Topics 'Strategic Brand Management' (Post-Master Program)

The post-master course “Strategic Brand Management” provides new knowledge, skills and insights in order to be able to make better branding decisions.

Module 1: Strategic perspectives, change and brand leadership

This module mainly focuses on the following question: Which concepts related to strategic, marketing and brand management are available? Other questions include: Which insights and concepts can be used to change the organization (or to make it brand driven)? Which cultural aspects play a role and which models related to internal branding are available? Which leadership qualities are needed in change courses and what can we learn from brand leaders?

• Class 1: Strategic management, perspectives and paradoxes, business, marketing and brand concepts
• Class 2: Industry context, markets & resources, business, corporate and network level strategy
• Class 3: Cultural aspects, organizational structure, change management, change and brand concepts
• Class 4: Internal branding, brand leadership issues, insights, models and features of brand leaders

Module 2: Brand equity, added brand value and branding plan 

Crucial questions during this module are: Which brand building models are available? How to lead effectively towards the creation of brand equity, added brand value and brand value? How do brand leaders distinguish themselves from others? Which concepts and instruments can be used in “brand leadership”? You’ll take part in a brand journey to a best-in-class brand and you learn to write your own strategic brand plan.

• Class 5: Creation of brand equity, added brand value, brand value, brand building and brand strategy
• Class 6: Brand leadership models, features and insights of brand leaders, implementation aspects
• Class 7: Brand Journey to a Best-of-Class brand: tour, class and discussion.
• Class 8: Cases and writing a strategic brand plan under supervision.
• Class 9: Cases and writing a strategic brand plan under supervision.

Module 3: Branding, positioning and online marketing 

Crucial questions during this module are: How to converge strategy and positioning? How to create a strong brand? How to deliver real additional value? Other questions are: What are the latest developments in online branding? How to set up a good digital branding policy and what does this include? How to embed social media strategically into the organization? How to approach these things?

• Class 10: Trends, developments, brand strategy, brand models, brand portfolio management
• Class 11: Brand identity, brand values, means-end chain, positioning and marketing communication
• Class 12: Digital branding, social media, performance based marketing, community management
• Class 13: Online marketing, reputation management, online brand engagement, measuring and correcting.

Module 4: Brand consistency, reputation and design management

Module 4 focuses on questions like: How to align the brand with other activities within an organization? How to guarantee brand consistency? Class 16 and 17 focus on building, creating and managing the image/reputation. How to manage the (online) reputation? How to build a desired reputation? How to control the perception and how to manage the expectation? The final two classes focus on: creating a clear brand identity and the use of brand management. Issues that are dealt with, are: How to set up a good design strategy, how to create a recognizable visual identity? How to manage the complete design process?

• Class 14: Brand alignment, identity management, creating, managing and controlling brand consistency
• Class 15: Implementation of brand alignment projects, system operations, motivating people
• Class 16: Image building, perception, expectation  en reputation management
• Class 17: Implementation  of reputation projects, system operations, motivating people
• Class 18: Brand identity, design management and design processes
• Class 19: Implementation of design projects: system operations, motivating people, how to approach?

Module 5: Brand journey and strategic brand plan

This module focuses on integration of the acquired knowledge. You’ll take part in a brand journey to a best-in-class brand to experience state-of-the-art brand policy. Afterwards there is a group case and you learn to write your own brand plan. The following questions will be dealt with: How to apply theory in practice? How to structure your brand strategy into a specific plan? How to start the actual implementation?

• Class 20: Brand Journey to a Best-of-Class brand: tour, class and discussion.
• Class 21: Cases and writing a brand plan under supervision.
• Class 22: Cases and writing a brand plan under supervision.