Brand Management in the Digital Age

Winter Semester: November 2020 - February 2021

Dr. Gonzalo Luna-Cortés Class Timings: Wednesday, 12:15-14:00

Chair of Innovation & Creativity and 14:15-16:00 on Zoom*
Office: NB 123 Office hours: Monday 16:30-17:30
E-mail: [email protected] by prior appointment
* All classes and tutorials will be held on Zoom at the above listed times

Required Course Materials

The required readings for this course include articles and cases from Harvard and other
sources. Students are expected to read the assigned articles and cases thoroughly prior to
each class session and come prepared for discussion. The assigned readings combine
theoretical and managerial thinking on the topic of branding of products and services in
the digital age. These materials will be available for students to download on ILIAS.

Supplemental Course Materials

All additional materials including in-class exercise templates, and non-copyrighted

supplemental articles will be made available for students to download on ILIAS.

Course Objectives

This course is designed with a focus on brand management strategies to build strong
product and service brands in the age of digital marketing. The objectives of the course
are:

1. To understand key Branding concepts in the age of digital marketing, including

a. Positioning Strategy
b. Brand DNA (Brand Pyramid)
c. How to position Product and Service Brands in the digital age

2. To understand the concept of Brand Equity and the challenges in building and
measuring brand equity in the Digital Age.

3. To provide the theoretical foundation and a set of managerial tools to create, sustain,
and enhance a product or service brand in the age of digital marketing.

4. To apply learnings to a project as part of the course requirements.

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 Evaluation: Graded Components, Grading Scale, and Instructor Expectations

Grade Structure

1. Branding Team Project Presentation 50%

2. Seminar Paper 50%
__________________
Total 100%

Grading Scale (1.0 – 5.0)

1.0 93-100 Exemplary Performance

1.3 88-92 Strong Performance
1.7 83-87 Good Performance
2.0 78-82 Good Performance, with some deficiencies
2.3 73-77 Good Performance, with clear deficiencies
2.7 68-72 Adequate Performance
3.0 63-67 Adequate Performance, with some deficiencies
3.3 58-62 Weak Performance
3.7 53-57 Weak Performance, with clear deficiencies
4.0 50-53 Poor Performance, with pervasive deficiencies
5.0 < 50 Fail

Instructor Expectations and Class Etiquette

1. Students are expected to be well prepared for class discussions by thoroughly reading
the assigned articles and cases prior to each class session.

2. Students are expected to be on track with the learning in the course.

3. Students are encouraged to ask questions and meet with the instructor on Zoom, either
after class, during office hours, or by seeking an appointment, particularly in
preparation of the team project.

4. Student feedback is encouraged and welcomed throughout the duration of the course.

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 Guidelines for Graded Components

Branding Team Project

50% of the Final Grade
Team Project Presentations on Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Time and Place: 12.15-16:00 on Zoom

Teams of 3-6 students will be formed by the instructor for the Team Project. Each team will
have 15 minutes to present, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A with the course instructors.
The deliverables for this project include the final presentation, and any relevant
appendices of research conducted as part of the project.

Seminar Paper
Submission of the Seminar Paper on Monday, March 15, 2021 by 18:00 h.
The seminar paper (Seminararbeit) is a comprehensive case analysis. Students will be
required to analyze a comprehensive branding related case by applying all the tools and
frameworks learned in the course. The case document and the case analysis questions will
be released at 10:00 h on Monday, February 22, 20121 on ILIAS. Students will be required
to upload their case analysis documents (only Microsoft Word uploads will be considered)
on ILIAS by 18:00 h on Monday, March 15, 2021. Please adhere to the following formatting
instructions for your answer document –

Margins of 2.5 cm on all four sides of the document

All written content (except for tables, figures, images if any) should be typed in
Times New Roman font, size 12 point, single spaced.

The maximum page limit (including title page, tables, references, images
everything) is 6 pages.

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 Detailed Course Timeline

WEEK # 1

Wednesday, November 4: Lecture 1 and Tutorial 1

Lecture 1 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

Introduction to Brand Management in the Digital Age

Lecture on: Presentation of Instructor and Students

Syllabus Analysis
The Digital Marketing Framework
Marketing Strategy and Brand Strategy in the Digital Age

Tutorial 1 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Introduction to Team Projects for Brand Management in the Digital Age

Tutorial on: Team Formation

Briefing on Team Projects
Break-out Rooms Session: Choosing Company, Product and Brand
Starting on Team Projects

WEEK # 2

Wednesday, November 11: Lecture 2 and Tutorial 2

Lecture 2 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

From Digital Marketing to Brand Positioning in the Digital Age

Lecture on: The Three Parts of the Marketing Framework

Digital Marketing: Terminology and Characteristics
Introduction to Positioning in the Digital Age

Tutorial 2 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Understanding Value; Creating, Communicating, Delivering Value; Nurturing Value

Tutorial on: Working in Break-out Rooms: Branding in the Age of Digital Marketing
– Application to Team Projects

Reading: Brands & Branding (2003). Douglas Holt. Harvard Business School.

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 WEEK # 3

Wednesday, November 18: Lecture 3 and Tutorial 3

Lecture 3 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

Developing a Positioning Strategy for a Brand

Lecture on: Marketing Strategy and Positioning in the Digital Age

Strategic Choices in Developing a Positioning Strategy
The Four Essential Choices for Positioning in the Digital Age

Tutorial 3 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Choosing the Marketing Strategy Positioning

Tutorial on: How to Choose the Marketing Strategy

Team Projects in Break-out Rooms: Analysis of Situation and Strategy

Readings: Understanding Brands (2008). A. Keinan and J. Avery. Harvard

Business School.

WEEK # 4

Wednesday, November 25: Lecture 4 and Tutorial 4

Lecture 4 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

The Brand’s Positioning Statement

Lecture on: Positioning Examples and Critique

Retrofitting Positioning
How to Write Brand’s Positioning Statement

Tutorial 4 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Writing the Brand’s Positioning Statement

Tutorial on: Team Projects in Break-out Rooms: Writing the Brand’s Positioning
Statement

Reading: Positioning: The Essence of Marketing Strategy. Positioning: The

Essence of Marketing Strategy (2009). M. C. Moore and R. Helstein.
Darden Business Publishing, University of Virginia.

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 WEEK # 5

Wednesday, December 2: Lecture 5 and Tutorial 5

Lecture 5 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

Brand Positioning Successes and Failures in the Digital Age

Lecture on: Brand Positioning Choices in the Digital Age

Success and Failure Examples

Tutorial 5 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Making Progress on Team Projects

Tutorial on: Team Projects in Break-out Rooms: Intensive Team Meetings with
Instructors for Questioning and Presenting Progress

WEEK # 6

Wednesday, December 9: Lecture 6 and Tutorial 6

Lecture 6 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

Introduction to Case Analysis, and Segment Attractiveness Analysis

Lecture on: How to Analyze a Case

Template: What? So What? Now What?
Segment Attractiveness Analysis: Choosing Target Segments
Testing Positioning Concepts with Consumers

Tutorial 6 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Branding Positioning in Action: Product Brand

Tutorial on: Case Analysis and Discussion of the Tata Nano Case

Case Reading: Positioning the Tata Nano (A) (2011). Alice M. Tybout and Natalie
Fahey. Kellogg School of Management.

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 WEEK # 7

Wednesday, December 16: Lecture 7 and Tutorial 7

Lecture 7 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

Current Positioning Strategy of Project Brand and Research

Lecture on: Primary and Secondary Research for the Project Brand
Understanding the Current Positioning of the Project Brand

Tutorial 7 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Positioning in the Digital Age

Tutorial on: Case Analysis and Discussion of the ThoughtWorks Case

Case Reading: ThoughtWorks (A): Targeting and Positioning Basics for a Service Firm
(2004). Alice M. Tybout. Kellogg School of Management.

WEEK # 8

Wednesday, January 13: Lecture 8 and Tutorial 8

Lecture 8 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

Elements of a Brand: Brand DNA Pyramid

Lecture on: Brand DNA Pyramid

Levels and Ladders of the Brand DNA Pyramid

Tutorial 8 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Building the Brand DNA Pyramid

Tutorial on: How to Build the Brand DNA Pyramid in your Project
Team Projects in Break-out Rooms: Build the DNA Pyramid

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 WEEK # 9

Wednesday, January 20: Lecture 9 and Tutorial 9

Lecture 9 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

Brand Equity

Lecture on: Definition of Brand Equity

Different Perspectives on Brand Equity
Why does Brand Equity Hinge on Brand Loyalty?

Reading: Brand Equity: An Overview (2015). Paul W. Farris. Darden Business

Publishing, University of Virginia. Pages 1-16

Tutorial 9 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Define and Communicate Brand Equity

Tutorial on: How to Define and Communicate Brand Equity

Team Projects in Break-out Rooms: Define and Communicate Brand
Equity – Application to Team Projects

WEEK # 10

Friday, January 22: Tutorial 10 and Lecture 10

Tutorial 10 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

Can you Brand Anything?

Tutorial on: Case Analysis and Discussion of the Branding Yoga Case

Case Reading: Branding Yoga (2011). Rohit Deshpande, Kerry Herman and Annelena
Lobb. Harvard Business School

Lecture 10 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

The Special Case of Person Brands

Tutorial on: What’s Different about Person Brands?

Longevity of Person Brands
Person Brand Vulnerabilities

Case Reading: Discussion on Branding Yoga and Person Brands

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 WEEK # 11

Wednesday, January 27: Lecture 11 and Tutorial 11

Lecture 11 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

The Function of Brand: Value Generation

Lecture on: What are the Functions of a Brand?

Brands as Generators of Value

Tutorial 11 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Final Questions and Instructions

Tutorial on: Final Questions and Instructions before the Presentations

Instructor Available for Questions and Feedback

WEEK # 12

Wednesday, February 3: Lecture 12 and Tutorial 12

Lecture 12 12:15 – 14:00 on Zoom

Review of Concepts

Lecture on: Reviewing Key Concepts of Brand Management in the Digital Age

Tutorial 12 14:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Final Questions and Instructions

Tutorial on: Instructions for the Seminar Paper

WEEK # 13

Wednesday, February 10: Team Presentations

12:15 – 16:00 on Zoom

Final Branding Team Project Presentations

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 Cases Analysis Questions

Positioning the Tata Nano (A)

The primary assignment in this case is to write a positioning statement for Tata Nano,
based on the case. In arriving at the positioning statement, it is essential to follow these
steps (please prepare the following first, and then attempt to write the positioning
statement) – a) Who is the target consumer? b) What is the frame of reference? c) What are
the points of parity? d) What are the points of differentiation? e) What is the value
proposition, based on the functional and emotional benefits?

ThoughtWorks (A): Targeting and Positioning Basics for a Service Firm

The primary assignment in this case is to write a positioning statement for ThoughtWorks,
based on the case. In arriving at the positioning statement, it is essential to follow these
steps (please prepare the following first, and then attempt to write the positioning
statement) – a) Who is the target consumer? b) What is the frame of reference? c) What are
the points of parity? d) What are the points of differentiation? e) What is the value
proposition, based on the functional and emotional benefits?

Branding Yoga

What value has the branding of Yoga created? How has this value been created? By whom
has this value been created and for whom? What is your evaluation of the branding
business models developed by a) Bikram Choudhury and b) Tara Stiles? Which of these
models is more sustainable and competitively stronger? Explain. Develop a Brand
Pyramid for each of the two brands. Present a model to valuate each of these two brands
(make assumptions as necessary and refer to sources outside of the case), and comment on
the Brand Equity of these two brands.

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