Postgraduate Course: Understanding Brands (CMSE11162)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 15 |
ECTS Credits | 7.5 |
| Summary | Taking a socio-cultural perspective, this course provides 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. |
| Course description |
Aims, Nature, Context
This course offers students the opportunity to study and understand a fundamental marketing technology. 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. From this backdrop we will explore the ways in which brands create value for both organisation and consumers alike.
Syllabus
The product and the brand
Emotion and brands
The symbolic nature of brands
Consumer Communities and Brands
Brand equity
The Film Brandscape: a case study
Managing brands
Luxury Brands
The dark side of branding
Student Learning Experience
The lectures will explore a range of key branding concepts, real life examples, guest lectures and case studies. During lectures students will be asked to be active, completing exercises and discussing issues with their fellow students. Students will be expected to keep a comprehensive personal brand diary for a period of 7 days during the course. This will form the basis of the assignment. Students will be expected to search on e-journals and databases for wider reading.
Each 2hr session will consist of a range of teaching methods within the lecture structure
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
150
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 3,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
125 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment of this course is through an exam (weighted 60%) and essay (weighted 40%).
Brand Diary coursework assessment
Due: Friday 18th March at 12 noon
Brand Diary - suggested max 1500 words
Critical review essay - suggested 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.
For example, as part of your analysis you may wish to review their marketing communications and highlight how meaning is transferred between the brand and the consumer. You must support your ideas with reference to concepts and theories used in the literature. This would involve exploring the work of key authors to see how the concepts and theories they outline have been (or should be) used by brand managers.
The following steps are involved:
1. For the period of one week you should keep a Brand Diary. Here you will note down all the brands you buy and use each day over the course of 7 days. Once completed you should draw on 3 or 4 completed days and critically reflect on these: think about the brands which matter to you and why. Why do you select particular brands? Do you think about brands when shopping or focus on the product? Are you loyal to particular brands? Are there any brands you would not buy or use? (Note: some personal brands can, of course, be omitted).
2. Reflect on this list and choose two brands, one with which you have a meaningful symbolic relationship and the other with which you have a functional relationship. You should fully explain your choice, giving the justifications for characterising the brands as either symbolic or functional. To do this you should deconstruct how these brands are managed; paying particular attention to how symbolic/functional strategies are created and maintained. (Note: Symbolic and functional brands will be discussed during the first part of the course).
3. You should provide brief recommendations (based on your own experience and ideas, coupled with those found in the literature) on how the marketing of these brands could be improved.
Students are expected to provide 2 documents, one being the brand diary and the other being the critical review. Both may contain visual images.
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| Feedback |
Formative feedback will be given throughout the course through class discussion and Q&A sessions, particularly pertaining to the coursework. The exam will be discussed at the end of the course and oral feedback will be given in this session. Written, summative feedback will be delivered through the coursework and exam grades and the detailed comments provided by the marker. Dr Dunnett welcomes queries about grades and is very happy to discuss feedback and rationale individually. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Understanding Brands | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Discuss critically how consumer involvement and emotions affect consumers' choice of, and relationship with, brands
- Discuss critically how consumers use brands as a resource to manage their identity
- Discuss critically how brands gain their meanings from various cultural agents including marketers and consumers.
- Critically evaluate strategies used in the management of brands - both functional and symbolic
- Discuss critically symbolism and the meaning of brands, and the concept of brand equity.
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Reading List
Required Text
Elliot, R., Percy, L. and S. Pervan (2011) Strategic Brand Management, (3rd Ed.) Oxford University Press: Oxford.
(Please also use earlier editions, if these are easier to come by.)
Appropriate readings will be provided in advance of each lecture.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
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 brand portfolios;
* The ability to critically 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 associated with 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 critically analyse and use problem solving skills when considering possible courses of action.
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| Keywords | Mark-UB |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Susan Dunnett
Tel: (0131 6)50 3814
Email: Susan.Dunnett@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Ashley Harper
Tel: (0131 6)51 5671
Email: Ashley.Harper@ed.ac.uk |
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