1. 1
The Lee Kong Chian School of Business
Academic Year 2016/17
Term 2
MKTG217 STRATEGIC BRAND MANAGEMENT
Instructor: Joseph Baladi
Title: Adjunct Faculty of Marketing
Email: josephbaladi@smu.edu.sg
Office: LKCSB Level 5 Adjunct Office
BACKGROUND
Far too little discussion and debate about (dynamically changing) branding practices and how these relate to how
companies remain relevant to consumers takes place within Asian corporate environments. Several reasons
contribute to this: too little time, too much to do, competitive threats that are too intense and the constant pressure
to deliver quarterly bottom line results. In addition to these, plain vanilla ignorance as well as resistance to change
also play a big part. These and other reasons conspire to prevent intellectual explorations (and application) of all but
the most basic and fundamental of branding practices. Beyond and in addition to this is the complete absence of new
inputs that relate exclusively to creating, building and managing Asian brands in a manner that complements Asian
business practices (reflecting specific peculiarities like culture, values, etc.) during a period characterized by not only
intense and dynamic change but also one that is increasingly described by many as the rise of the “Asian Century”.
Ultimately the absence of these types of discussions hobble the ability of Asian companies to transition to more
updated organizational structures, adopt more relevant branding practices and maintain sustainable competitive
advantage.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
ln this course we will cover the foundational building blocks that contribute to effective brand management. But
strategic brand management also requires that we explore beyond these borders. We will study the essential role and
link that business strategy plays in building powerful and customer-relevant brands and how brand building is
influenced by the company’s value chain. We will also discuss how leadership, internal organizational structure and
internal culture contribute heavily to the ability of the brand to deliver effectively and consistently. We will explore
additional and unconventional dimensions of “brand” and “branding” that reveal broader meanings, applications and
contributions to both business and society. We will review the evolutionary development of brand strategy over the
decades and explore how the accelerated pace of change created by globalization and technology has arguably created
yet another entirely new (present) brandscape for all brands, but Asian brands in particular. We will study what
defines “iconic” brands and why they are so important to people and how they are increasingly influencing and
shaping the fabric of society. Topics will include business strategy, why “change” plays an important role in building
contemporary brands, positioning, purpose, core values, brand equity, brand architecture and the Asian “context” for
Asian brands.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
•Understand the building blocks that contribute to the creation of strong brands. This will include:
o key concepts and frameworks used in brand management decisions
o the key stages of the brand management process
o application of brand audits to evaluate brands
•Understand how to tailor-make “brand blueprints” and how to harness these for effective brand and
communication strategies as well as alignment internally
•Understand consumer segmentation models and how to apply this knowledge to brand strategy
•Appreciate the different circumstances that existed and contributed to the rise and dominance of American and
then Japanese brands and apply learnings to contemporary Asian circumstances to build powerful Asian brands
•Think innovatively about “Asian brand DNA”

2. 2
PRE-REQUISITE/ CO-REQUISITE/ MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE COURSE(S)
Please refer to the Course Catalogue on OASIS for the most updated list of pre-requisites / co-requisites for this
particular course. Do note that if this course has a co-requisite, it means that the course has to be taken together
with another course. Dropping one course during BOSS bidding would result in both courses being dropped at the
same time.
ASSESSMENT METHODS
Class participation 20% (Throughout the term)
Mid-Term Assignment 20% (Week 8)
Team Project Assignment – Development of a “brand blueprint” 20% (Weeks 13)
Final exam 40% (Week 15)
Total: 100%
Academic Integrity
All acts of academic dishonesty (including, but not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, facilitation of acts of
academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized possession of exam questions, or tampering with the academic work of
other students) are serious offences.
All work (whether oral or written) submitted for purposes of assessment must be the student’s own work. Penalties
for violation of the policy range from zero marks for the component assessment to expulsion, depending on the
nature of the offence.
When in doubt, students should consult the course instructor. Details on the SMU Code of Academic Integrity may
be accessed at http://www.smuscd.org/resources.html.
Accessibility
SMU strives to make learning experiences accessible for all. If you anticipate or experience physical or academic
barriers due to disability, please let me know immediately. You are also welcome to contact the university's disability
services team if you have questions or concerns about academic provisions: included@smu.edu.sg.
Please be aware that the accessible tables in our seminar room should remain available for students who require
them.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS AND EXPECTATIONS
Whilst the course will be taught in the format of lectures accompanied by class discussion, case studies, exercises and
videos, students will be encouraged to deploy all learnings to think innovatively so as to themselves contribute new
thinking to evolving brand strategy. Please note that full lecture PowerPoint slides will be uploaded for students on E-
Learn on the Wednesday before Friday classes. Please feel free to print and bring your own copies to follow and
make hand written notes as required. I will, however, insist that all laptops be closed during classes (unless otherwise
allowed for specific learning purposes).
An important element of the course will be case studies that showcase companies that have successfully adopted
traditional fundamental practices as well as those that have experimented with new approaches. We will also aim to
have at least one high profile CEO guest speaker to share his/her experience so as to add a vitally relevant and
valuable perspective to the students’ learning journey.
There will be three key activities that the students will engage in during the course:
1. Class Participation (20%)
This class is meant to be a forum for discussion and exchange of ideas. This class will also act an incubator for new
ideas and even strategies that could effectively be deployed in the real world. Hence students’ participation in the
class is not only vital but a basic expectation that will directly contribute to performance. Here, “participation” means
the ability to (i) critically evaluate the readings, (ii) be well prepared for cases, (iii) share your thoughts and raise
questions about the course material, and (iv) actively contribute ideas that fall outside the traditional branding
paradigm. The key word is “participation”.

3. 3
2. Mid-Term Group Assignment (20%)
Students will be randomly allocated to teams (approximately 7 individuals to each team). The mid-term group
assignment will cover a series of assignments designed to test understanding and application of concepts of strategic
brand management taught in the first half of the course. The assignment will be submitted at the beginning of Week 8
of the course.
3. Team Project Presentation and Report (20%)
Students will be randomly allocated to teams (approximately 7 individuals to each team). The aim of this team project
is to provide students with hands-on experience of a typical “branding project” that would often be assigned to third
party brand consultants. The idea is to give students the opportunity to systematically cover some of the
methodology related steps that would start at the brand audit phase and conclude at the “brand blueprint” phase. It is
not the aim of this project to encourage students to choose consulting career paths, but rather familiarize them with
a critically important process regardless of the “side” they work in. All teams will be required to do an in-class
presentation of their findings weeks 13.
3. Final Examination (40%)
The final examination will be a two hour assessment that will comprise MCQs, a case study and short essay questions.
The final examination will cover most topics taught in the course.
CLASS TIMINGS
This course will be taught in one 3-hour session on Fridays, I will be available for consultation that same afternoon from
4 – 6 pm. I will also be readily available via email. I will aim to respond to all emails on the same day where possible.
RECOMMENDED TEXT AND READINGS
Course Pack
The course pack contains the cases to be discussed in this course as well as some ancillary readings. All
documentation will be available via the university e-portal.
Course textbooks
Basic Text:
Keller, Kevin Lane (2013), (Strategic Brand Management), Fourth Edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Other References:
- Michael Schuman (2009), (The Miracle. The epic story of Asia’s quest for wealth), 1st edition, HarperCollins New York
- Scott Hipsher, Songporn Hansanti, Suthinan Pomsuwan (2007), (The Nature of Asian Firms), Chandos Publishing
(Oxford) Limited
- Joseph Baladi, (The Brutal Truth About Asian Branding), (2011), John Wiley & Sons, Singapore.

4. 4
SESSION OUTLINE
14 weeks/ 3 hours per week. Venue:
Date WEEK TOPIC READINGS
6 March Week 1  Introduction to the course (including Mid-Term Group
Assignment and Team Project)
 Introduction to brands and brand management SBM chapter 1
13 March Week 2  Developing Customer-Based Brand Equity and Brand
Positioning
- Brand Positioning Strategies
SBM chapter 2
20 March Week 3  Developing Customer-Based Brand Equity and Brand
Positioning - Brand mantras)
 Choosing Brand Elements
SBM chapter 2
SBM chapter 4
27 March Week 4  Brand resonance and the brand value chain SBM chapter 3
3 February Week 5  The role of the Marketing Mix
 Business strategy and its links to brand identity and brand
strategy
 The nature of “change” and how it is redefining business,
branding and consumer expectations. The rise of CSR and
“purpose” and their evolving impact on brand strategy.
SBM chapter 5
10 February Week 6  Developing a brand equity measurement and management
system
 Managing a branding project – typical methodology (including
“Help Notes” – Final Team Project Assignment)
 Internal alignment
SBM chapter 8
17 February Week 7  Brand Portfolio Management/ Brand architecture
 Brands are built from the inside out.
SBM chapter 11
24 February Week 8 RECESS - Submission of hard-copy Mid-Term Assignment
Report
3 March Week 9  Case Study: Singapore airline Scoots into the Low-Cost Long-
haul Category
Case Study will be
available on E-Learn
10 March Week 10  Communicating externally: The relationship between brand
strategy and the communications strategy
SBM chapter 6
TBTAAB, chapter 3
17 March Week 11 The “real” value of brands:
 The “American Century” and how iconic Western brands
came to be created and why this is important
 From zero to hero: The emergence and success of Japanese
brands
The Miracle,
chapters 1, 2 & 3
24 March Week 12  Speaker (TBA)
 In-class Pre-Exam Revision
31 March Week 13  Team Project Assignment: presentations of output
(All Teams)
7 April Week 14  Pre-Exam Study Week (No class scheduled)
Week 15  Exam 11 April 2017