FTMBA 2019_II Strategic Brand Management

A Verstehen der Marke

B Stärkung der Marke

C Wachstum der Marke/n

D Bewertung der Marke

The main objectives of this course are to walk through the steps required to build and leverage brand assets and create enduring competitive advantage. In doing this, the course has six underlying objectives.

Students who attend the course should know…

1. about the importance of brands to consumers, brand manufacturers, and retailers.
2. how to craft an effective brand positioning.
3. how to build and strengthen a brand.
4. how to build and structure a portfolio of brands.
5. how to grow a brand/with brands.
6. how to evaluate the equity and the value of brands.

We will elaborate on appropriate theories, models and tools to make better branding decisions and strategies to build a brand. We will further learn how to address the most challenging issues companies face in creating and sustaining strong brands by using current thinking on strategic brand management.

There is no compulsory textbook for this course. For optional background reading, I recommend Strategic Brand Management, 4th edition (Prentice-Hall), by Kevin Lane Keller. This textbook allows deeper elaboration of the topics of this course and further allows reading topics that are not covered by the course. Depending on student background and interests, however, certain sections of the text should be read more carefully. If you would like to read more about a particular topic, I can recommend several optional articles and books.Many readings are also referenced in my slides. The course readings are meant to supplement and extend the class sessions. These articles will be posted on Moodle. You get access to these also free via WHU’s subscription to Business Source Complete.

You will be fully briefed in session 1 of our class about the content and format of this course. Each class session will focus on a specific branding issue. Sessions will be a combination of lecture and discussion sessions, exercises, guest lectures, and real-life case presentations. The cases are especially focused on consumer goods brands.

Lectures. In many cases, topics will begin with lecture and discussion sessions that focus on branding concepts, illustrated with current examples. The lectures provide a series of frameworks and management tools for analyzing and solving a particular branding problem by blending theory with practical examples. You will be encouraged to share your experiences both from the marketer’s perspective and from the customer’s perspective. The real-life case and guest speakers will give you the opportunity to place yourself in a variety of business settings and apply theory to practice.

Guest lectures. In order to enrich the learning experience, two guest speakers share real-life examples on topics we’ll be discussing. They focus on brand management decisions made in practice, with attention to real-world constraints.

Real-life brand case. The real-life brand case project will allow students to examine the brand equity of one organization in depth and make actionable recommendations for their branding strategy. You will be required to work in a group consisting of approximately 3-6 members and you will be assigned by the MBA program office to your respective group. The company we work with proposes several case topics. Your group can select two out of the proposed topics. One topic preference will be chosen. Although we aim assigning you to your first preference, this cannot always be guaranteed. Every group will present their recommendations to managers of the respective brand.

Take Home Exam: 50 %

Presentations: 50 %

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60 hours