2- Branding

BUSM026 – Essay Questions: 2021/22
1. Nation or place branding entails a mix of long-term and short-term brand strategies to build a sense of space. Discuss with an applicable case study.
2. How would you relate ethical branding or CSR with the Postmodern Consumer. Relate such a proposition to a relevant case study.
3. Brand Communities are a challenge to build and sustain in the Digital Age. Critique this notion using a case study. Brand love or hate / brand storytelling
4. Global Brands have to constantly evolve to transcend into new markets and cultures. Examine how global brands can fail through a case study.
5. Social marketing and behavioural change are intimately entwined. Examine a social issue which has successfully mediated such a relationship.
6. Why is storytelling a means to co-create value and how can such a relationship be explored in a meaningful way. Examine this proposition through a case study.
7. Reputation Management is beyond the survival of scandals. Evaluate this through a case study.
8. When can cause-related Marketing go wrong and what are the strategies to recoup from such a situation. Illuminate this problematic through a case study.

2. Notes and Guidelines for Individual Case Study (70%)
An effective case study essay should:
• have an adequate balance of theory and data, both being integrated effectively,
• highlight the issues and problematise the areas under scrutiny,
• identify and critique relevant literature,
• build a case study through multiple sources including academic and non-academic repositories. This could include, but is not limited to, broadsheets, financial press, marketing and branding trade publications, the brand website and books as well as research articles.
• analyse the brand strategy with relevance to the theoretical area or concepts under study (including constraints in some of the branding strategies that may have been employed), and
• make further recommendations on the branding strategies.
To complete your case study you should do the following:
• Choose a brand – tangible or intangible (e.g. product, service, country or not-for-profit).
• Think about the attributes of the brand – is it a retail brand, super brand, service-based brand, place/nation brand – what are the dominant traits?
• Discuss the relevant literature for these issues, related to your brand of choice. You are encouraged to use additional literature beyond the reading list to demonstrate both depth and breadth of understanding.
• Construct an in-depth case study of the brand from multiple sources.
• Make observations and recommendations for the brand (short-term and long-term). This is an opportunity to demonstrate original thinking and creativity.
The pertinent categories within your essay should include:
• Introduction i.e. definition of key terms and area, direction of essay, problematisation of the topic under scrutiny
• Literature review and critique (demonstrating the breadth and depth of literature you have covered).
• In-depth case study and analysis with respect to the two issues/concepts chosen. 40%
• Recommendations and Conclusion
Short term and long term.
• References/ Bibliography
The word count limit is 3,000 words excluding bibliography and figure/table captions. An important skill in business writing is that it is concise, so please do not exceed the word count.

To choose Failure brand, the idea is to use two concepts, such as the main concept Brand community + the auxiliary concept Brand love/brand hate, the two concepts mentioned in almost every question, I marked yellow
Outline: The first is Title includes brand (the third question is used here as an example)
1.0 Introduction 10%: what topic? What question? Interpret the question. E.g. Consumers have more chance to get in touch with the brand and have more power in the brand community under the digital age however… To understand this issue, what brand case study has be chosen because of what. This case study will advise or improve… what contribution of this case study.
2.0 Literature review 40%
2.1 Brand community
2.2 Online brand community
2.3 Brand love/brand hate
2.4 criticise them under Digital age
3.0 Failure brand 40%
3.1 Brief introduction about this brand
3.2 Why it failed, how many reasons; categorize these reasons: Maybe because of culture. It could be A, B, C… (3.2.1 3.2.2 3.2.3 …)
3.3 What they could do to improve：alternative strategies. what strategies they can do? Maybe use examples from their competitors. Bring from the other research
4.0 recommendations and conclusion 10%
Short term and long term recommendations