Individual Assignment (Weight 30%) (due week 11)
This assignment is designed to allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the course material and your ability to apply it to a real-life example. Your assignment is to select a real brand and conduct an analysis for that brand. The goal of this assignment is the analysis of a brand, critiquing what has been done and suggesting changes and ideas for improvement. As a result, you should assess its sources of brand equity and suggest ways to improve and leverage that brand equity.
Generally, the deeper you get into the company, the more insightful the project becomes, and the greater the likelihood that your recommendations will be implemented and you will have an impact*.
You are encouraged to select a brand for which public information is readily available and the assignment should be based entirely on information from public or secondary sources, company web sites, as well as your own professional experiences and insights. I do not expect you to conduct any surveys or primary research**.
*Pre-approval is needed once you select your brand. Please explain the rationale for selecting this brand in the relevant thread on the discussion forum.
Components
Brief introduction (max one paragraph)
- Brand inventory – This involves an analysis of the firm’s brand portfolio and the brand’s current positioning in the marketplace the company operates in.
– Owner of the brand, History of the brand, Products/Services offered under this brand, Positioning of the brand, Brand Elements (names, URLs, logos, symbols, characters, slogans, jingles, packaging), Distribution (where is the brand available?), Approximate value of the brand (include revenues, profitability, budget, etc.)
- Brand Analysis – Offer a detailed analysis of consumers’ brand knowledge structures based on the customer-based brand equity framework
- Assess brand associations at each level of the consumer-based brand equity pyramid based on secondary evidence only (e.g. based on consumer reports, consumer groups, discussion group web sites, magazines, newspapers)***
- Suggestions and Recommendations
Summarise the extent to which the brand has succeeded or can succeed and recommend two either strategic or tactical recommendations that could improve it over the short term (i.e. 18-24 month period). Recommendations should be closely integrated to reassure brand image, awareness and equity.
– Bibliography
All secondary information sources such as journals, magazine articles, websites and industry reports must be properly acknowledged and formatted with in-text citations of the original source and an organized list of references. Please strictly adhere to APA guidelines (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for properly documenting information sources used in the final brand audit report. References are not included in the word count.
– Appendix
An appendix where additional figures, charts and supporting documents e.g. copies of brand materials, links to branded multi-media materials can be included.
Word Count: 1500 words (+/- 10%)
* Where to find brands: You can pick a brand you are familiar with or from the list of BrandZ‟s Top 100 Global Brands 2010, or Top 20 Global Retail Brands, or the Interband & Business Week‟s Top 100 Brands.
** Avoid choosing a brand that is known to be outstanding already (e.g., Apple, Coca-Cola) in that there is neither much challenge to nor excitement in documenting existing success.
*** You should not be surprised to find a lack of formal marketing strategy or low level of understanding of the theoretical concepts
