Table of Content
Chapter 1 — Brand Foundations
- Glossary of Terms / Key Definitions
- The Meaning of Brands & What is Branding?
- Characteristics of Brands
- Brand Awareness, Brand Equity, Brand Management
- Points of Parity & Points of Difference
- Establishing a Brand
- Why Brands Matter (Strategic and Financial Value of Branding)
- Evolution of Branding (Product Era → Image Era → Digital Era → Purpose-Led Brands)
Chapter 2 — Consumer Behaviour & Insights
- Consumer Involvement: High vs Low Involvement Decisions
- Cultural Factors & The Concept of Perception
- Extended Problem Solving, Dissonance Reduction, Evaluative Criteria
- Consumer Search for Brand Information: Internal vs External Search
- Clues to Evaluate Brands / Brand as Risk Reducer
- Consumer Psychology: Motivation, Perception, Learning & Attitudes toward Brands
- Customer Journey Mapping: Awareness → Consideration → Purchase → Loyalty → Advocacy
- Behavioural Economics in Branding: Nudges, Anchoring, Social Proof
Chapter 3 — Brand Identity & Design
- Brand Symbol, Character, Logo & Logo Change
- Brand Identity: Visual Identity System (Colour, Typography, Tone of Voice)
- Brand Identity: What the Brand Stands For
- Brand Personality Framework (Aaker's 5 Dimensions)
- Brand Personality - The Relationship Basis Model (Kapferer's Brand Identity Prism)
- Brand Purpose, Mission & Values: Defining the "Why" (Simon Sinek's Golden Circle)
- Brand Voice & Tone Guidelines: Consistency Across Touchpoints
- Brand Style Guide: Creation, Governance & Usage Standards
Chapter 4 — Brand Strategy & Positioning
- Why Defining Positioning is Important
- Positioning Statement: Structure and Crafting
- Risks of Poor Positioning
- Perceptual Mapping: Attribute Methods, Techniques, Strategy Decisions
- Differentiation: Sustainable Competitive Advantage
- Successful Brand Repositioning: Increasing Relevance, Making Brand Contemporary
- Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) Framework: Positioning Around the Consumer's Core Problem
- Blue Ocean Strategy Applied to Brand Positioning
Chapter 5 — Brand Naming & Extensions
- Why Create a New Brand Name / Types of Brand Names
- Image Associations & Product Associations
- Name Change, Brand Extension, Unrelated Extensions
- Nurturing Sub-Brands
- Issues Associated with Effective Brand Names
- Brand Extension vs New Brand: Decision Framework (Risks, Fit, Stretch)
- Global Brand Naming: Cultural, Linguistic & Legal Considerations
Chapter 6 — Co-Branding & Corporate Branding
- Co-Branding and Corporate Branding
- Finding the Right Partner / A Fruitful Relationship
- Creating a Powerful Corporate Brand
- Corporate Ethics, Culture and Corporate Image
- Co-Branding Success Criteria & Risk Management
- Employer Branding: Aligning External Brand with Internal Culture & EVP
- Personal Branding & Founder-Led Brands: Elon Musk, Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra
Chapter 7 — Brand Equity
Understanding Brand Equity: Keller's CBBE Model, Aaker's Brand Equity Model
How to Measure Brand Equity: Quantitative & Qualitative Methods
Financial Value of Brands: Interbrand, BrandZ, Forbes Methodology
Brand Strength, Core Values, Revitalising Brands
Brand Equity-Building Activities vs Promotional Activities: Short vs Long-Term Trade-offs
Brand Health Tracking: NPS, Brand Awareness, Consideration, Preference Metrics
Brand Valuation Methods: Cost, Market, Royalty Relief, Earnings-Based Approaches
Chapter 8 — Brand Architecture & Portfolio
- Brand Portfolio Roles & Structure
- Brand Hierarchy Trees
- Product Market Context Roles / Brand Range
- Portfolio Architecture Models: Branded House (Google), House of Brands (P&G), Hybrid (Tata)
- Portfolio Rationalisation: When to Kill, Merge or Revive Brands
- Masterbrand Strategy vs Individual Brand Strategy: Trade-offs & Decision Criteria
Chapter 9 — Advertising, Communication & Loyalty
- Types, Forms & Measuring Brand Associations
- Qualitative & Quantitative Research Techniques
- Brand Loyalty, Retention & Dealing with Brand Variety
- Attention Economy: Brand Communication in a Fragmented, Multi-Screen World
- Creating a Brand Through Advertising / How Advertising Works
- Brand Communications ROI: Measuring Advertising Effectiveness (ROAS, Share of Voice, Brand Lift)
- Integrated Brand Communication (IMC): Consistency Across Paid, Owned & Earned Media
- Brand Storytelling: Narrative Frameworks (Hero's Journey, StoryBrand)
Chapter 10 — Legal Protection
- Intellectual Property Law in India: Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights
- Trademark Act 1999: Registration, Infringement, Protection
- Geographical Indication / Designs Act 2000
- Licensing Your Brand
- Digital Brand Protection: Domain Squatting, Social Media Impersonation, Ad Fraud
- Brand Protection in the Age of AI: Deep Fakes, AI-Generated Imitations, Prompt Injection
- Trademark Monitoring: Tools, Watch Services & Enforcement Actions
Chapter 11 — Digital & Social Media Branding
- Digital Brand Building: SEO, Content Marketing, Email, Display, Performance Branding
- Platform Strategy: Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X, WhatsApp — Audience & Brand Fit
- Social Media Marketing & Social Media Branding
- Influencer & Creator Marketing: Tiers, Selection, Authenticity & ROI Measurement
- Community Building & Brand Communities: Discord, WhatsApp Groups, User Forums
- AI-Powered Branding Tools: Generative AI for Content, Image Generation, Personalisation
Chapter 12 — Brand Experience & Customer Centricity
- Brand Experience Design: Physical, Digital & Phygital Touchpoints
- Customer Experience (CX) vs Brand Experience (BX): The Difference & Integration
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) & Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) as Brand Metrics
- D2C Brand Strategy: Building Direct Consumer Relationships
Chapter 13 — Purpose-Driven Branding & Sustainability
- Purpose-Led Brands: Why Values & ESG Have Become Brand Strategy (Tata, Patagonia, Body Shop)
- Cause Marketing & CSR-Brand Integration: Authentic vs Performative (Greenwashing)
- Brand Activism: When Brands Take Stands on Social Issues — Risks & Rewards
- Gen Z & Millennial Consumer: Values Alignment, Authenticity & Anti-Advertising Sentiment
Chapter 14 — Brand Metrics, Analytics & ROI
- Brand Tracking Studies: Awareness, Recall, Consideration, Preference, Usage Funnel
- Marketing Mix Modelling (MMM): Measuring Brand vs Performance Spend
- Social Listening & Sentiment Analysis Tools: Brandwatch, Sprinklr, Meltwater
- Brand Audit: Process, Frameworks & Output (Brand Equity Report)
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