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Strategic Brand Management

Module description

Brands today pervade all aspects of life, pretty much for everyone on the planet. We live in a world of consumer-led brands. We are surrounded by them – in the supermarket, at the service station, in our shopping malls, in our homes and on our electronic devices. In fact, brands are some of the most important assets owned by corporations. An understanding of Brand Management is therefore essential for tomorrow's leaders and managers whether or not your career has a marketing focus.  

This module will provide you with the necessary tools to build brands, engage with customers, position brands, refresh or revitalise tired or faded brands and manage brand portfolios critical to ongoing brand performance.  It leads through general principles and then into more depth around brand management practices, the brand at retail, brands in the digital world and brand strategy.

Expect some challenges and have some fun: brands are here to stay!

Module aims - intentions of the module

It is increasingly argued within marketing management circles that companies no longer provide products or services: rather they create, develop and build brands. The aims of this course are: 

• To introduce students to the principles of brand management; 
• To consider the role and significance of brands for organisations and consumers;
• Examine strategies to build, grow and reposition brands.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Discuss branding theory, its challenges, and how it applies to contemporary society.
• 2. Apply brand strategies in different contexts and evaluate brand performance.
• 3. Critically discuss the managerial importance, and role of technology and social media in relation to brand and communication.
• 4. Create appropriate branding strategies for different types of brands; position brands and branding within a responsible leadership framework.
• 5. Critically evaluate the social and cultural significance of brands in 21st century consumer culture.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Apply appropriate theoretical principles to analyse and evaluate complex branding problems;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Present and defend strategic analyses in multiple forms (written, verbal, digital) based on studied material, desk based and empirical research; Give and receive feedback at all levels, building confidence and developing trust that enables Self and others to take more assertive actions;
• 8. Work effectively in multi-cultural groups to research, explore and prepare a persuasive and carefully considered argument against an assignment or client brief;

Syllabus plan

• Typical content that may surface through the unit include:
• Understanding the nature of consumer-brand relationships
• Brands and society
• The symbolic meaning of brands
• Building brand equity
• Managing brands & portfolios for growth
• Repositioning brands
• Brand Authenticity
• Brand Communications and selling
• The brand and shopper marketing
• Selling brands in an omni-channel world

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Individual essay of 2,500 words

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

There are several texts that you can use to enhance your learning of the unit.  These are largely described in the Unit Library List and available either as hard copy or e-book from the library. The core text is ‘Brand Management: Co Creating Meaningful Brands’ 2^nd edition, by Michael Beverland. Do not rely solely on this text, you need to read widely for this unit. Additional readings provided for individual sessions will be available via Moodle.

• Aaker, D. (2010) Building strong brands, Pocket: London
• Beverland, M. (2004) Building Brand Authenticity: 7 Habits of Iconic Brands, Palgrave Macmillan (also available electronically in the library)
• Beverland, M. (2e, 2021) Brand Management: Co-creating meaningful brands, Sage, London (We’re trying to get electronic availability in the library)
• Keller, K.L., Aperia, R. and Georgson, M. (2008) Strategic brand management: an European perspective, Pearson Education: Harlow
• Kompella, K (2014) The Definitive Book of Branding, Sage, London
• Rosenbaum-Elliott, Percy, L. and  Pervan, Simon (2007) Strategic  Brand Management, Oxford University Press

Key words search

Brand management, brand strategy, retail, digital