This course is targeted at managers and marketing personnel who wish to learn how to interpret the potential effects of various brand strategies and tactics and assess the value of any type of brand. This course is also ideal for marketing professionals who would like to strengthen, develop and enhance their strategic marketing skills and obtain the highest Return On Investment (ROI) from managing their organization’s brand.

Branding is the process by which companies distinguish their product offerings from the competition. A brand is created by developing a distinctive name, package and design, and by arousing customer expectations about the offering. This course tackles all the competencies needed to build a strong organizational brand and evaluate its performance and perceptions in the marketplace. It also details the role brand management plays in the strategic marketing process, the steps of the consumer adoption process, the different types of branding strategies and the signs that can indicate a troubled branding strategy.

• Define brands and understand the opportunities and challenges facing them in highly competitive business landscapes
• Plan and craft a powerful brand positioning statement that reflects the brand's promise and the expectations of their most valued customers
• Build a strategic brand and track its growth and sustainability using researched processes
• Explore the elements of brand equity and the constituents of brand identity to build consistent and sustainable brands
• Identify various brand strategies to come up with sound actions aligned with the status of existing and new markets and products
• Master the process for conducting a full brand audit to evaluate brand performance and take remedial actions

The course involves a variety of case studies and exercises to develop the right skills needed to become a successful branding professional. Group presentations and self-assessment tools will also be used for the same purpose.

Module 1: Definitions and Anatomy of Brands

• The definition of a brand
• Reasons why brands matter
• A brief history of brands
• Difference between branding and marketing
• The challenges and opportunities of branding today
• Understanding branding

Module 2: Brand Planning Models

• The concept of customer-based brand equity
• Building customer-based brand equity
• Benefits of customer-based brand equity
• Three tools to facilitate brand planning

                            (a) Brand positioning model

                            (b) Brand resonance model

                            (c) Brand value chain model

Module 3: The Strategic Brand Management Process

• The brand management process: a useful model

                             (a) Developing brand vision
                             (b) Establishing a brand position
                             (c) Fulfilling brand contract
                             (d) Brand communication
                             (e)Brand metrics: measuring RoBI (Return on Brand Investment)

• The elements of the strategic brand management process

                              (a) Identifying and establishing brand positioning and values
                              (b) Planning and implementing brand marketing programs
                              (c) Measuring and interpreting brand performance
                              (d) Growing and sustaining brand equity

Module 4: Brand Equity and Identity

• Brand equity defined
• Elements of brand equity

                     (a) Brand loyalty
                     (b) Brand awareness
                     (c) Perceived quality
                     (d) Brand associations

• Designing brand identity
• Elements of brand identity
• Brand essence

Module 5: Building Brand Portfolios

• Branding philosophies
• Brand growth strategies

                      (a) New brand
                      (b) Flanker/fighting brands
                      (c) Line extensions
                      (d)Brand extensions

• Successful and unsuccessful brand extensions

Module 6: Brand Evaluation

• Brand audit defined
• Brand audit techniques
• The brand audit questionnaire
• Reviewing the 'big idea'
• Evaluating advertising