Brand Management

Course objectives
The Course aims at:

• Combining cognitive and cultural understanding of brands, as tools affecting customers’ perceptions as much as societal norms and meanings.
• Improving students’ ability in designing and fostering brand recognition (brand morphology), brand essence (brand axiology), and brand narratives (brand storytelling).
• Complementing theoretical understanding of branding with in-field practical experience.

Course description
The Course targets students interested in developing theoretical and practical understanding of brand management from a company’s perspective. As such, it represents an ideal complement for students having attended the research seminar “Consumers and Brands” (Bachelor level), where brands are instead analysed from the perspective of end-users.

Participants will learn two radically distinct approaches to branding. First, a product-plus approach that considers brands as add-ons to products/services/ experiences. Second, a holistic brand approach, which instead considers brands as the cornerstone of a company’s marketing strategy and as its most valuable asset.

Learning methods
The Course engages students in rich and critical discussion about brands’ function, nature, construction, and execution. Discussion combines research-driven evidences with real-life examples.

Attendance
Students have to attend at least 60% of the in-presence classes to validate the course. In case of personal impediments, students need to reach out to professor to discuss with him the best way to proceed.

Examination information
Assessment relies upon an individual written exam.
Detailed evaluation criteria are set at the beginning of the course.

Required material
The Course integrates two main perspectives on branding, as summarized by the following textbooks: 

• Keller, Kevin L. (2012), Strategic Brand Management, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, fourth edition, chapters 1; 2; 3; 4; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11.
• Holt, Douglas B. (2012), How Brands Become Icons, Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, chapters 1 and 2.

Additional readings to be shared at the beginning of the Course.

The course only admits a limited number of participants.