SYLLABUS

Course description

Effective brand management is the key to developing products and communication strategies that lead to marketing success.
Strong brands earn loyalty, add value and convey change.
This course is designed to give a fundamental understanding of what is a brand and how to create, measure and manage successful brand strategies and integrated communication plans.
It explains how to define and position a brand and communicate the brand effectively internally and externally, via owned, earned and paid media.

Course objectives

At the end of the course the student will:

• Understand what is meant by brand and what are the resources behind the creation of value
• know how to set up a Brand Value Proposition and a Brand Book
• Have learned the basics of managing a brand portfolio and defining a brand architecture
• Know the main stages of the development of an integrated communication plan according to the most recent theories.
• Know how to choose the most suitable communication instruments according to the objectives
• Have acquired the basics to plan and purchase offline and online media
• Know how to set a communication budget and what data to use to evaluate its effectiveness and efficiency

The course adopts a problem-based approach in order to offer students the opportunity to apply theories and models to concrete cases and to develop effective, realistic and implementable communication plans. To this end, lectures will be widely integrated with exercises aimed at encouraging interaction, case analysis and project works.

Course content

The course will deal with the different aspects concerning the design, setting and implementation of a communication plan for a brand.
In the first part of the course the introductory topics concerning the brand will be covered: the definitions and main theories, the brand building process, how to express a brand, how a brand portfolio is effectively managed and the measurement of brand value.
The second part the course will get to the heart of the communication plan setting. After introducing the media according to the POE classification (Paid, Owned and Earned), we will deal with the aspects that concern planning and purchase of paid media, with particular attention to the digital ones.
Finally, we will see how to set up a communication budget and how to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the activities implemented.
Apart from an introduction, the digital platforms analytics (eg Google and social networks) will not be dealt with.
THE COURSE WILL BE HELD IN ENGLISH.

Topics of the lessons

The list and topics of the lessons, as well as the slides and other materials presented in the classroom (eg videos) will be published, during the course, on this website: https://www.stellaromagnolilezioni.com/BMMP_2023_24/index.php. The following is a concise list of the topics that will be covered, but it should be considered as purely indicative: the teacher could introduce changes at any time.

• Course introduction
• Brand history and definitions
• Brand building process
• Brand Identification System
• Brand choreography and customer journey
• Owned, Earned Media, Paid Media BTL (events, sponsorship, PP, BC & Influencer MK)
• Paid media ATL: Video, Audio & Text
• Offline and online media key metrics
• Display ads, programmatic, native advertising
• Google Ads and Meta for Business and other social media platforms
• Communication budget
• Brand value & brand audit
• Brand management

Exam texts

To prepare for the exam, students are required to study ALL the articles, videos, handouts and slides that will be found on this course website: https://www.stellaromagnolilezioni.com/BMMP_2023_24/index.php.
No other text is required.

However, for those wishing to have reference texts, you can consult:

Building strong brands, David A. Aaker, Pocket Books 2010

The New Marketing, Cheryl Burgess and Mark Burgess, Sage 2020

The Media Handbook, Helen Katz, Routledge, sixth edition 2017

Prerequisites:

Fluency in English, basic marketing knowledge.

Verification of learning (Exam)

ALL the students (both attendants and non-attendants) will have to take a written test with closed and open questions lasting 30 minutes.
The test is considered passed if the score obtained is greater than or equal to 15 (max grade: 31/30). The written test aims to discover the level of knowledge and understanding of the course program.

The vote of the written test is worth half of the final grade for both attending and non-attending students and The other half of the grade is calculated as follow:
• For those who do not attend or didn’t do the project work there is an oral exam, consisting of 3-4 open questions on the program, that can add a maximum of 3 points, but can also reduce them or define the preparation as inappropriate. The oral test aims to discover the understanding and the level of applied knowledge and making judgments of the student related to the topics of the course. To proceed with the oral exam the student must have scored at least 15 points on the written test.
• For those who carry out the project work, the vote will consist of the grade of the project work, which replace the oral exam, and the final test score + Kahoot points won = {(PW grade) + [(test grade + Kahoot points) / 2)]} / 2.

The project group work aims to teach the student teamworking and the evaluation is based on to how the students applied knowledge and made judgments. The full grade 30/30 cum laude can be reachable by both attending and non-attending students.

How to win Kahoot points:
At the end of almost all the lessons there will be a Kahoot quiz to evaluate the understanding of the topics just exposed. Students who belong to the first half of the final class ranking (by score obtained) will get 1 point to add to the result of the written exam. Other points will also be awarded during the course, through participation in Kahoot games on topics of particular importance.

Project Work:

Attending students will be organized, at the beginning of the course, in groups and, if they agree to participate, they will carry out 1 project work, whose grade will replace the oral exam.
The criteria used for the evaluation of the group work are expressed in a rubric with scores (maximum 31/30) provided at the time of the briefing. The topics of the project work will be defined during the course.
There is also a peer review, which may include penalization or cancellation of the grade of the project work for the student who has not contributed inside the team.
The mark of the project work and the points obtained through participation in the assessments with Kahoot are valid for the entire academic year, regardless of the exam session.
It is not possible to redo the project work once it has been delivered.

Rating Descriptors:

• Below 18 Exam Not passed:
  Disorganized or incomplete knowledge of the contents, errors in applying the main concepts and basic skills, deficient exposition, use of non-specialist vocabulary.
• 18 – 20:
  Appropriate but not in-depth knowledge of the contents, uncertainties in the application of the main concepts and basic skills, elementary argumentation, use of non-specialist vocabulary.
• 21 – 23:
  Appropriate but not in-depth knowledge of content, ability to apply key concepts and basic skills, elementary argumentation, fragmented use of specialized vocabulary.
• 24 – 25:
  Appropriate but not in-depth knowledge of content, ability to apply main and secondary concepts and skills, articulated argumentation, use of specialized vocabulary.
• 26 – 27:
  Broad and in-depth knowledge of contents, ability to apply main and secondary concepts and skills, articulated argumentation, mastery of specialist vocabulary.
• 28 – 29:
  Broad and in-depth knowledge of contents, ability to apply main and secondary concepts and skills, articulated argumentation, mastery of specialist vocabulary, ability to analyze and synthesise in order to express an independent judgement.
• 30 and 30 cum laude:
  Complete and in-depth knowledge of the contents, consolidated ability to apply the main and secondary concepts and skills, articulated argumentation, mastery of the specialized vocabulary, ability to analyze, synthesize and make interdisciplinary connections according to the expression of a judgment autonomous.

Expected learning outcomes (Dublin descriptors)

Knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course, students must know:
- The appropriate terminology to define branding, planning and media buying activities
- The fundamental concepts regarding the brand and its management, the advertising budget and the communication plan
- The characteristics of the different media
- How media audiences are measured
- Where to find the information needed to set the advertising budget
- How does the planning process work and who are the players in the sector

Applied knowledge and understanding
Students must be able to set up a brand building process, choose the most suitable media to achieve the communication objectives and set up an offline and non-automated online media plan.
The student must also be able to set a communication budget request document.

Autonomy of judgment
Students must be able to evaluate a brand with desk analysis (Kapferer Prism), understand if the identity elements of the brand and the brand value proposition have been set correctly.
They must also be able to understand if one media is more effective or efficient than another in the context of a communication strategy, and if a communication plan is professionally set up.

Communication skills
Students should be able to present their works in a clear, complete but concise way, using the most appropriate terminology. They will have to be able to effectively explain the reasons for their choices, and to be convincing on the proposals, both through visual tools (eg power point) and in person.

Ability to learn
Students must be able to orient themselves in the macro-sector of branding and media planning, know where to find information and choose the most useful data sources for carrying out their work, have a knowledge base that can easily allow them to update in a highly strategic and innovative sector.