In today’s saturated and hyper-competitive marketplace, brands function as far more than mere identifiers — they operate as cultural symbols, emotional anchors, and strategic assets. This course investigates the multifaceted nature of brand management, examining why some brands achieve iconic status while others struggle to gain traction. Students will develop the analytical and strategic skills needed to craft compelling brand positioning, manage brand equity over time and design coherent brand architectures across diverse product lines and global markets. The course combines theoretical insights with practical application, exploring topics such as consumer psychology, symbolic value, and the strategic tension between brand consistency and reinvention. Through in-depth case studies and hands-on projects, students will engage critically with a range of brand contexts. Key questions include: What constitutes true brand authenticity? How can emotional connection be cultivated in a skeptical world? And what are the risks when a brand’s meaning becomes diluted or misaligned?

By the end of this course, students will be able to understand the drivers of brand value and acquire the tools and mindset necessary to build, evaluate, and sustain brands that resonate deeply and endure. Specific learning outcomes:

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. Craft advertising briefs
7. Determine optimal media mix
8. Develop insights into how brands handle distribution
9. Understand new approaches to marketing mix to reinforce the brand

Class attendance is highly recommended as most of the topics are covered in-class with instructor's slides, discussions, exercises.
An 80% participation rate is mandatory.
After 6 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. The instructor reserves the possibility to include peer-reviews to measure contribution of each team member to projects, for any team assignments - in addition to the mandatory one for the final case study. 
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 prior to the assessment day.
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. 
Please note: professors cannot excuse absences. It is only the Dean's Office who is entitled to do so. Hence, please do not send the professor any medical certificates or any other reason for absence to be excused.

COURSE SCHEDULE