The purpose of this module is to equip students with the fundamental concepts and theories of strategic brand management and enable them to critically engage with and apply key brand management theories and strategies to a range of relevant sectors and contexts. Brands represent invaluable intangible assets, which must be created and developed through innovative tactical and long-term brand strategy. This level 8 marketing module provides students with specialised strategic brand management knowledge and skills, while engaging students in a range of current branding issues including the role of ethics and CSR and global branding.

The module overviews the history and origins of branding before focusing on brand building theories and models. It then explores the nature and importance of image at both the product and corporate brand level. The concepts of brand equity from a consumer and financial perspective is considered. Brand building strategies are explored in a range of contexts including services, B2B and digital media. Strategic brand building is explored with key emphasis on developing valuable, sustainable and ethical brands and managing brand success in globalised and digitalised contexts.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: Critically appraise core branding concepts and strategic brand management theories and evaluate their impact on marketing strategy and performance across a range of contexts. Demonstrate skills to effectively research, collaborate and communicate key branding strategy. Apply key strategic brand management theories to contemporary cases and examples and propose creative solutions to complex branding scenarios. Evaluate the strategic, ethical and sustainable opportunities and challenges facing responsible brand managers within contemporary global markets. Synthesise key knowledge of strategic brand management concepts and tools as applied to a variety of contexts.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: Reflect on ethical and societal best practice in the context of strategic brand management.

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This module will be taught through a series of weekly lectures supported by tutorials and will adopt a highly active and experiential teaching and learning approach. In this module, there is a strong recognition of the importance of recent brand developments and evidence/research-based insights. A variety of key and current seminal branding journal articles and suplementary sources will be incorporated in the module where students are required to critically engage with and articulate key branding concepts, theories and practices. Through this approach, students will develop a deep knowledge of branding theory and practice. Core knowledge will be applied through both tutorials/workshops where students will collaborate and research key branding issues and apply them to relevant examples and cases. Assessment will be enabled through a combination of continuous assessment including. for example, group project and end of term exam. Through assessment, students will be able to articulate, both verbally and in writing, new knowledge and application to practice. The module will enable students to develop a range of skills including research, critical analysis, communication skills and team building skills where for example, students may be required to produce a brand strategy analysis. A focus on ethics, CSR, sustainability and societal implications of branding within a variety of business contexts and cultures will enable students to become aware of their role and responsibility as future marketers and brand managers within a global arena.