Upon completing the course, students will know the theoretical background and the main practices related to brand and product management when striving to create, communicate, and deliver customer value in various business contexts. Students will acquire a holistic skill set for combining the efforts of both internal and external partners to support the planning and implementation of commercializing and capitalizing on offerings. Adopting these skills requires an analytical and results-oriented mindset, as well as a creative ability to identify key customer and competitive forces and capitalize on them.
Recommended: Basic marketing knowledge
The course comprises lectures, independent work, and group assignments on the core concepts and real-life cases.
Students are required to:
- Attend at least 75% of the classes to participate actively in the workgroup and business testimonials, and to put into practice the knowledge acquired
- Participate actively in class case discussions and general discussions to develop the collective learning process
- Read papers in advance and contribute to the discussion on other students’ presentations;
- Write case study reports in groups and deliver them for reviews to activate the skills related to the topics
For attending students:
Group/individual assignments during the course (60% of course grade)
Final examination (40% of course grade, based on the course textbook and the other course readings)
For non-attending students:
Written exam with open-ended questions
The course comprises lectures, independent work, and group assignments on the basic principles and real-life cases relating to the role and function of a product manager, a category manager, or a brand manager.
By leveraging this managerial perspective, the course provides students with a kaleidoscope view of the following sub-themes: market research and analysis; new offering development; planning and implementing advertising; planning and implementing promotion; international marketing; internal marketing; sales and distribution channel management; managing related service-provider networks.
A portion of the course will be dedicated to the role of the brand in light of ongoing technological, climatic, and social changes. From a technological perspective, it is undeniable that we are experiencing a critical and transformative moment. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, NFTs, and blockchain technology present new brand opportunities and challenges.
On the other hand, it is equally evident that sustainability and inclusivity now play a crucial role in improving a brand's relationships with customers, employees, and business partners. We will explore how brands can become "activists," mobilizing debates around a political cause, and how these discussions can promote the legitimacy of emerging industrial practices.
Students will present their assignment solutions and discuss the practical managerial implications while getting feedback from peers, course staff, and marketing practitioners.
Course attendance is not compulsory but highly recommended.
