STRATEGIC MARKETING & BRAND POSITIONING

The Certificate aims to develop the competencies required to build, manage and grow a brand consistently with the business strategy. The program, delivered in collaboration with corporate partner Bauli, guides students through the entire brand management process: from defining the business strategy to brand positioning, through to innovation, communication, media strategy and commercial execution at the point of purchase. In particular, the Certificate aims to develop: • the ability to analyse the market, identify and prioritise growth opportunities and translate them into an effective business strategy; • an understanding of the brand as a strategic asset and of the link between business strategy and brand strategy; • command of the tools needed to identify consumer insights and to build, evaluate and choose a winning brand positioning; • the ability to translate the positioning into consistent identity, distinctive assets, innovation, communication and media strategy; • knowledge of commercial execution levers and effectiveness measurement; • teamwork, critical thinking and effective presentation skills (Life Skills), practised through group work and the final Business Challenge. At the end of the program, students will have acquired competencies useful for developing and presenting a complete and well-grounded brand strategy proposal to a corporate board.

There are no binding prerequisites. To benefit fully from the planned activities, a basic knowledge of marketing principles and business strategy is useful.

Upon completion of the Certificate, students will be able to: • analyse the market and business objectives to identify and prioritise growth opportunities; • write a concise business strategy (one-page strategy) and link it to a multi-year plan; • identify and validate consumer insights supporting brand positioning; • build, evaluate and choose a brand positioning according to criteria of relevance, distinctiveness, credibility and sustainability; • translate the positioning into consistent brand identity, distinctive brand assets and innovation opportunities; • set up a creative brief, a communication platform and a media strategy, defining objectives, channel roles and KPIs; • assess the consistency of commercial execution at the point of purchase with the brand promise; • present and defend a strategic proposal before a corporate board. The Certificate is particularly relevant for professional roles in marketing, brand management and communication. The competencies developed are applicable to roles such as brand manager, marketing manager, trade and category manager, communication and media planner in consumer goods companies, communication and media agencies and consulting firms.

The Certificate addresses the entire brand management process, from business strategy to point-of-purchase execution, through 12 executive sessions of 2 hours each. In particular, the program explores: • business strategy: market analysis, objectives, prioritisation of growth opportunities and the role of the brand as a strategic asset, applied to the Bauli case; • brand positioning: definition, tools and building blocks; • consumer insight: research tools and validation; • building and evaluating a winning positioning: target, competitive frame, benefit, reason to believe; • brand identity and distinctiveness: personality, tone of voice, distinctive brand assets; • innovation and brand growth: brand and category extension, innovation beyond the product, trends; • from communication strategy to media strategy: creative brief, communication platform, mental availability, KPIs and econometrics; • commercial execution: physical availability, RGM, category management and perfect store.

Essential reference materials include the slides and teaching materials prepared by the instructors for each session and the materials related to the Bauli case and the Business Challenge.

The Certificate adopts an active and experiential teaching approach, in an executive format and in close collaboration with corporate partner Bauli. The teaching methods adopted include: • interactive executive sessions, alternating theoretical frameworks and examples drawn from business practice; • case-based learning, with the analysis of the Bauli case as a concrete application of business and brand strategy; • group work in class, focused on building and choosing between positioning alternatives; • Business Challenge: a group project launched in Session 1 and developed throughout the program, with a final presentation to the Executive Brand Board.

Assessment will be based on a pass/fail structure and will include an evaluation based on the group Business Challenge, launched in Session 1 and developed throughout the Certificate. Groups will present their strategic proposal to the Executive Brand Board in Session 12. Requirement for obtaining the Certificate: regular attendance of at least 70% of the learning activities and successful completion of the final assessment. For "non-compliant" students and students exempt from the attendance requirement, learning outcomes will be assessed through an oral examination, defined by the instructor in accordance with the Certificate content, learning objectives, and expected learning outcomes. For this purpose, the examination for "non-compliant" students and students exempt from the attendance requirement may include, at the instructor's discretion, questions on course content, discussion of cases or practical scenarios, analysis and discussion of materials, presentation and discussion of individual assignments, or any other assessment methods deemed appropriate to verify the full achievement of the expected learning outcomes. The Digital Badge will only be awarded to students who meet the minimum 70% attendance requirement. Therefore, students who, for any reason, including exemption from the attendance requirement, do not meet this threshold will not be eligible to receive the Digital Badge, even if they successfully pass the final examination.

Not applicable