MK 487 – BRANDING

Boston University Questrom School of Business

Spring 2025 Syllabus Version dated Jan 18, 2025

Professor: Kim Donlan

E-mail: krdonlan@bu.edu
Class Meeting Times: Monday and Wednesday 9:25 to 10:40
Class Meeting Room: HAR 212
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday 12 to 1 & via zoom by appointment
Office: HAR515C
TA: Karen Saul
Karensa@bu.edu

Course Materials
There is no textbook for this class. A collection of cases is available via a Harvard Course Pak – which will require
payment. A collection of free articles and videos are available to download. Links for both types of course
materials are on BB.

Prerequisites
Prior coursework in core marketing (MK323) is required as the course builds upon these fundamentals. Fluency
with the basic principles and skill sets developed in consumer behavior and market research is highly
recommended since the class and project consistently leverage this knowledge base.
Course Overview
Over the course of the last decade, firms have come to realize the financial value of brands. However, the
creation and capture of value through branding is no easy task, as brands must be carefully created, astutely
managed, and judiciously leveraged if they are to thrive. This course is about the art and science of branding and
draws together current theory and state-of-the-art practices to develop usable insights into the creation and
stewardship of brands.

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Class meetings will revolve around lectures, case-studies, video presentations, and in-class activities, such as
case discussions and experiential exercises.

While this course has obvious relevance for those contemplating brand management careers in product or
service markets, it is appropriate for a range of future professionals within for-profit and not-for-profit C2C and
B2B worlds, and others who share a passion for branding. This course focuses on the concepts, frameworks, and
practices of branding and brand management and introduces the benefits of applying a customer/human-centric
approach.

Course Objectives:
Upon completing this course, you will:

▪ An appreciation of the strategic discipline of branding, and its role in creating shareholder value
▪ An understanding of brands as co-creations of marketers, consumers, and cultures
▪ Insight into the role of brands in contemporary culture and consumers’ lives
▪ An ability to develop and leverage these consumer and cultural insights in the service of brand
strategy.
▪ A capacity to think creatively and precisely about the strategies and tactics involved in building,
leveraging, defending, and sustaining strong brands, and to inform these strategies with appropriate
data.
▪ Fluency with basic and emergent branding principles including launching new brands, brand
positioning, brand design, and brand architecture.
▪ Familiarity with contemporary issues including branding in the digital age and brand crisis
management.

Class Design, Format, and Materials

Flipped Classroom – Foundational theory, concepts, methods, and practices will be introduced through
readings/videos/podcasts and explored in class discussion and facilitated small group/peer-to-peer
conversations. Case discussions will help students put themselves in the shoes of decision-makers within
organizations who develop and market products/ services/experiences and must define the processes, business
models and strategies to drive awareness and growth.

For the case discussion pedagogy this class — like the brands we study — is something we all create together.
As students, you are equally responsible for generating insights, take-aways, and “lessons learned.” So,
remember: a good class is as much your individual and collective responsibility as mine.
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Deliberate Practice – In class workshops will develop the individual student’s branding skills through application
and practice. The cases are all grounded in extensive consumer data and theory. Strong brands are based on
strong consumer insights and each of our cases will force you to build from this basic fact. To do well in this
course you must cultivate your skills as applied researchers who turn data and theories into insights that drive
relevant branding ideas.

It is recommended that you form small study groups to tackle case study prep. You'll learn the case faster and come in
more prepared.

Experiential Learning The course-long team project will integrate course concepts, methods and practices and
provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate leadership/participation in a real-world brand audit project
culminating with a deliverable and in-class client presentation in the final session.
Using AI AI is significantly changing how brands marketing their products and services. Brand managers use AI
to help find connections and data and research to better understand consumers. Machine learning is
incorporated into services like Google Ads, A/B testing of messaging and content, and customization of data
workflows that all a customized consumer/brand experience. As such, you will receive guidelines on how to use
AI for the brand extension assignment and the team project. Please review the assignment details for what will be
accepted.

For case and class preparation, students who depend solely on AI platforms to prepare for a case-based class
discussion, generally are not able answer deeply or thoughtfully on the nuances of the case and often lack the
able to use the exhibits in a way that shows connections to the classroom lectures. While you may save time by
using AI to glean the broad lessons of a case, it is not a substitute for preparing the case and being able to
incorporate it into the lessons and to defend your position and interpretation. You would learn and retain more if
you worked with case teams to prep.

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Course Structure
MOD BRAND-CONSUMER EXPERIENCE
01 MOD 1 lays the foundation and provides the big picture for the course. We will outline a framework to understand a
brand in context: we will map the brand-consumer experience, cover the psychological, situational, and sociocultural
factors that influence a brand experience, and explore the relationships consumers develop with brands. Finally, we will
review ways to analyze and measure the value of a brand.
MOD BUILDING BRANDS: STRATEGIC DECISIONS
02 MOD 2 examines the kinds of strategic decisions involved in building a brand. We will review how to make the critical
decision of defining the target market and how to delineate a strategic approach aimed at making consumers feel a
sense of personal connection with a brand (i.e., relationship branding). We will focus on the issues of brand
positioning and writing a positioning statement. We will discuss the challenges associated with repositioning and
revitalization of a brand.
MOD BUILDING BRANDS: TACTICS
03 MOD 3 covers how to define the specific tactics and activities that implement the chosen brand strategy. We will
consider a selection of brand design decisions, including brand elements (names, logos, personality) and brand
referents (meaningful associations with a brand). We will discuss how the formulation of these brand elements can be
implemented so that it delivers a consistent and cohesive brand experience. We will discuss decisions associated
with promotion of brands, including the challenges of branding in the digital age.
MOD MANAGING BRANDS
04 MOD 4 concerns the challenges that confront brands as they attempt to grow and stay relevant over time, and the
skills that comprise or derail sound brand stewardship throughout this journey. We will consider the challenges in
developing branding strategies and plans for brands that strive to remain focused on their core values. We will discuss
cases in which companies have succeed in tackling problems associated with the growth of a brand, and cases in
which companies failed to do so. Finally, we will consider the growth of brand equity through leverage and extension.

Course Requirements and Grading

The overall course grade will be based on:

Class Participation 20%

Brand Extension Using AI Report 5%
Exam 1 20%
Exam 2 20%
Team Project Brand Audit 35%

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Grading Policy
Grades will be assigned based on BU standards, where an A is “excellent,” B is “good or average,” and C is
“Satisfactory.” An average student shows up, understands most of the material, contributes to class discussion
during at least half the sessions, and performs adequately on the assignments. Your performance must be above
average if you hope to receive a higher letter grade. There are no opportunities to improve your grade with extra
work.

If you have any questions about grades that you receive on particular assignments, you must raise them within
two weeks of receiving your grade on that assignment. Unless we have made computational errors, we will be
unable to alter grades after final grades have been determined. If you have grade-related considerations that
you think are important, please raise these with your instructor as early as possible (during the first half of the
semester at the latest!), so that your instructor can help you approach the course in a way that will help you
achieve your best possible performance.

Grade Rebuttals
Grading any assignment requires the grader to make many judgments on how well you have answered the
question. Inevitably some of these go in your favor and some do not, but taken together they usually assist fairly
the abilities you display in the assignment. If you feel that a calculation or judgment error has been made in the
grading of an assignment or exam, please write a formal email describing the effort and including documentation
in support of your opinion (e.g. referencing a relevant slide) I will review your assignment and get back to you as
quickly as possible with an answer. Students have one week after an assignment has been returned to submit a
rebuttal. After that date, no rebuttals will be accepted.

Individual Components

In-class participation 20%

Exam 1 20%

Exam 2 20%

Brand Extension Using AI Report 5%

Team Components

Brand Audit Presentation and Report 35%

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Class Attendance and Participation (20% of your grade)
There are twenty-six (26) 75-minute classes. Three full classes are dedicated to Brand Audit presentations.
Attendance is taken in every class – including the final brand audit presentations. In other words, even if you are
not presenting, you are required to attend.

Effective class participation includes:

▪ Be prepared to engage in an informed conversation about class material. Case discussion questions are
provided for each case-based class as a guide for your preparation.
▪ Regular and timely attendance. If you will miss a class, you should inform the TA and instructor in
advance via e-mail or, in the case of emergency, as soon as possible afterward.
▪ You are allowed one absence without a grading penalty, after which your participation grade will
be penalized.
▪ Due to the nature of the class, there is no makeup work for absences. If you are absent, you still
must submit the work required for the class by the required deadline.
▪ Also, classes will start on time, so be punctual. Late arrivals past the 15 -minute mark adversely
affect your participation grade.
▪ In-class contributions will be rated based on whether they facilitate the process of collective learning in
the classroom.
▪ High-quality contributions are efficient, relevant to the discussion at hand, and cognizant of the
flow of arguments on the table. Quality does not entail simple repetition of case facts or previous
commentary. Quality contributions help others learn by synthesizing multiple points of view,
redirecting a discussion that has hit an impasse, clarifying ambiguities, or provoking debate.
Quality participants respect others’ opinions and take care not to dominate the conversation.
Using these criteria, class contributions are judged using the following scale: (3) outstanding, if
this person were not contributing today the quality of the class discussion would have been
significantly diminished; (2) good, helpful, and on-target comments; (1) attending non-
participant or one with repetitive, non-value-add comment; (-1) absent, late, or destructive class
commentary.
▪ Cold calling is part of this class.
▪ No Cell Phones or computer use for purposes other than class content. Cell phones must be
turned off AND PUT AWAY at the start of class sessions. Those emailing or performing any other
non-class related activity WILL be penalized in class participation.
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Brand Extension and AI Report (5% of grade)
Brands depend on product and service line extensions to reach new markets. AI will now influence the brand
extension process with the ability to find insights from vast data sets and the ability to make accurate predictions
on product acceptance. In this assignment you will develop, design and create a brand extension for a brand and
provide a report for the CMO on why this will be a successful brand extension.

Exams (each worth 20%)

The exams will test your knowledge of core brand management concepts and your ability to apply these
concepts to real world branding problems. The exams may consist of multiple-choice questions, short essays,
and cases on materials drawn from class materials and the news. The two exams are non-cumulative. We will
cover additional details about the exams in class.

Please inform me and the TA in writing (e-mail is fine) of any legitimate conflicts with the exam dates at least
two weeks in advance. If I do not receive written notice at least two weeks before the exam, you will not be
given the opportunity to take it at another time. If you miss the exam due to illness or injury, a make-up will not
be scheduled for you unless I receive a letter from your doctor indicating the date and time of the medical
problem that prevented you from taking the test. If you are unable to take a make-up exam before the next
class session, your doctor’s letter must also indicate the date through which your medical incapacity extended.

Team Project (35% grade)

The brand audit will give you the opportunity 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 team project developed over the course of the semester. I will
form teams at the beginning of the semester and carry out a brand audit of a brand of your choice. Your team
will pick a brand and conduct a brand audit. Each team must analyze a different brand. Brands are assigned
on a first-come, first serve basis. Detailed project guidelines are provided in the Appendix and specific
instructions will be delivered in class. Your team is responsible for allocating responsibilities and making sure
that everyone contributes in a timely manner. After handing in your presentation, you will be asked to evaluate
the contribution of each group member, including yourself. These ratings can affect an individual’s grade if
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they reliably show disparities in the contribution that each group member has made. It is fine if group members
contribute in different ways, but the importance of their contribution to the overall group effort should be equal.
Please note there are interim ungraded deliverables after mods 1, 2 and 3.

Academic Integrity
All students entering Questrom are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. Academic
integrity means that students honestly present the work they have done, acknowledge and cite any work that is
not their own (including that of teammates and colleagues), use all learning resources appropriately (including
computers and the Internet), and treat others (faculty, the business and professional community, classmates, and
administrative staff) with respect and courtesy.

Please be familiar with the university's policy on plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, falsification, and multiple
submissions. Lack of knowledge of this policy is not an acceptable defense to any charge of academic
dishonesty.

Diversity and Inclusion

During the semester we may discuss content that will inspire debate, different opinions, and shared
experiences. Learning can only happen in a community that is respectful and inclusive. All members of class will
conduct themselves in a professional manner. Remember, you can disagree with the idea and still respect the
person.
We invite each student to share their personal experiences and perspective related to the course content; we can
learn from each other. If there are topics or conversations that students feel would benefit from incorporation of
social context, a differing perspective, or Questrom’s Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, please inform
your instructor and we will explore resources and opportunities for us to engage a wide variety of perspectives in
our classroom.
If you feel you have experienced improper conduct or have witnessed improper conduct, please report your
concerns using this link.

Sexual Misconduct/Title IX Policy

The Questrom School of Business is committed to fostering a safe learning environment for all members of its
community and preventing sexual misconduct. All forms of sexual misconduct, including rape, acquaintance
rape, sexual assault, domestic and dating violence, stalking, and sexual harassment are violations of Boston
University’s policies, whether they happen on campus or off campus.

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Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination
in federally funded education programs and activities. This law makes it clear that violence and harassment
based on sex and gender is a Civil Rights offense subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same
kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, etc. If you
or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you can find the appropriate resources at
http://www.bu.edu/safety/sexual-misconduct/

Accommodations
In keeping with the University policy, any student with a disability who needs or thinks they need academic
accommodations must call the Office of Disability Services at 617-353-3658 or stop by 19 Deerfield Street to
arrange a confidential appointment with a Disability Services staff member. Accommodation letters must be
delivered to your instructor in a timely fashion (not later than two weeks before any major examination). Please
note that accommodations will not be delivered absent an official letter of accommodation.

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 Session Topic Reading In class Frameworks & Concepts
Exercise
Mod 1
Understanding the Brand-Consumer Experience
01 Welcome to the
Wed Course and Overview
Jan 22
02 Brand Consumer HBS Capture Customer
Mon Relationships Exploring Brand-Person Relationships
Jan 27 Relationships. Three Life
Histories:

Assignment: Who are

you as a brand in 20
photos
03 Mapping Brand- HBS Connecting Capture Customer
Wed Customer Experience I What’s the Right Relationships Experiences
Jan 29 Customer Experience for and
Your Brand Consumer Decision
Brand Making
Forrester How Experiences
Customers Experience Workshop
Drives Growth
04 Mapping Brand- HBS Brand Relevance and
Mon Customer Experience Lemonade: Delighting Customer Journeys
Feb 3 II Insurance Customers
and AI and Behavioral
Economics

Forbes List of Best

Customer Experiences
05 Influences on Decision Podcast Hidden Brain Brand and Behavior
Wed making Podcast: I buy, therefore Economics
Feb 5 I am

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 YouTube Persuasion –
the psychological trick
behind getting people to
say yes.

How Apple and Nike

have branded your brain

06 Brand Impact, Brand Brand Relevance Brand Audit Brand Impact Brand
Mon Power and Brand Workshop Value
Feb 10 Purpose
Teams
Announced
Mod 2
Brand Strategy
07 Launching a New HBS Headspace vs Teams Submit Brand Identity, brand
Wed Brand Calm: A mindful Brand Ideas image, brand
Feb 12 competition awareness, brand recall,
brand recognition
08 Launching a New HBS Four Products Predicting New Brand
TUES Brand Acceptance
Feb 18
09 Brand Story and Brand Article Liquid Death Brand Story Brand Strategy
Wed Story Telling Workshop statements and Brand
Feb 19 Article Building a Brand story frameworks
Story
10 Segmentation and HBS Magpie: Segmentation Trees,
Mon Targeting Developing and Using Ideal Buyer Profiles and
Feb 24 Buyer Personas Buyer Personas
11 Positioning YouTube Finding the Positioning Value Proposition
Wed Right problem to solve Workshop Framework
Feb 26
Malcom Gladwell on
Spaghetti Sauce

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 Book chapter: The battle
for your mind by Al Ries
and Jack Trout Chapters
1 to 4
(ISBN 978-0-07-170587-
5

12 Repositioning HBS Barbie: Reviving a New Managing New

Mon Cultural Icon at Mattel Positioning and Positioning
Mar 3 Messaging
Book chapter: The Battle Frameworks
for your mind by Al Ries
and Jack Trout Chapters
5 and 6

13 Exam 1
Wed
Mar 5
Spring Break
Mod 3
Brand Tactics
14 Brand Elements 1 Brand elements: Name
Mon logo, character,
Mar 17 packaging, sound
marks
15 Brand Elements 2 YouTube How to Get Branding Brand Referents
Wed Ideas to Spread Workshop
Mar 19
Brand Reference Points
16 Brand Pricing 1 HBS Patreon: A new Pricing Approaches
Mon service and Pricing
Mar 24 Strategy for
Subscription-based
crowdsourcing

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 17 Brand Pricing 2 AI / ML impact on Survey based methods
Wed pricing models: for estimating WTP
Mar 26
The ultimate guide to
amazon dynamic pricing
strategy in 2024
18 Promotion and YouTube Perspective is Brand Incentives AIDA
Mon Communications 1 Everything
Mar 31
Cialdini’s Persuasion
Principles
19 Promotion and YouTube What’s Your Identifying Messaging Frameworks
Wed Communication 2 Brand Story Communication and Content Strategy
April 2 Styles
Workshop
Mod 4
Prioritized Recommendations
20 Brand Extensions 1 Individual assignment: Brand Extensions
Mon Selected Individuals Vertical & Horizontal
April 7 Present their brand
extension ideas
21 Brand Extensions 2 Chapter Building Strong Brand Brand Portfolio Models:
Wed Brands by David Aaker Extension Branded House and
April 9 Chapter 8 Workshop House of Brands

Individual assignment:
Selected Individuals
Present their brand
extension ideas
22 Brand Equity 1 Chapter Managing Brand and Customer
Mon Brand Equity by David Equity Measurements
April 14 Aaker Chapter 1
23 Exam 2
Wed
April 16
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 24 Brand Audit Pres If you are not presenting,
Mon Group 1 you are providing
April 23 feedback.
25 Brand Audit Pres If you are not presenting,
Wed Group 2 you are providing
April 28 feedback.
26 Brand Audit Pres If you are not presenting,
Mon Group 3 you are providing
April 20 feedback.

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 APPENDIX A: “BRAND AUDIT” PROJECT GUIDELINES

Objective. This project asks you to carry out an analysis of a brand of your choice as though you were a team
of consultants hired by a client with a new or existing brand. The key goal of this project is to perform a brand
audit—a carefully researched and data- based assessment of the current state of the brand geared toward
identifying strategic brand issues, be it opportunities or challenges, and generating actionable
recommendations.

Deliverables. You will work on this project in teams, with set milestones throughout the semester. There will
be time allocated to each team to present the project at the end of the semester. All students are expected to
attend their team’s presentations and participate in the other teams’ presentations. Teams should submit a
copy of their presentation/slide deck and their report by 8am on the first day of presentations. Late
submissions are not accepted.

Structure. Your project should include the following 4 components. To guide the audit, it may help to consider
the questions listed below for each component. Keep in mind that you do not have to answer every question.
For example, depending on what you learn from mapping the brand experience, you may answer some of the
following questions in greater detail than others. You also are not expected to attempt to apply every brand
concept that you know. Again, focus your efforts on the most important insights you gather and the most
pressing brand issues, whether they are problems to solve or opportunities to seize.

Part 01. Part 02. Part 03. Part 04.

Brand-consumer experience Brand strategy Brand tactics Prioritized recommendations

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Part 01. Map out the brand-consumer experience (based on MOD 01)
Identify 2-3 “extreme users” of your brand—people who are passionate about the brand because they love it or
loathe it and are therefore excited to talk about it. Ask them if you can ask them questions about the brand and
possibly (and safely!) observe them “in action” while they use the brand. First, map out the brand-consumer
experience. Some questions for you to consider:
• What are the most important elements of their brand experience?
• Reconstruct their decision-making journey (i.e., the steps taken by a consumer before purchase, during the
purchase, and after the purchase of the brand). How did they come to use the brand? Ask them to walk
you through their most recent purchase of the brand.
• Measure brand knowledge and brand image. What are the functional, emotional, self-expressive benefits
the brand delivers? What are the key associations they have with the brand? What is their brand image?
The insights from this qualitative, data-gathering exercise will inform the brand-consumer experience.

Then, consider if there are opportunities for the brand, and how the brand should leverage these
opportunities? Are there threats, and how should the brand address those? In other words, how should the
brand respond to and address the opportunities and threats in the consumer journey? Specify how you would
address the changes to these aspects in detail, also considering the potential costs and expected benefit of
each action.

Part 02. Brand Strategy (based on MOD 02)

First, map out the brand strategy. Some questions for you to consider:
• What comprises the brand identity (product scope, product attributes, quality/value, uses, country of
origin, local vs. global, organizational attributes, brand personality, brand-customer relationships, visual
imagery/metaphors, brand heritage, etc.)?
• What is the segmentation, targeting and positioning strategy? Identify a small number of dimensions that
summarize the brand positioning. Are there opportunities, and how should the brand leverage those? Are
there threats, and how should the brand address those?
• For instance, are there significant differences between brand identity and brand image that could be
leveraged? Are there differences that could create problems or liabilities? Can or should they be
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 changed? Are there elements of the brand identity that might resonate more with consumers or that
might now serve to differentiate the brand from the competitors?
• Are there novel segments that the brand could target? Are there novel dimensions not captured by the
existing positioning that could be the basis for a potentially more effective positioning?
• Does the existing positioning resonate with the brand-consumer experience you mapped out. Does
positioning effectively differentiate the brand from the competitors? Does positioning reflect and leverage
the brand identity? Does the positioning represent a sustainable strategy?

03. Brand tactics (based on MOD 03)

First, map out the brand tactics. Some questions for you to consider:
• What were the brand identifiers (name, logo, motto, character, sound mark, product design, packaging)?
• What were the key touchpoints (TV, radio, print, online, place, in-person, packaging, firms’ employees)
• What are the key activities the company had set in place to implement its brand strategy?
• What was the brand pricing?
• What were the brand promotions?
• Are there opportunities, and how should the brand leverage those? Are there threats, and how should the
brand address those?
• For instance, are the tactics and touch-points consistent with the strategy and consistent with each other?
• Are the tactical activities effective in the short term and sustainable in the long term?
• Are pricing and promotion still effective?

04. Prioritizing Recommendations

• Prioritize all the recommendations that you have identified in parts 01-03.
• Then, select the 4 recommendations that you think the brand must implement.
• To carry out this prioritization exercise, consider: What are the pros and cons of these
recommendations? What would be the consequences of these recommendations? Does the brand have
the resources to carry them out?

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.

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APPENDIX B:
Case and Reading Assignment Prep questions MK487

Please note: Case prep can be time consuming. I suggest creating study groups to make it easier.

Brand Consumer Relationships

Case: Exploring Brand-Person Relationships (HBS 9-500-067)

Preparation Questions

1. Think about the life stories of our three informants and the quotes regarding the brands they use.
a. It is appropriate to say that these consumers have formed relationships with the brand they
know and use. In what ways yes, in what ways no?
b. What kinds of connections form between consumers and their closely-held brands?
c. Are these connections specific to individual brands, or can patterns be identified across brands
in a given consumer’s portfolio?
d. Are Jean’s brand relationships different from Karen’s or Vicki’s? Whose brand relationships are
strongest? Why?
2. Think about the pool of brand relationships available for study in the case.
a. Which brand relationships would you describe as especially strong and enduring? What makes
you describe these as ‘strong’? If you wanted to measure the strength or quality of a brand
relationship, what questions would you ask the consumer?
b. Why do some relationships decline and dissolve whiles others intensify and endure?
c. If you had to predict one consumer-brand relationship that would endure five years after these
interviews, which would you select? Why those?
3. How does a high-quality relationship form and evolve over time?

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 4. Think about the traditional ideas of brand loyalty, customer satisfaction, and brand equity. Have the
stories of Jean, Karen, and Vicki disturbed your sense of the meaning of these terms in any way?

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Mapping Brand Experience

Case: Lemonade: Delighting Insurance Customers with AI and Behavioral Economics

Preparation Questions:
1. How do you explain the phenomenal growth experienced by Lemonade?
2. Does Lemonade create a unique customer experience? For Whom? How? What are the most important
touchpoints along the customer journey?
3. How important are data and analytics when optimizing the customer experience? What data could you
use and why?
4. Are the principles of behavioral economics used by Lemonade?
5. How does Lemonade strike a balance between creating a superior customer experience and containing
service delivery costs?
6. What is the role of AI, blockchain, and/or machine learning in Lemonade’s business model?
7. Is the customer experience the brand? Or is the customer experience support the brand. What is the
connection between brand, customer experience, and build strong brand relationships.

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Launching a New Brand

Case: Headspace vs Calm: A Mindful Competition

Preparation Questions:

Historically, what have been the main barriers to popularizing meditation and mindfulness I mainstream Western
culture? How have Puddicombe and Pierson, and Tew and Action-Smith addressed and overcome those barriers
with HeadSpace and Calm respectively?

1. What strategies did Headspace and Calm use to create awareness and stimulate interest in their apps?

2. How have Headspace and Calm carved out separate markets and distinct offerings in the mindfulness
app market? More specifically, how do the two apps differ in terms of their brand image and offerings?
What product attributes and brand elements support these distinct images?

3. What would the positioning statement be for both brands?

4. How have Headspace and Calm sustained and reinforced their unique positionings over time? What
strategies do they appear to be using to sustain their positioning? How have their various marketing and
product decisions (partnerships, changes to their offerings, sponsorships) reinforced or degraded their
respective positionings?

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Launching a Brand II

Four Products: Predicting Diffusion

Preparation Questions:

1. Rank the four innovations in terms of how rapidly and broadly they will diffuse in the marketplace,

2. Identify those high-level characteristics that account for those predictions. Note that it is insufficient to
say ‘this product will never fly’ or this is a silly product’ Rather you need to dig down and determine why it
will never fly or why it is a silly product.

3. You should also ask what changes could be made to increase the likelihood of acceptance.

4. What is the target market selection. Is there a niche segment who would love this product? How rapidly
or broadly will the product diffuse in the segment.

5. In the end, we should identify a handful of factors that work across a broad class of products. Can you
build a framework that allows you to access products beyond those identified in this case?

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Targeting, Buyer Personas and Go to Market

Case: Magpie: Developing and Using Buyer Personas

1. Consider the output that, based on their interviews, Magpie’s founders have created.

a. Which persona could be the best for Magpie to target initially, and which should they target
next? Why? What are the business implications of your priorities and sequencing?

b. What messaging should Magpie use to communicate with the priority persona? Why? Which
(if any) of the marketing vehicles being considered should Magpie use at this stage of the
venture? Which should they not use?

2. Consider the process the founders used to create those buying journeys and personas.

a. Should the team have conducted its initial interviews differently? If so, how and why?

b. Based on the interview notes in Exhibit 6, would you suggest other relevant buyer personas
in this segment? Or any changes in how the team characterized the current personas in
Case Exhibit 7?

c. What that the implications for priorities, message, or marketing vehicle?

d. Are there test or other thing the founders could and should do to validate the relevant of
their posited personas before launch?

e. Why invest in activities related to buyer personas? What are the uses and limitations?

3. What is the nature of the opportunity for Magpie and the role of fashion bloggers and other
publishers in Magpie’s business model and customer acquisition efforts?

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MK487 Spring ’2025
Repositioning

Case: Barbie: Reviving a Cultural Icon at Mattel

1. How successful was the 2023 Barbie movie in reviving the Barbie brand? Is this a temporary bump or
permanent?

2. How can Mattel sustain Barbie’s positive momentum?

3. How does consumer culture influence brand positioning and communications decisions?

4. Can the success of the Barbie movie be replicated across other Mattel brands?

5. How did the move reposition Barbie. Was it a positive or negative repositioning?

6. What should execs do next?

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MK487 Spring ’2025
Brand Pricing I

Case: S’well

Class Preparation Question\

1. How does having a strategic vision impact growth?

2. What does it take to creative momentum and be open to opportunities.

3. How do you make good financial decisions to real competitive pressures effective ly?

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MK487 Spring ’2025
Brand Equity and Extending Brand Equity

Case: Nike Tiptoeing into the Metaverse

Preparation Questions:
1. Have you used metaverse platforms Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, etc? Have you dabbled in NFTs? What
has been your experience?
2. What are the use cases and opportunities for brands in the metaverse? What are the risks?
3. Should Brands wait for the hype to subside, or should they jump right in?
4. Evaluate Nike’s competitive stance in its metaverse strategy. Compare Adidas’ approach with Nike’s?
5. What are the specific metaverse initiatives from Nike. What are the pros and cons of each initiative. To
what extent to do these initiatives advance Nike’s business goals?
6. What next steps would you recommend to the digital strategy team?

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MK487 Spring ’2025