Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/brand

Introduction

**Course Review: Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour** If you're looking to deepen your understanding of branding and its pivotal role in today's business landscape, I wholeheartedly recommend the course **Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour** offered on Coursera. Led by Professor Nader Tavassoli of the prestigious London Business School, this course takes a refreshing approach to branding that goes beyond the conventional understanding of logos and visual identity. ### Overview In this course, Professor Tavassoli offers a compelling contrast between the traditional and modern perspectives of branding. While many still view brands merely as visual identifiers or promises to consumers, this course presents brands as comprehensive customer experiences shaped and delivered by the entire organization. Through a mix of engaging lectures, high-profile guest interviews, and hands-on assignments, learners will explore how effective brand management aligns business objectives, brand promise, and organizational behavior. ### Detailed Course Breakdown The course consists of five modules, each designed to unpack a crucial aspect of contemporary brand management: 1. **Brand Purpose & Experience**: - This module lays the foundation by exploring traditional notions of branding against changing market conditions. Featuring interviews with experts such as Bethany Koby and David Kershaw, students will better understand the shifting landscape of branding, coupled with quizzes and peer reviews to solidify learning. 2. **Brand Design & Delivery**: - Here, students learn how to create unique brand experiences that differentiate from mere products and services. The module encourages critical thinking around pricing as a brand experience itself and includes insights from renowned professionals like Hub van Bockel and Professor Bernd H. Schmitt. 3. **Brand Leadership and Alignment**: - Focusing on strategic alignment, this part of the course delves into how businesses can ensure that their branding, business strategies, and behaviors work in unison. With guest discussions featuring CEOs from notable companies like Wolff Olins and Unilever, learners gain valuable perspectives on global brand alignment. 4. **Brand Practices & Engagement**: - This module emphasizes internal brand engagement, crucial for successful branding. It teaches best practices for integrating the brand into human resources and inspiring employee behavior aligned with brand values. Discussions with professionals from Saatchi & Saatchi and Lush highlight the importance of engagement. 5. **Brand Metrics & Returns**: - In the final module, students will learn about the valuation of brands and how to construct a strategic brand dashboard that measures effectiveness across organizational functions. Insights from David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance, add practical value to this vital area of branding. ### Learning Experience Throughout the course, learners benefit from a multi-faceted educational approach that includes video lectures, guest interviews, quizzes, optional readings, and peer review assignments. This blend of resources not only enhances understanding but also fosters active engagement with the course material. The quizzes and peer assignments encourage students to apply what they learn actively, making for a hands-on experience that cements knowledge. ### Recommendation **Brand Management: Aligning Business, Brand and Behaviour** is an exceptional course for anyone aiming to enhance their branding knowledge, whether you are a seasoned marketing professional or a newcomer in the field. Professor Tavassoli's expertise, combined with insights from industry leaders, provides a robust framework for understanding the dynamics of modern brand management. In conclusion, if you're eager to shift your perspective on branding from a simple identity to a complex, experience-driven approach, enroll in this course. It's an investment in your professional development that is sure to pay off, providing you with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate and leverage the evolving branding landscape effectively.

Syllabus

Brand Purpose & Experience

Welcome to Module 1! In this module, we'll cover the following topics: Traditional notions of branding; Changing market conditions for brands; A new approach to branding. As well as the lecture videos, you will also be learning through interviews with brand practitioners such as Bethany Koby, Director of Technology Will Save us and David Kershaw, CEO of M&C Saatchi. There are optional readings to supplement your understanding, a quiz with 7 questions to test your learning and a peer review assignment based on a task connected to this module.

Welcome to Module 2! In this module, we'll cover the following topics:Brand experiences as the basis for differentiation; How to design brand experiences, as different from products and services; Pricing as a differentiating brand experience. As well as the lecture videos, you will also be learning through interviews with brand practitioner Hub van Bockel, an independent consultant and author and with Professor Bernd H. Schmitt of Columbia Business School. There are optional readings to supplement your understanding, a quiz with 6 questions to test your learning and a peer review assignment based on a task connected to this module.

Welcome to Module 3! In this module, we'll cover the following topics: Aligning the strategies for business, brand and behaviour; Strategic brand portfolio alignment; Delivering global brand alignment. As well as the lecture videos, you will also be learning through interviews with practitioners, Ije Nwokorie, CEO of Wolff Olins, Helen Casey and Henk Viljoen, both of Old Mutual and Keith Weed, CMO of Unilever. There are optional readings to supplement your understanding, a quiz with 7 questions to test your learning and a peer review assignment based on a task connected to this module.

Welcome to Module 4! In this module, we'll cover the following topics:How to design human resource brand best-practices; A model for engaging employees with the brand; The ABCs of behavioural change. As well as the lecture videos, you will also be learning through interviews with practitioners Helen Edwards of Passionbrand, Richard Hytner of Saatchi & Saatchi, Tanya Truman and Nik Allebon of Lush. There are optional readings to supplement your understanding, a quiz with 5 questions to test your learning and a peer review assignment based on a task connected to this module.

Welcome to Module 5! In this module, we'll cover the following topics: How brands create value; Why brand valuation is not the same as the value brands create; How to design a strategic and cross-functional brand dashboard. As well as the lecture videos, you will also be learning through interviews with David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance. There are optional readings to supplement your understanding, a quiz with 6 questions to test your learning and a peer review assignment which asks you to reflect on your learning throughout the course.