Learning outcomes

The course aims at introducing students to the comprehension of corporate identity and business ethics notions both in their theoretical components and in their practical implications.
The broader framework is that of finding the most correct and effective ways companies can follow to manage their relationships with external audiences in a long run perspective.
With regard to corporate identity, the main focus will be on brand as a catalyst of company identity and image.
As for business ethics, special consideration will be devoted to practical issues and the subsequent models and tools.

Program

Corporate Module
Brand is nowadays one of the most valuable assets companies can leverage to differentiate their output in the tremendous offerings variety consumers are facing.
In the post-modern era, where great ideologies and value systems are drawing back, people interact with brands to build, express or at least integrate their identity.
Brands therefore act as a resource consumers can deal with, both on intellectual and on emotional level, to address their identity needs.
Brand, finally, can be viewed as one of the most important social texts in contemporary culture. As such, for its formal and substantive features, it is an essential sense-making device in our society.

To explore such issues, this course provides relevant and upto-date theories, concepts, techniques, and models in branding. The course will interweave lectures, case discussions, guest speakers, and group projects.
Moreover, this course relies on a variety of learning resources; in particolar, beside the textbook, a lot of documents, additional readings, web sites links and materials are made available in the e-learning platform so as to make the course a rich experience in terms of knowledge acquisition.

Corporate module aims are:
- understand the rationales of brand relevance, both from firm and consumer point of view
- understand branding sociological and psychological background
- understand the brand meaning building process
- acquire brand elements and their working modes
- know stages and activities involved in brand design
- become familiar with the most recent branding approaches and future trends in branding

After examining some introductory topics, the specific contents are organized in three main sections: brand under standing, brand building and brand management.
Brand leadership and Brand equity
Marketing Institutionalization
Evolution of Marketing
Modern and Post-Modern Era
Post-Modernity & Marketing
Consumer personality and consumption choices
Brand as a Text / Sign
UNDERSTANDING: BRAND ALPHABET
Brand origin and Brand definition
Brand structure and operating mechanisms
Brand Personality, Identity, Image and Reputation
Anatomy of the Brand: values, brand elements and brand associations
BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BRAND
Challenges in Brand building
Brand Positioning and Perceptioning
Storytelling
Iconic Brand
Lovemarks
Neurobranding / Behavioral branding
Future approaches:
Affiliation and Customer Advocacy
The speaking brand
Human touch
Humankind
Age of You and Wikibrand
BRAND MANAGEMENT
Brand Architecture: Branded house and House of brands
Brand Extension
Brand Portfolio

Brand & Happiness

(The need for) Marketing reform
CIEI Manifesto 2015/16

Examination Methods

The exam will be passed after an oral colloquium.

Textbook:
L. Minestroni, Manuale della marca, Fausto Lupetti Editore, Bologna, 2010

Teaching materials e documents

•   A cosa serve studiare - M. Nussbaum   (pdf, it, 86 KB, 25/09/15)
•   Brand con integrità - T. Tyrell   (pdf, it, 351 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Carta Valori Humanistic Marketing   (pdf, it, 1520 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Contro gli esperti - F. Bolelli   (pdf, it, 583 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Culture of Candor - Bennis, O'Toole   (pdf, it, 2515 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Customer Advocacy - Brand Autopsy   (pdf, it, 94 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Death and transfiguration - The Economist   (pdf, it, 107 KB, 29/09/15)
•   Different Human touch - Y. Moon   (pdf, it, 899 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Different Intro - Y. Moon   (pdf, it, 76 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Far parlare il prodotto - G. Soda   (pdf, it, 203 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Five ways branding is changing   (pdf, it, 57 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Futuro della marca - F. Fornezza   (pdf, it, 323 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Idea aziendalista dello studio   (pdf, it, 366 KB, 25/09/15)
•   Il mondo di ieri - S. Zweig   (pdf, it, 2741 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Lessons from Cultural Icons   (pdf, it, 603 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Loyalty beyond reason in Milan - K. Roberts   (pdf, it, 226 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Manuale visual identity Policolor Orgachim   (pdf, it, 9009 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Marca postmoderna - A. Semprini   (pdf, it, 174 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Mary Poppins vs. Socrate   (pdf, it, 611 KB, 25/09/15)
•   Perils of Best Practice - McKinsey   (pdf, it, 164 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Scordate il web - J. Franzen   (pdf, it, 186 KB, 25/09/15)
•   Scrivere per il brand - L. Carrada   (pdf, it, 1311 KB, 23/11/15)
•   The story behind Lovemarks - K. Roberts   (msword, it, 42 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Troppo presto per non sperare - R. Solnit   (pdf, it, 2439 KB, 23/11/15)
•   Viva il presente - S. Pinker   (pdf, it, 1332 KB, 23/11/15)