Brand and branding strategies

2,000 words + executive summary + appendices
Assessment Task

Critically analyse the branding strategy of a luxury or premium brand among a list which will be provided to you at the beginning of the term and write a 2000 word report highlighting its brand identity as well as its positioning. You will also highlight the critical path(s) for this luxury brand and make some suitable recommendations to solve it (them).

A professional level of visual presentation of the report is expected. Students need to apply the skills of photoshop in the report to ensure the coherent visual identity of the brand.

This element consists of coursework, 2000-word individual written report.

Professional formatting/presentation and Harvard referenced.
Report format-Professional formatting/presentation and Harvard referenced.

Word count excludes the executive summary.

Assessment Objective/Rationale:

This task provides an opportunity to critically analyse luxury brands and explore ways in which strategic thinking, design and creativity, business skills and knowledge of fashion industry are integrated and intrinsic to successful luxury brands. Students will be able to analyse/audit the company and provide creative solutions to challenges or strategic growth opportunities.

Include:

Brand Identity Model: Kapferer Prism.
Provide recommendations to further improve Brand Identity Strength.

The essay must be written in full adherence to the guidelines of the Harvard referencing system. Students are expected to refer to a range of academically valid sources to support and validate their argument. One single bibliography must be provided, ie. a single list including all the source material used to produce the assignment regardless of whether these have been cited or not. There is no need to split the list into books and journals or into reference and bibliography. However, the majority of material in the bibliography should be referred to at some point in the assignment.

Essential Reading

1. Aaker, A. (1996) Building Strong Brands, Simon & Schuster UK Ltd.

2. Chevalier M., and Mazzalovo G. (2008) Luxury Brand Management, A world of Privilege, Wiley

3. Kapferer, J.N. 2012. The New Strategic Brand Management Fifth Ed. London: Kogan Page.

4. Aaker, D.A. 2000. Brand Leadership. London: Simon & Schuster.

5. Aaker D, Erich Joachimsthaler (2000), Brand Leadership, Pocket Books, London

6. De Chernatony L., McDonald M., Wallace, E. 2011. Creating Powerful Brands. Oxford: Elsevier/Butterworth Heinemann

7. Rosenbaum-Elliott, R., Percy, L., Pervan, S. 2011. Strategic Brand Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

8. Cornish, W.R., Llewelyn, D., Aplin, T. 2010. Intellectual Property: Patents, copyrights, trademarks and allied rights. 7th revised edition. London: Sweet and Maxwell.

9. Grant, J. 2006. The Brand Innovation Manifesto. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.

10. Keller, K.L., Aperia, T., Georgson, M. 2012. Strategic Brand Management. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.

11. Wheeler, A. 2009.Designing Brand Identity. An essential guide for the whole branding team. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Recommended reading
1. Kendall G.T. (2009) Fashion Brand Merchandising, Fairchild Books, New York.

2. Hancock, J.(2009), Brand Story, Fairchild Books, New York

3. Riezebos, R. (2003) Brand Management, A Theoretical and Practical Approach

4. Chardha R and Husband P (2006) Cult of the Luxury Brand: Nicholson Brealey Publishing London.

5. Hauk W.E. Stanforth N , Cohort Perception of Luxury Goods and Services, 2007

6. Hata Kyojra (2004) The Building Of Luxury: Edition Assouline Paris.

7. Silverstein M and Fiske N (2003) Trading Up: Portfolio Hardcover New York.

8. Aaker, D.A. 2004. Brand Portfolio Strategies. New York: Simon & Schuster.

9. Davis, M. 2009. The Fundamentals of Branding. Lausanne: AVA Publishing SA.

10. Kapferer, J.N. and Bastien, V. 2012. The Luxury Strategy: Break the rules of marketing to build luxury brands. London: Kogan Page.

11. Keller, Aperia, Georgoson, (2012) Strategic Brand Management, A European Perspective, 2nd Ed.

12. Komberger M (2010), Brand Society, How Brand Transform Management and Lifestyles

13. Leslie de Chematomy (2010) From Brand Vision to Brand Evaluation: The strategic process of growing and strengthening brands.

14. Lynch R., (2006) Corporate Strategy, 4th Ed., Prentice Hall, FT,

15. Neumeier, M. 2007. Zag. Berkeley CA: New Riders.

16. Okonkwo, O. (2007). Luxury Fashion Branding: Trends, Tactics, Techniques, Palgrave Macmillian.

17. Okonkwo, U. 2009. Luxury Online. Palgrave: Macmillan Ltd.

18. Olins, W. 2008. The Brand Handbook. London: Thames and Hudson.

19. Riezebos, R. 2003. Brand Management. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.

20. Roberts, K. 2005. Lovemarks. The future beyond brands. New York: Power House Books.

21. Thomas, D. (2007) Deluxe – how luxury lost its luster, London: Allen Lane

22. Tungate, M. 2012. Fashion Brands: Branding style from Armani to Zara. 2nd edition. London: Kogan Page

Websites and other resources

Journals:
Journal of Fashion Marketing & Management
Journal of Marketing
Journal of Marketing Management

Websites:

Datamonitor
Drapers
Marketline

American Marketing Association: http://www.marketingpower.com/
BBC – Business: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/
Business of Fashion: http://www.Businesssoffashion.com
Business Week: http://www.businessweek.com/
Chartered Institute of Marketing: http://www.cim.co.uk/home.aspx
Economist, The: http://www.economist.com/
Fashion Network: http://fr.fashionnetwork.com
Financial Times: http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Fortune Global 500: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2010/
World Trade Organisation: http://www.wto.org/

Report should contain the following sections:

• Title page
• Executive summary
• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Critical analysis
• Results of findings
• Recommendations
• Conclusions
• References
• Appendices.