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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "MKT 360-2"
COURSE NAME: "Brand Management"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2023
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Anna Fiorentino
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 8:30 AM 9:45 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: MKT 301
OFFICE HOURS: To be scheduled upon students' request
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
During the course, students will undertake studies on strategic and operational brand management. Topics will cover brand assessment, goal setting, building brand equity, benefit-based segmentation and targeting, buyer persona, brand communication and media planning, integrated marketing strategies and brand measurement and strategic brand audit. The course will leverage case discussions, team work and active research by students.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This MKT-360 course will be an exciting journey to discover what is brand management and why it is important; understand -  "behind the curtains" - what makes a brand great and successful over time; will cover all strategic and operational steps and methodologies to successfully manage a brand; will provide theoretical background on how to manage a brand portfolio and assess opportunities for brand extension; how customer experience affects brand perception and business results; how to integrate new marketing practices to enhance brand success; how to deliver brand promises through distribution channels.

Students with a minimum GPA of 3.5 are warmly encouraged to take Brand Management as Honors Course.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Gain a deep understanding of brand building and management from both a consumer and company perspective.

2. Assess brand strength and define brand goals

3. Understand brand equity

4. Define brand architecture and assess brand extension opportunities

5. Develop brand positioning statements.

6. Determine optimal media mix

7. Understand customer experience impact brand performance

8. Understand new approaches to marketing mix to reinforce the brand

 

 
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Star Brands: A Brand Manager's Guide to Build, Manage & Market BrandsCarolina RogollAllwort Press978-162-15346-31     
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
The Brand Report CardKevin Lane Keller Harvard Business Review, January–February 2000   
Interbrand Best Brands Report 2022InterbrandInterbrand-  
Instructor's slidesAnna Fiorentino--  

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
1. Class participationParticipation will be assessed based on active contributions, questions, comments, reflections, attendance20%
2. Group assignment #1: complete a "Brand Report Card" for brands of choiceEach team will be required to select one brand per participant (e.g., 4 brands if the team is made up of 4 components) and illustrate, for each brand, how they reflect 5 out of 10 characteristics of strong brands 20%
4. Group assignment #2Each team will be asked to elaborate the "Brand Positioning Statement" for a brand of their choice among those presented in the Group assignment #120%
5. Final group assignmentTeams will be asked to present the solution to a case study20%
3. Midterm exam4 open-ended questions20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. A = 100 - 95 A- = 94- 90
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions. B+= 89- 85 B = 84- 80 B-= 79-75
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting only partially the information offered in the lectures and reference readings. C+ = 74-70 C = 69-65 C- =64-60
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material. Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included. In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail. Below 60
FThis work fails to show knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Class attendance is highly recommended because the majority of the content of the course is covered in classes.

An 80% participation rate is mandatory.

After 2 unexcused absences, the student will lose 2 percentage points for each further unexcused absence on the total grade. After 4 unexcused absences, the student will be unable to participate in the final project, losing all the points assigned to the final project.

Responsible and active contribution to group projects is mandatory. A student peer-review, to measure contribution of each team member to group projects will be part of assessment of the group exercise.

In case of an unexcused absence on the day of a graded assignment, the student will lose all the points of the graded assignment, unless absence is excused through a petition to the Dean's Office

The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. 
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

COURSE SCHEDULE

 

WEEK 1

T          05-sep  Introduction to the course & what is a brand; read&discuss      

TH        07-sep  Insights from the top 100 best brands: what it takes for success

 

WEEK 2

T          12-sep  Class discussion on article; Core elements of strong brands: the Brand Report Card part 1

TH        14-sep  Core elements of strong brands: The Brand Report Card part 2 

FR        15-sep  Brand Management Framework; Vision, Mission and Goal; Brand assessment part 1

 

WEEK 3

T          19-sep   Guest speaker: Fabio Zardini, Country Manager Italy Patagonia: “Effect of distinctiveness and purpose on brand success”

 TH        21-sep   Brand Assessment part 2 and exercise on SWOT analysis

 

WEEK 4         

T          26-sep  BRC: group presentation -  Graded

TH       28-sep         Consumers care about sustainability and back it up with their wallet: reading of a McKinsey research   

 

WEEK 5

T          03-oct   Understanding Brand Equity: the Brand Resonance model        

TH       05-oct   Segmentation, Targeting and Buying Persona    

 

WEEK 6

T          10-oct   Brand Architecture and Brand Portfolio + read the Longchamp case before next class

 TH        12-oct   Brand Extension; Longchamp case discussion   

 

WEEK 7

T          17-oct   Mid-Term Exam (individual, paper based) Graded

TH        19-oct   Brand communication strategy: the IBI Model - readings and preparation         

 

WEEK 8

T          24-oct   IBI Model presentations           

 TH       26-oct   Media Planning

 

WEEK 9

T          31-oct   Brand positioning statement & briefing for assignment       

TH       02-nov Guest Speaker: Stella Creasey, former Head of Voice of the Customer at Fidelity: “The impact of customer experience on brand appreciation and revenues”

 

WEEK 10

T          07-nov Brand distribution       

TH       09-nov Marketing activities to enhance brand experience        

 

WEEK 11

T        14-nov Brand positioning statement presentations - 1st batch of teams Graded

TH      16-nov Brand positioning statement presentations - 2nd batch of teams Graded

 

WEEK 12

T          21-nov Briefing on the final case exam in teams       

 

WEEK 13

T          28-nov Q&A session on the final Case

TH        30-nov Key take-aways from the course - class exercise

 

WEEK 14

T          05-dec   Final case presentations - 1st batch of teams Graded

TH        7-dec    Final case presentations – 2nd batch of teams Graded