Brand management
PROF. ROSSELLA GAMBETTI; PROF. SHARIFAH ALWI
COURSE AIMS
The course will deal with brands and branding from a critical and contemporary
perspective that looks at the brand and related management issues in the frame of a
complex and fast evolving market, technological and socio-anthropological
scenario that continuously challenges the brand to change and redefine its role for
consumers, companies and the society.
The course will develop a cross-disciplinary approach that combines basic and
advanced conceptual foundations with up-to-date managerial issues and challenges
that the brand must confront to face reality.
COURSE CONTENT
FIRST MODULE: Prof. Rossella Gambetti
The following main topics will be covered:
– The scenario that the brand must confront
* Evolving consumers: craft consumers, working consumers, prosumers,
proams.
* Evolving communication modes, technologies and touch-points.
* Societal issues (globalization, multi-cultural melting pots, new social
spaces).
– The basic of brand and brand management
*
The concept of brand today.
*
Brand identity and the functions of the brand over time.
*
The brand positioning concept.
*
Growing the brand: co-branding and brand extension.
*
Brand value: rethinking brand equity.
– Brand management in the firm
*
Characteristics and role of the brand manager (responsibilities, tasks and
relationship management with communication agencies and research
institutions).
*
Managing the brand portfolio.
– Brand communications
* From traditional to emergent communication tools.
* Developing consistency in the communication mix.
– The new challenges of brand management
*
*
*
Bonding with consumers (positive bonding vs negative bonding:
consumer-brand engagement vs. brand dislike/avoidance).
Co-creating brand value (company-consumer interaction, linking value).
New brand territories (country/city branding: a trip to Expo; from brand as
person to person as brand).
SECOND MODULE: Prof. Sharifah Alwi
The following main topics will be covered:
– Consumer behavior, segmentation and brand positioning process
*
Understanding consumer insights through mental maps.
*
Designing brand messages, appeals for different segments.
*
Points-of-parity (POP) and points-of-difference (POD).
*
Core brand values and building brand positioning.
Case/research discussion with students: Asian region e.g. Malaysia: Whilst
Malaysia’s diversity (e.g. Malay, Chinese and Indian) is cause for celebration, the
contemporary challenges presented by the changing behavior of diverse consumer
groups are many and significant. How will these changes impact brand
management and market performance?
– Luxury brands and luxury brand management
*
Creativity element in luxury brand as brand differentiation in luxury
context should go beyond functional element.
*
Introduces the material, symbolic and experiential dimensions of luxury.
*
Major sectors in the luxury industry: Fashion, Perfumes and Cosmetics,
Wine and Spirits, and Watch and Jewelry.
*
Segmenting, targeting and communicating consumer in the luxury brand
context.
Case/research discussion with students on luxury brands.
– Beyond product/service brand: Introducing corporate brand and corporate
brand management.
*
A new and fresh thinking of how to differentiate a brand and company via
corporate brand.
*
Corporate branding (from extending the marketing logic to embracing
corporate citizenship and societal branding).
*
Using corporate level marketing concepts to achieve long term corporate
brand equity.
*
Moving towards a more long-term success and sustainability of corporate
performance.
*
Corporate brand challenges and stakeholder engagement.
*
Corporate brand at service level.
*
Corporate brand and Internet/digital world.
Case/research discussion: Yahoo (Digital)/Online corporate brand experience,
Accenture (at Service level).
READING LIST
Attending students
A list of references and other course material for attending students will be provided by
Professor Gambetti and Professor Alwi at the beginning of their modules.
Non-attending students
Book
J.N. KAPFERER , The new strategic brand management: advanced insights and strategic thinking,
Fifth edition, Kogan Page, London, 2012, Chapters: 1, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 13.
Academic articles (downloadable in UCSC by accessing international scholarly database,
such as EBSCO or ProQuest):
J.M. BALMER-E.R. GRAY, (2003) Corporate brands: what are they? What of them?, European
Journal of Marketing, 37, 7/8, pp. 972-997.
J.M. BALMER, (2012) Corporate brand management imperatives: custodianship, credibility, and
calibration, California Management Review, 54, 3, pp. 6-33.
B. COVA, (1997), Community and consumption: towards a definition of the linking value of
products or services, European Journal of Marketing, 31, 3-4, pp. 297-316.
R.C. GAMBETTI, (2010), Ambient communication: how to engage consumers in urban touchpoints.
California Management Review, 52, 3, pp. 34-51.
R.C. GAMBETTI-G. GRAFFIGNA-S. BIRAGHI, (2012) Grounded theory approach to consumer-brand
engagement: practitioners’ standpoint, International Journal of Market Research, 54, 5, pp.
659-687.
G. GRAFFIGNA-R.C. GAMBETTI, (2015) Grounding consumer-brand engagement: a field-driven
conceptualisation, International Journal of Market Research, 57, 4, pp. 1-25.
Z.L. HAMZAH-S.F. SYED ALWI-M.N. OTHMAN, (2014) Designing corporate brand experience in an
online context: A qualitative insight, Journal of Business Research, 67, 11, pp. 2299-2310.
Y.J. HAN-J.C. NUNES-X. DRÈZE, (2010) Signalling status with luxury goods: The role of brand
prominence Journal of Marketing, 74, 4, pp.15-30.
M.A. MERZ-Y. HE-S.L. VARGO, (2009), The evolving brand logic: a service-dominant logic
perspective, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 37, 3, pp. 328-344.
S.F. SYED ALWI-R.V. DA SILVA, (2007) Online and offline corporate brand images: do they differ?,
Corporate Reputation Review, 10, 4, pp. 217-244.
K.P. WIEDMANN-N. HENNIGS-A. SIEBELS, (2009) Value-based segmentation of luxury consumption
behavior, Psychology & Marketing, 26, 7, pp. 625–651.
Further recommended readings
R. ABRATT-N. KLEYN, (2012) Corporate identity, corporate branding and corporate reputations:
Reconciliation and integration, European Journal of Marketing, 46, 7/8, pp. 1048-1063.
J.J. BRAKUS-B.H SCHMITT-L. ZARANTONELLO, (2009) Brand experience: what is it? How is it
measured? Does it affect loyalty?, Journal of marketing, 73, 3, pp. 52-68.
P.J. KITCHEN-S.F. SYED ALWI-N. CHE-HA-P. YEE LIM, (2014) Coupon redemption behaviour: A
Malaysian cross-segment investigation, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 32, 1, pp. 66-88.
S.F. SYED ALWI-T.C. MELEWAR, (2015) Corporate Branding: Arenas, Areas and Approaches,
Routledge, London.
P. SHUKLA, (2010) Status consumption in cross-national context: Socio-psychological, brand and
situational antecedents, International Marketing Review, 27, 1, pp. 108-129.
TEACHING METHOD
The course will be based on critical interactive lessons, group case study discussions,
outward field trips in the city brand environment and group project works facing real
company issues with relevant in-class presentations. Some brand management experts
working either in the company or in the communication agency field will be invited as guest
speakers to provide their points of view on the current brand challenges.
ASSESSMENT METHOD
The final exam will consist of three parts relevant to three distinct assignments that each
student is required to take either in a group or on an individual base:
– a group in-class presentation relevant to a field trip assignment (20% of the final grade);
– a group in-class presentation relevant to a project work facing a real company challenge
(30% of the final grade);
– a group case study discussion relevant to a business case illustrated in class (20% of the
final grade);
– a final individual written test composed of two open-ended questions (30% of the final
grade).
No mid-term exam is scheduled.
NOTES
Professor Gambetti and Professor Alwi will be available to meet the students by
appointment asked by email.