who have not completed a module on "Introduction to Marketing" or "Marketing Management".


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Examination: This course has two quizzes, which will include multiple-choice questions and essay questions. The two quizzes are weighted differently using a 2:1 ratio (more weight to one with better performance). Week 7 No Graded No

20
Continuous Assessment: In-class Participation: You should come prepared for class by reading the assigned material. This is particularly important on days when we have business case discussions. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

20
Group Project: A brand audit requires an in-depth analysis of a brand. The objective is to understand what consumers think of the brand and identify how the brand’s equity is eroding. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

40
Examination: This course has two quizzes, which will include multiple-choice questions and essay questions. The two quizzes are weighted differently using a 2:1 ratio (more weight to one with better performance). Coursework (End of Trimester) Yes Graded No

20

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.