Brand Management|MARK4450 (Fall 2023)

Qihui Chen, Assistant Professor in Marketing

Instructor Office LSK4056
[email protected]
Textbook Strategic Brand Management (5th edition) by Kevin Lane Keller and Vanitha
Swaminathan
Class Meetings L1: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 16:30-17:50, LSK1005
L2: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 15:00-16:20, LSK1001
Office Hours By appointment (please make an appointment via email)
TA Winnie Hung (email: [email protected])

Please make sure you read the rest of this syllabus carefully. It is your guide to the course and
describes the course’s objectives, how it is conducted, and your responsibilities.

This Course at a Glance

MARK 4450 is an elective course designed to help you develop a practical understanding of the
concepts, rules, strategies, and tools of brand management. By the end of the semester, students will
be able to assess critical aspects of a branding strategy, such as: how to choose brand elements, how
to design marketing programs, how to integrate marketing communications, how to do branding in
the digital era, how to leverage secondary brand associations, how to measure and interpret brand
performance, how to manage a brand over time, across product categories, and in various
geographical markets.

Method of Instruction
Class meetings will involve lectures, case studies, video presentations, and in-class activities, such as
case discussions and experiential exercises. Besides class meetings, to engage students in proactive
learning outside of class, students are expected to participate in a group project on brand audit.
Details of this course will be introduced in the following section.

This Course in Detail

Due
Week Date Course Content (Proportion in Your
Grade)
5-Sep Introduction
1
7-Sep Chapter 1: Brands and Brand Management

1/6
Chapter 2: Customer-Based Brand Equity and Brand
12-Sep
Positioning
2
Chapter 3: Brand Resonance and the Brand Value
14-Sep
Chain
19-Sep Chapter 4: Choosing Brand Elements
3
21-Sep Chapter 5: Designing Marketing Programs
26-Sep Chapter 6: Integrating Marketing Communications
4 Group Discussion I
28-Sep Case Study + Group Discussion (I)
(5%)
3-Oct Chapter 7: Branding in the Digital Era (I)
5
5-Oct Chapter 7: Branding in the Digital Era (II)
10-Oct Chapter 8: Leveraging Secondary Brand Associations
6 Chapters 9-11: Measuring and Interpreting Brand
12-Oct
Performance (I)
Chapters 9-11: Measuring and Interpreting Brand
17-Oct
Performance (II)
7
Midterm Quiz Clarification + Brand Audit Project
19-Oct
Clarification
Group Discussion II
24-Oct Case Study + Group Discussion (II)
8 (5%)
25-Oct Midterm Quiz（Tutorial Time） Quiz I (20%)
Chapter 12: Designing and Implementing Brand
31-Oct
Architecture Strategies
9
Chapter 13: Introducing and Naming New Products
2-Nov
and Brand Extensions
Group Discussion III
7-Nov Case Study + Group Discussion (III)
10 (5%)
9-Nov Chapter 14: Managing Brands Over Time
Chapter 15: Managing Brands Over Geographic
14-Nov
11 Boundaries and Market Segments
16-Nov Group Project Consultation
Group Project Presentations I + Final Quiz
21-Nov Project Report (14%)
Clarification (**Brand Audit Report Due**)
12
Group Project Presentations II + Course Wrap- Presentation (14%) +
23-Nov
up Peer Evaluation (7%)
28-Nov No class ** Time for you to study for the final
13
29-Nov Final Quiz（Tutorial Time） Quiz II (20%)

Research
Participation (2%)
Other Credits
Attendance &
Participation (8%)
Total 100%

Grading & Course Policies

2/6
Final grades depend on performance in the following aspects:
Coursework % of final grade
Group Discussions 15%
Quizzes I & II 40%
Group Project: Written Report 14%
Group Project: Presentation 14%
Group Project: Peer Evaluation 7%
Class Attendance & Participation 8%
Research Participation 2%

Class Attendance & Participation

• Attendance is expected. In grading class attendance and participation, absences are marked
as “excused” or “unexcused.” Unexcused absences will negatively impact your grade.
Absences for personal reasons, including personal commitments (e.g., travel, attending a
wedding, internship interviews), are considered unexcused. I do understand that occasionally
you may have important reasons to be absent. For this reason, I will allow one unexcused
absence; beyond this, unexcused absences will negatively affect your participation grade.
• Please speak up in class. Your participation will be evaluated based on the quality and frequency
of your comments during class. While voluntary responses are always encouraged, I may also
“warm” call on students to answer some questions.
• We will start class on time, so please be punctual. Lateness will be looked upon unfavorably
and penalized should these instances of lateness become chronic or disruptive.
• Class TA Winnie will record your attendance and participation as objectively as possible.
Group Discussion
The course has three case study and group discussion assignments. Each group discussion will
happen in one class session. Please check the This Course in Detail section for specific dates for these
class sessions. During each session, I will introduce a recent and representative brand management
case to you and introduce several (i.e., 3-5) questions to inspire your discussion. Based on your
knowledge and discussion, you will be required to write a short report in the same class and submit
it at the end of the class. I will read and grade your report and walk you through highlights in your
reports in a later class session.
Quizzes
The course has two quizzes, which will include multiple-choice questions, short essay questions, or a
combination of both. Quiz questions can cover materials addressed in the textbook, cases, or during
class discussions. Quizzes will be either in class or during tutorial time. Please see the course
schedule for the specifics. Details will be announced later. The two quizzes are weighted differently
using a 30:10 ratio such that the quiz in which you perform better will be given more weight. You
only need to bring a pencil and student ID to the quiz venue.
Please note: If you cannot attend a quiz for a legitimate reason, including religious observances;
physical health conditions of the student or an immediate family member; and compelling

3/6
circumstances beyond the student’s control (e.g., death in the family, required court appearance),
you can apply for having a makeup quiz. To receive accommodation:
1. You must notify me in a timely manner.
2. You must provide appropriate documentation of the absence. The documentation must be
provided in writing to the instructor.
• For health-related reasons, you may provide documentation from a health care provider
to verify an absence. The documentation should specify the dates of treatment or the
time frame that you were unable to meet academic responsibilities but may not include
diagnostic information.
• For all other reasons, you must provide verifiable documentation upon request (e.g.,
religious calendar, court summons, death announcement, etc.).

Group Project
The brand audit project will allow you to apply what you have learned in the course, identify specific
branding problems, generate recommendations based on sound analysis, and learn how to
communicate clearly and professionally. You will execute one group project developed for the
semester. You are expected to form groups at the beginning of the semester and conduct a brand
audit of a brand of your choice. Unless required otherwise, groups are meant to last the entire
semester. Your group will pick a brand and conduct a brand audit. Each group must analyze a
different brand. Brands are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis. Teammates must invest
appropriate time and effort in group assignments. Any dispute should be handled amicably and
among yourselves.
Details about what a brand audit write-up entails are given below. There are several components to
this brand audit. I would like you to work through the five sections below as we proceed over the
semester. Although the points noted under each section are illustrative and not exhaustive, you will
see that it tells a cohesive story when you put the five parts together.
Part 1 – Historical overview and background
Provide a historical overview of the company and the brand chosen. What are the brands and
extensions that have been developed over time? In the past, what positioning has the company
used? What is the target market (e.g., Marlboro was positioned as a cigarette for women but later
repositioned)? How are the extensions positioned, and how do they contribute to brand equity?
How have they leveraged the core associations of the brand to create these extensions? The library
and the internet are good sources of such information.
Part 2 – How is the brand currently positioned, and what is new in the brand’s life?
Attempt to identify current marketing strategies – web pages are a good source of information, as
are media articles on the web. Advertising, of course, is the most public face of the brand. How do
they deal with their competitors, and is it sustainable? Are new products being developed? Are there
any problems with these?
Part 3 – How do consumers see the brand? Conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses to map
consumer perceptions. Identify gaps between the desired positioning and these perceptions. Are
there any negative associations? Where are they coming from? How do consumers see the brand

4/6
relative to its competitors? Perceptual maps, interviews, focus groups, and everything we discuss in
class can be applied.
Part 4 – What marketing activities lead to any disconnects between the positioning desired and
consumer perceptions? This is often hard to get, and the best way to find out what a brand is doing
wrong (e.g., low advertising, ineffective promotions, too many extensions of the wrong type,
cannibalization, etc.) is to talk to a retailer. What you glean from them should be linked to problems
identified in part 3. Sometimes, it is not possible to speak with these people. In such instances, I
would like you to visit the retail outlet where the brand is sold and do an observational study.
Part 5 – Make recommendations about what can be done to rectify the problem. This is where you
get to play consultant and be creative. You can suggest new extensions, trim them, change pricing,
think about advertising campaigns that would help rectify damage or solve problems, etc.
Final Report: Please incorporate the above five parts in your final report. The page limit of the final
report is six pages, double-spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman. In addition, you are allowed to
insert two exhibits (e.g., charts and tables). Thus, eight pages in total maximum. References will not
be counted toward the page limit and should be included at the end of the report. Please cite all your
sources.
Final Presentation: I will ask you to make a formal presentation to the class. The presentation will be
graded based on both the contents and the delivery of your presentation. Details will be given later.
Peer evaluation: For group assignments, everyone in the group will receive the same grade. Though I
expect every team member to invest appropriate time and effort, I realize that it may not always be
the case. Hence, I have devised a peer-review system that will give you the opportunity to evaluate
your teammates’ contributions throughout the semester. Grades received from each member will be
averaged and incorporated into a student’s final course grade.
Research Participation
In accordance with HKUST’s research mission, students in all marketing courses are expected to
satisfy a research requirement. The purpose of this assignment is to give you a brief acquaintance
with the type of research conducted in behavioral sciences. You can fulfill this requirement in 1 of 2
ways. First, by signing up for 2 hours’ worth of marketing experiments (information will follow later
in the semester). Second, by writing two 2-page critiques of academic research articles. Come see me
after class if you’d rather choose the second option.

Academic Integrity
Plagiarism and cheating are taken very seriously and can result in a failing grade. Plagiarism involves
copying something verbatim from a previously published source (e.g., a book, article, or the web)
without citing it. Please note that when you are working on your brand audit project, you will be
relying on sources from the web. Cutting and pasting large sections of this without paraphrasing or
citing is considered plagiarism. Cheating involves giving or receiving help on an assignment or quiz
that is supposed to be your own. If we find evidence of this, the onus will be on you to prove that
you were not cheating or plagiarizing. I am sure you will not give me a reason to complain, but
please be aware of the University rules regarding this.

5/6
In addition, please do not discuss any details of written assignments or quizzes with students in
other sections until after these assignments have been returned to you with grades. Since students in
other sections of this course may have the same or highly similar assignments and quizzes, it will be
considered a violation of academic integrity if a student from one section that has completed an
assignment or quiz shares information with a student in another section that has not yet completed
that assignment or quiz.

Special Note on Generative AI Tools

You are allowed to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) to aid your learning. This is because
living in a modern and changing world, the ability to learn to use technology-driven tools to facilitate
our learning and researching is essential.
But you are not expected to “plagiarize” from AI, which means directly copying and pasting or
simply paraphrasing contents generated by AI. Put it simply, AI should be a tool to aid you but not a
god to lead you. Your originality and independent thinking are highly valued.
Please note: (1) you must GIVE PROPER CREDIT for any use of generative AI; and (2) too much
reliance on AI may negatively influence your grades on assignments.

6/6