Undergraduate Course: Brand Culture (BUST10127)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Business Studies |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Brands are considerable vehicles for cultural meaning, self-expression, community, social movement and communication. Increasingly, for better or worse, the logic of brands and branding can be seen in diverse areas of life, beyond consumer goods ¿ e.g. the political brand, branded religion and person as brand. In short our daily lives are saturated by brand messages and meaning. This course offers students the opportunity to study and understand a fundamental marketing technology.
Taking a socio-cultural perspective, this course looks to provide students with a deeper knowledge of the place of brands in the lives of consumers and the skills used to manage them. It does this by considering the meanings of brands and by outlining different brand strategies available to companies to both meet the needs of consumers and achieve strategic organisational goals.
Section one - which explores the socio-cultural meaning of brands - is designed to equip students with an understanding of what a brand is, how they are used by consumers and from where their meaning is derived. This will be done by exploring a range of contemporary theories from social psychology, sociology and anthropology. With this grounding in place, we then move in section two to explore the concepts of brand equity before discussing different approaches to the management of brands. Learning is guided through consideration of the relevant literature and real-life examples from a variety of sectors. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Marketing (BUST08004)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: 30 |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
15/09/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Please contact the School directly for a breakdown of Learning and Teaching Activities |
| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Brand Culture | 2:00 | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding:
After completing this course, students should have knowledge and understanding of
- How consumer involvement and emotions affect consumers choice of, and relationship with, brands
- How the postmodern consumer uses brands as a resource to manage their identity
- Symbolism and the meaning of brands.
- How brands gain their meanings from various cultural agents including marketers and consumers.
- Strategies used in the management of brands ¿ both functional and symbolic
- The concept of brand equity
- How service and corporate brands differ from product brands.
Cognitive Skills:
Students will develop analytical skills such as:
- The ability to apply concepts and theories to real life brand management;
- The ability to critically evaluate product portfolios;
- The ability to appraise brand strategies and make suggestions for improvement;
- The ability to use introspection as an analytical tool
Subject Specific Skills:
Students will gain:
- The ability to recognise and respond to challenges in the management of brands;
- The ability to make recommendations to overcome and avoid specific brand challenges and threats.
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- Be able to work individually and in a team;
- Be able to communicate and exchange ideas in oral and written formats
- Be able to analyse visual content and brand management strategies.
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Assessment Information
Coursework (40%) consists of
1. Brand Diary ¿ max 1500 words;
2. Critical review essay ¿ max 2000 words
Students are to individually produce a critical review of two brands; one that you believe follows a functional branding strategy and one that follows a symbolic branding strategy. You are to review and deconstruct the marketing activities of the brands to explain how they follow this strategy and, ultimately, provide recommendations on how the marketing of these brands could be improved.
Final Exam: 60%. Two questions to be answered from 4.
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Susan Dunnett
Tel: (0131 6)50 3814
Email: Susan.Dunnett@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Anastasia Fliatoura
Tel: (0131 6)50 3826
Email: Anastasia.Fliatoura@ed.ac.uk |
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