Applying branding principles to grow a brand
This assignment builds on Course Objectives and draws on the knowledge you have gained on how brands grow. You need to incorporate feedback from the first report and in this final report you will also consider if COVID had any effect on the brand's ability to build mental availability or physical availability. Evidence-based recommendations are required to set two long-term strategies to grow the brand. All students continue with their critique on the brand allocated for individual assessment purposes.
Overview: You are responsible for setting brand strategies and need to expand your view of the brand to consider all topics covered in the course.
Part One: Category overview and Brand Performance (estimate 700 words):
1A Your first task is to identify the key brands operating within the category any note any changes to consumer behaviour that have occurred and if these are temporary or ongoing. Highlight any category factors that require consideration, showing their relevance to growing your brand.
Summarise consumer demand for your category. Draw on industry reports to explain if demand for the category has increased, decreased or remained at the same level since COVID. Identify any category factors that inform your brand's growth strategy. Draw on multiple sources of information to explain category sales in Australia and/or globally. Use the following questions as discussion ideas when considering areas to review for your brand/sector in this section.
- What are the main issues for brand management in the category? Has this changed due to
COVID?
- Has consumer demand or how the product is bought changed?
- Are all consumers and brands facing the same challenges or opportunities for growth?
- Is there any evidence to suggest your brand's market share has changed? If so, would it have increased or decreased recently?
Provide evidence to support your views and incorporate at least one marketing law-like pattern in your overview of the category and to identify key competitors for your brand. Highlight the main challenges or opportunities for growth uncovered from your review.
1B Now consider the brand's long-term challenges and opportunities post COVID. Potential areas to discuss where relevant include:
- Are there any new brand entrants that are likely to stay or opportunities for others to enter the market?
- Are there any brands likely to permanently leave the sector?
- Are there any long-term opportunities arising from category disruption during COVID?
- What is needed to grow the brand in the long-term?
Conclude by highlighting two competitor brands you will review alongside your brand with the rationale for their selection. List any long-term challenges and opportunities for the sector to that affect the ability of your brand to grow.
Part Two: Identify how to grow Mental Availability post COVID (estimate 500 words):
Draw on feedback received from your report on how brands build Mental Availability to analyse how your allocated brand has maintained or built its Mental Availability in the past year. Choose two competitors to compare and contrast to your brand’s efforts.
2A Provide a brief overview of marketing efforts of the brand to build Mental Availability, critique efforts against evidence on how to grow brands (refer to examples in your appendix of what the brand has communicated in Australia and globally during COVID). Repeat this analysis for two other brands and draw on course concepts to explain whether you expect their Mental Availability to have remained at the same level, to have grown or to have declined. Justify your conclusion.
2B Prioritise messaging for the brand post COVID. Justify your views. Apply the framework shown in the course text: How Brands Grow, Part 2, page 71 (Figure 4.2) to generate potential CEPs for the category. Note which CEPs were being build pre or during COVID19. Conclude with a reduced list that you would recommend as the priority for building MA of your brand.
2C Provide a summary of potential Distinctive Assets for your brand (group by asset type) recommended for testing with consumers. Briefly discuss the use of Distinctive Assets in advertising by the brand before COVID and in the past year. Include a table comparing types of Distinctive Assets used by your brand with two other competitors. Prioritise the types of Distinctive Assets to invest in for the brand. Explain your reasoning and support by incorporating course concepts on how Distinctive Assets can help build Mental Availability.
Part Three: Identify how to grow Physical Availability post COVID (estimate 450 words):
3. Provide an overview of marketing efforts of the brand to build Physical Availability, critique efforts against evidence on what is needed to build all three aspects (Presence, Relevance/Portfolio Management and Prominence). Add in details gained from your research of the brand in the appendix. Discuss whether the brand’s Physical Availability is similar globally (where relevant) and if any changes occurred in the past year. Repeat this analysis for two other brands and draw on course concepts to explain whether you expect their Physical Availability to have remained at the same level, to have grown or to have declined. Conclude by highlighting areas where change is needed to grow the brand's Physical Availability. Justify your conclusion.
Part Four: Discuss Ethical Brand Considerations (estimate 300 words):
4. Discussion on ethical brand management you perceive as relevant when setting strategies to grow your brand. Potential areas to discuss are:
- Does your brand, or the category, have ethical issues to consider when setting or implementing strategies to grow the brand? For example, marketing to children or vulnerable groups, or marketing products/services that are highly regulated by governments?
- Did your brand or others in their category modify product offerings, pricing or policies during COVID?
- Did they partner with government or non-profits to help society in other ways, if so, draw on course concepts to discuss if this is likely to have changed consumer behaviour?
Part Five: Recommendations (estimate 300 words):
Conclude with two strategic recommendations specific to your brand that support its growth in the next five years. Ensure your recommendations draw on course concepts and logically conclude from points discussed earlier in the report. Include specific metrics suggested to evaluate the success of each strategy.
Length: 2250 words, plus a minimum of 15 references and 15 brand examples. There is no ‘magic number’ of articles or references to use but any claims you make require sources to strengthen your argument. Use the submission template and add headings, because this will provide clarity in the assignment.
Use the UniSA library Referencing Roadmap resource to check that you have used the correct Harvard referencing format before submitting. Ensure that you are familiar with Academic Integrity polices and submit assignments that show your own thinking and the ability to apply course knowledge to specific branding scenarios.
I am expecting that the understanding of the issues in your assignment will reflect your prior exposure to marketing ideas in previous courses. In other words, the expected level is higher than that for a new marketing student. I also expect that you will draw on the course text, eReadings and lecture content when discussing concepts.
Marking Criteria for Assignment
1. Ability to source, evaluate and integrate relevant and appropriate information sources.
2. Ability to analyse a brand and identify concepts related to brand management.
3. Creativity and completeness in developing suitable recommendations (addresses all task elements and represents original contribution)
4. Application of relevant course knowledge to develop strategies for long-term growth of the brand.
5. Ability to develop a logical argument and present it in a way that the audience is persuaded it's the best solution.
6. Presents ideas succinctly (efficiently) and professionally - style that is audienceappropriate; correct language choices; use of Harvard referencing.