Post Graduate Diploma in Management

Faculty
Course Name
No of Contact Hours

Sridhar Samu
Brand Management
30

Year/Term
No. of Credits
Duration

Term-4/2015
3
90 minutes.

Overview
Can we even count the number of brands that we interact with on a daily basis? When we
wake up from our branded bed (maybe Norrwood Blonde by Zansaar) and bedsheet (Bombay
Dyeing or Raymonds) and use a Colgate toothbrush/paste and mouth wash by Listerine, and so
on and on till we get back to flossing at night with Colgate, we are surrounded by brands. We see
them on billboards, on TV, on the newspaper, on FB, on web pages till we get saturated! Maybe
we stop noticing them at some point. Do we? If so, how can brands stand out? How can they
differentiate themselves? How can they grow? These are all very relevant questions for anyone
working in the business world.
Brands are ubiquitous, and they are not confined to business. Celebrities and politicians in
India (and abroad) are branded as can be seen in the case of Modi and Rahul Gandhi. There is
also an anti-branding movement (symbolized by Naomi Kleins somewhat dated book No Logo)
and a pro-branding movement symbolized by the book Pro Logo (Chevalier and Mazzalovo).
A brand summarizes an organizations entire marketing effort on behalf of a product or
service. As such, branding has always been important to firms and has generally been dealt with
by the CEOs. Companies have been bought and sold at substantial premiums over the book value
of their physical assets. When Disney bought ABC in 1996, for example, ABC's balance sheet
calculated the company's net worth at $5 billion; Disney paid $19 billion. However, when Tata
bought Jaguar/Land Rover for $2.3 billion, the general consensus was that they paid much less
than the real value of the brand. Of course, this may change depending on what they are able to
do with these brands. (BTW, what have they done with the brand?)
This course is intended for students interested in learning how to build, measure, manage,
and leverage brand equity. As such, it should appeal to many students, not just those in
marketing. Students interested in financial careers should find at least some of the material
relevant: why brands have value, and how those values can be measured to price an M&A
transaction. Students interested in management consulting, business development, and product
development and management should realize that brand management is an important subpractice at most strategy-oriented firms (e.g., BCG, McKinsey). The McKinsey Quarterly
regularly publishes many articles on branding
(http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Marketing/Branding).

About the Instructor

Sridhar Samu (sridhar.s@greatlakes.edu.in) is Associate Professor of Marketing at the Great
Lakes Institute of Management since 2015. He got his Ph.D. in Marketing from Indiana
University in 1996 and has worked in USA/Canada (1996-2006) and at ISB (2006 to 2015). His
research interests are in brand management and consumer information processing.
Course Objectives and Key Take Away
What should you expect to learn by the end of the course? At a minimum, we should be able to
achieve the following:
1. A comprehensive, conceptual framework for thinking about when and why brands
are valuable: Is branding relevant to industrial firms? High-tech firms? Financial
services firms? Answering these questions requires a thorough understanding of the
functions a brand can perform and when those functions are valuable.
2. Tools for measuring brand equity: We will discuss techniques for measuring brand
equity from a consumer perspectivehow consumers perceive the brand--and from a
firms financial perspective: how valuable is a brand financially to the firm?
3. How to build strong brands: Brands are built in essentially two ways: via the product
itself, by its consistent performance over time, or indirectly, via imagery (mostly
marketing communications, but also through other marketing-mix elements like pricing
and distribution). In either case, the goal is to create a distinct brand identity.
4. Strategies for leveraging the equity in brands: We will study the theory behind brand
extensions (vertical and horizontal extensions), co-branding, and whether brand
extensions can hurt or help the parent brand. Brand architecture issues will be examined
as well: umbrella branding, sub-brands, and branded house versus house of brands.
5. Managing brands over time: Managing a brand over time involves developing
strategies for fighting competition from generics and private labels, keeping the brand
fresh and relevant, and growing globally (here we will discuss whether using the same
branding elements worldwide makes sense).
Learning Goals
In addition to the course objectives mentioned above, students should expect to develop the
following by end of the course
1. An appreciation of contemporary patterns of global economic and political changes and
consequences of globalization for emerging markets
2. Critical and Creative Thinking: Each student should be able to analyze and identify key
issues relevant to this course, develop a perspective supported by relevant information
and creative thinking to assess the business situation and draw conclusions.
3. Interpersonal Communication and Working in Teams: each student will demonstrate his
ability to appreciate peer group member view point and work in team environment,
exhibiting a clear understanding of individual roles and tasks, ability to identify and
resolve interpersonal conflicts and contribute in achieving team goals.

Required Text Book: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity (Fourth Edition),
Kevin Lane Keller, Ambi M. G. Parmeswaran, and Issac Jacob, Pearson, 2015: ISBN 978-93325-4220-4)
Additional Readings: There are a large number of books on branding and these should be
available in the library.
Evaluation Components:
Components of Course Evaluation

Percentage Distribution

Class Participation

20%

Quizzes

10% (5 surprise quizzes, each 2%)

Group Project

30%

End-term Examination

40%

Total

100%

Class participation
Class participation is an integral part of this course. Not only does it lead to in class
enrichment and learning, it is also a good motivator to prepare for class. Class participation is
worth 20% of your final grade.
Class participation will be based on the quality of your in-class contribution. In an ideal
world, it should be possible to give all of you full points for participation. But then this is the real
world and we need to have some distribution for the extra hard work by some students (and for
grading also). Since it may be difficult to have opportunities for everyone to express their view
in detail (one option is for me to not talk at all and let the students do all of it, but we will rule
that out!), half of the CP points will be based on contributions/postings on FB. Students are
expected to read brand related news and initiate postings and lead discussions, preferably for the
brand they have chosen for their brand audit. As with anything else, the grading will be based on
the effort by the student (meaning, simple copy/paste is not going to get much credit!). The FB
group is at (https://www.facebook.com/groups/949618525111593/). Please sign up for the
duration of this course as it will be closed at the end of the term. If you prefer not to be on FB
under your own name, please talk to the course instructor to decide on alternate methods.
Quizzes
Shhhhhthey are surprise quizzes and I cannot talk about it! Just read and come prepared to
class.

Group Project
Each team (of 4 members) will research one of the following branding issues, and start work on
the project right after class 2. This will be a completely web based project (blog or FB group).
Each group will have to create a blog/FB group for their topic, create the necessary material on
the pages, and discuss the issues on the blog/FB. It would be great if they could invite other
students and friends and colleagues to comment on the blog/FB and make the process more
interactive. I believe that such interaction can lead to higher learning, not just from completing
the project, but also from discussing and debating the issues involved. The entire project needs to
be completed by the last day of classes. A sample list of topics is given below, all of them
dealing with important questions in product and brand management. Each team will work on one
topic listed below or any other topic on similar lines during the course (need instructor approval).
1. Brand placement in televisions and movies is a key brand building tool in modern day
marketing. What factors influence consumer attitude towards brands through a placement?
Select five brands placed recently in television shows and movies and analyze the
effectiveness of these brand placements in building consumer brand equity.
2. The shampoo market in India was dominated by just few players- HUL, Cavin Kare and P&
G till the introduction of Fiama Di Wills by ITC. Identify the different brands and their
positioning and map them on relevant dimensions. Based on theoretical models of pioneer
and follower brands and the strategy they are supposed to use, does the behavior of these
brands validate this theory? If now, which brands have deviated from the suggested model?
Why do you think they didnt follow the recommended strategy? Did they benefit or lose by
such deviations?
3. Micromax and Lava are popular mobile brands in Indian market. They have also succeeded
in garnering market share. Many brand managers have negated these brands by calling them
cloners. Do cloners do brand building? Are these cloners or cheaper utility brands? How do
you distinguish between a cloner brand and utility brand? How do customers perceive these
brands? Does it differ from that of non-customer perception?
4. The airline industry in India has seen a lot of change since permission was given to private
airlines to operate on domestic and international routes. While Jet and Spice Jet and Indigo
are currently among the larger airlines, there has been number of mergers and takeovers and
rebranding undertaken by a number of airlines. There are also a number of regional airlines
which have tried to differentiate themselves using certain brand associations. Explain the
branding (and acquisition) strategies used by the major airlines as well as the success of such
strategies. Why are there differences in the brand strategy used by Jet versus Indigo versus
Indigo? Based on branding strategies that you have learnt in class, which one would you
recommend and why?
5. Margo, Dettol, and Medimix are popular brands in India in the do good category. How
different are they in their value proposition, positioning and communication. Trace the origin
of these brands in India. What were the initial positioning approaches used by these brands?
Is the differentiation on product or imagery? Why did these brands decide to use these
different approaches? How did competition and other external forces influence the growth of
these brands? Do you agree with the current positioning of these brands? Defend your answer
using the right branding and segmentation principles.

6. We have seen many brands getting launched with much fanfare but after couple of years,
they vanish from the market, where as some other brands are there for decades. What makes
brands to endure and perish, prepare a list of five brands that have perished in last ten years
and another five brands which have enjoyed good market image for last twenty years from
the same category? Evaluate their branding strategy and find out the reasons which made
these brands to perish and others to survive? What alternative strategic direction will you
provide to the brands (may be one from the list) to re-launch and succeed in Indian market.
7. Indian rural market poses a key challenge for many brands. How different is rural market
compared to Indian urban markets? What strategic differentiation is required for a brand to
succeed in Indian rural market? Analyze the success of Life Insurance Corporation of India
in rural markets of India? What key challenges they are facing for rural marketing success?
What are learning lessons for other insurance companies in India?
8. What is personality branding? So many film stars are being treated as brands but what makes
them to perish over a period of time? How do you evaluate Rajnikant or Amitabh Bhahchan
as a brand? What has made this brand to endure for such a long period of time/ develop a
brand building framework for a film personality by taking Rajnikant as a case study?
9. Do social media help in building brands? Does it destroy brands quicker than before? Is it
possible to identify five companies using social media and develop a brand building model?
10. The profile of a video game player is undergoing change. Recent AC Nielsen survey reveals
that 45% gamers are female, with an average age of 35-40 years and household income of
INR 75000. These gamers play social games through Facebook. 62% play due to friends
recommendation. It is also observed that 59% earn and spend virtual currency but only 12%
spend real money to buy virtual currency. The change in demographics of gamers is brought
in by popular social games played on various social media platform like Facebook. These
games can be played with other people online and includes interactive content that can be
shared on line. Social games have generated 1.2 billion revenue in 2012 and the market is
likely to grow. Develop a product concept for a social game, plan its value proposition and
distribution strategy and finally develop a brand communication plan.
11. Kurkure is a popular snack brand in India giving a tough challenge to potato chips brands.
Develop a brand plan with an objective of increasing consumption of Kurkure among its
users. It is found that 85% people eat Kurkure if it is around and 52% enjoy it during
television viewing. Conduct a survey among youth and suggest a brand plan by identifying
(1) category motivation and (2) increased brand consumption.

Exam
The final exam will be application oriented (possibly a case or scenarios). It will be held on
the date allotted by the institute and will be open-book, open-notes
Course Material and Handouts:
Soft copies of course material including case studies will be uploaded in TCS ion (the elearning platform). Hard copies will be distributed prior to the class and will be available at
Resource Center.

Session Wise Topics and Readings:

Session 1

Introduction to the course and Product Positioning

Reading Material
Pre Reading

Course syllabus
Watch: Building Strong Brands (Parts 1 and 2)
Identifying New Product Development Best Practice (BH 480)
Clean Edge Razor: Splitting Hairs in Product Positioning (HBS 4249)
Complete Excel Spread Sheet before class
What changes are occurring in the non-disposable razor category? Assess
Paramounts competitive position. What are the strategic life cycle challenges for
Paramounts current products as well as for Clean Edge?
How is the non-disposable market segmented? Examine consumer behavior for nondisposable razors.
What are the arguments for launching Clean Edge as (a) Niche product, and (b) a
mainstream product? Which would you recommend? What are the strategic
implications of your recommendation?
Based on your positioning strategy, what brand name and marketing budget
allocations would you advise.

Case Title

Session 2

Brands and consumers

Reading Material

Keller, Parameswaran, and Jacob (KPJ), Chapters 1-2

The Top Seven Characteristics of Successful brands (DeMers, Forbes, 2013)

Session 3

Brand Equity and Decision Making/Branding a commodity

Reading Material

Keller, Parameswaran, and Jacob (KPJ), Chapters 1-2

Additional Reading

India Knowledge at Wharton: Global Yogurt Franchises Attempt to Brand a

Homemade Indian Staple (June 28, 2012)
How to Brand Sand? Hill, McGrath, and Dayal. Marketing, Media, and Sales (1998)
Hindustan Lever (Abridged) (Tuck)

Case Title

What is the role of brand in marketing salt? How has Kissan Annapurna evolved
over time? Why did it have to evolve this way?
What are commodities? What are brands? How can we brand a commodity? Why
should we brand a commodity? What commodities can be branded? Why?

Sessions 4 and 5

Building a Brand

Reading Material

KPJ, Chapters 4, 5, and 6

Additional Reading

What Pepsi can learn from McDonalds, Jenkins, WSJ (2012)

Case Title

Diet Pepsi online at:

http://www.cassies.ca/caselibrary/winners/02_Pepsi.pdf
Creemore Springs (Ivey)
What is Diet Pepsi trying to do in branding terms?
Contrast the Creemore Springs approach to brand-building with Diet Pepsis. What
are the differences? Why did they have to use this approach? What else could they
have done?

Session 6

Global Branding

Reading Material

KPJ, Chapter 14

Additional Reading

Mahindra and Tesla, WSJ, 2015

Case Title

Lenovo: Building a Global Brand

Why did IBM want to sell its PC business? Why did IBM sell to Lenovo?
What explains Lenovos success prior to the acquisition?
What challenges did Lenovo face after the acquisition?
How should Lenovo handle the brand management challenges associated with the
acquisition?

Session 7

Luxury Brands

Reading Material

Luxury Brands: Keep the dream alive by maintaining exclusivity: Marketing Week

Case Title

Vertu: Nokias Luxury Mobile Phone for the Urban Rich

Vertu has been fairly successful in using a standardized branding approach to promote
Vertu around the world. Should this approach be changed considering the unique
customer preferences in Asia and the Middle East? What kinds of risks are associated
with market adaptation?
The Vertu brand is currently closely tied to Frank Nuovo Vertus founder, principal
designer, and one of the key brand spokespersons. Do you foresee any potential
problems with this marketing approach? If yes, what should Vertu do?
Counterfeiting is a big issue in the mobile phone market. Companies can now put
together a mobile phone easily and inexpensively using ready-made chip-set
solution from Taiwans Media-Tek. Should Vertu be concerned about this problem?
Should Nokia acquire any of Vertus competitors? Why or why not?

Sessions 8 and 9

The Strategic Value of Branding/Ingredient Branding

Reading Material

KPJ, Chapter 7

Additional Reading

Can GE Make Lexan as Famous as Teflon, WSJ, 2003

Case Title

Inside Intel Inside (HBS)

What was the motivation behind the original Intel Inside campaign? What was the
effect of the Intel Inside campaign on how consumers made decisions in the PC
marketplace? From the point of view of the PC makers, does the Intel Inside
campaign make sense?

Sessions 10 and 11

Measuring brand equity

Reading Material

KPJ, Chapters 9-10

Case Title

Tata Tea Limited (A) (INSEAD)

How much should Tata Tea offer for the Tetley brand? You will have to compute
the value of the Tetley brand in group before the class.

Session 12

Guest Speaker

Reading Material

TBA

Sessions 13 and 14

Leveraging brand equity

Reading Material

KPJ, Chapter 12, then Chapter 11

Case Title

Mountain Man Brewing Company

How serious is the problem in the MMBC do-nothing scenario? Can it be
quantified and projected to 2010? What is Chris considering doing and what factors
will he have to align to be successful? What goal should MMBC have?
What has made MMBC successful? What distinguishes it from competition?
Which of these enabled MMBC to create a strong brand? How did they do it?
What has caused MMBCs decline in spite of having a strong brand? Is this a case of
product maturity or brand maturity or neither?
Should MMBC introduce a light beer? Explain whether this would work and what
are the positives and negatives of introducing light beer.
Is Mountain Man Light feasible for MMBC?
Should MMBC launch the light beer or consider any other option for growth?

Sessions 15 and 16

Brand extensions, co-branding and brand architecture

Reading Material

KPJ, Chapter 12, then Chapter 11

Case Title

Splash Corporation (A): Competing with the Big Brands

How should Splash protect and grow the Max-Peel brand, given the campaign to
discredit it and other exfoliants? Can they leverage their brand strength and, if so,
how?
How should Splash protect and grow the Biolink brand, given the new green papaya
products launched by the competitors. Briefly comment on the potential to leverage
this brand in the market.
How should the overall Splash brand respond to the low-cost alternative products
appearing on the market from China and Taiwan and from Philippine retailers?
What prospects does Splash have for expanding its hair care brands, and how should
the company go about doing this? What strengths should be leveraged?
Overall, suggest a brand architecture for Splash that incorporates all their current
brands and identify potential new brands that could be introduced. Specifically,
Splash was considering two possible offerings to the market, Vitress and Barrio
Fiesta (described below). Which one should they select based on your analysis of the
Splash brand and its brand architecture. One or both or neither? Explain.
Vitress
Behold the transformation of your dull,
dry and damaged hair with Vitress Hair
Solutions products. It is scientifically
formulated to address the specific
needs of your hair. Vitress protects
your hair against harsh environmental
elements that may damage hair making
it dull, dry, frizzy and unmanageable.
Each unique product is enhanced with
vitamins, minerals and natural
moisturizers to nourish your hair.

Session 17

Barrio Fiesta
Celebrate Filipino taste with Barrio
Fiesta in bagoong, canned meals,
condiments, fruit preserves, mixes,
bottled sauted shrimp paste, and
pancit canton products. Ideally suited
for the Filipino palate, this range of
natural food products will satisfy all
lovers of good food at a reasonable
price. Available in all grocery stores
country-wide

Fighting generics and private-label brands, Rebranding

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Additional Reading

Amazon Private Label, WSJ 2015

Case Title

Branding Yoga
What value has the branding of Yoga created?
How has value been created? By whom? For Whom?
What is your evaluation of the different branding models?
Which model is sustainable? Competitively proofed?

Sessions 18/19/20

Emerging topics in branding

Student presentations

ATTENDANCE
Regularity in Attendance
Regular attendance is considered extremely important in the PGDM program. All students
therefore, must attend classes regularly. The relative deduction of grade points due to shortage of
attendance is explained in the table below. Students having attendance of less than 60%
(irrespective of medical certificates) shall not be permitted to appear for the examination in that
term/academic year and will be given an F grade for the course.
The Institute uses biometric attendance for recording attendance of students. In the event of two
continuous sessions, students are required to punch twice at the beginning of each session if there
is a break in between the sessions.
The classroom doors will be closed within 5 minutes of starts for each session. Student
attendance will be a component while grading them for the course. If the instructor wishes to
take physical attendance along with the biometric attendance, they will communicate the same in
the class. In this case also biometric attendance will be the official record (and not the physical
attendance) for the course. Instructors have been advised to report about habitual absentees
(habitual absentee is defined as students absent in the class for more than three classes
consecutively).
Unauthorized absence from class/institute will be considered a breach of discipline and the
Institute will be free to take appropriate action in such cases as is deemed necessary. The same
student will be asked to face the disciplinary committee. Students will not be given any
attendance for any committee-related activities which warrants them to absent themselves from
the class. They are required to undertake all committee-related work outside class hours.
Under extraordinary circumstances, students may obtain leave of absence under the following
rules and procedures:

Prior permission of the Director, PGDM must be obtained for availing of leave. Students are
not permitted to go out of station during the terms. In the event of students visiting their local
guardian for overnight stay, they must inform the Director, PGDM and admin office (Officer
in charge of hostels) and only travel after receiving a proper gate pass. If a student is noticed
to be out of station for overnight without any intimation to the Director, PGDM, disciplinary
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action will be taken against him/her to the extent of debarring the student from appearing in
the examinations.

In case of sickness, medical certificate issued and/or countersigned by the doctor along with
the prescribed application form must be submitted to the PGDM Office within 3 days of
joining classes after illness. No student shall be allowed to join the program unless he/she
presents a medical fitness certificate duly endorsed by a Medical Officer of the designated
hospital only. No medical certificates from doctors other than the Institute approved hospital
will be entertained.

The Institute's approved hospitals Medical Officers will issue medical certificates only in
case of diagnosed illness where they are convinced that the student is too ill to attend classes.
These include hospitalization, communicable diseases (chicken-pox, jaundice and typhoid)
and accidental injuries (fractures, deep traumas).

For grounds other than sickness, leave will be allowed to students in exceptional
circumstances based on the genuineness of the case by the PGDM Director. However no
compensatory attendance and examination will be held for the period of leave. Students will
be awarded grades on the basis of their attendance level and performance only in the classes
for which they were present. Before applying for leave to the Director, PGDM, a student
should contact his/her course instructors to ensure that he/she is not missing any quizzes or
examinations during the leave period.

The PGDM Office or the faculty concerned will not be responsible for the student losing any
segment of evaluation on account of his/her leave. No compensatory opportunity will be
given for quizzes and other class room based components on account of leave of any kind.

Attendance and Performance Grade Penalty

Each student is expected to attend a minimum of 80% of class sessions in each course. The
grade penalty will be imposed on all the students who do not meet the minimum 80% attendance
requirements in each course in the following manner:
Attendance of Student
More than or equal to 70% but less than 80%
More than or equal to 60% but less than 70%
Less than 60%

Performance Grade Penalty

One grade drop (e.g. from A+ to A)
Two grade drop (e.g. from A+ to A-)
F grade will be awarded

If a student gets D grade in a particular course and also gets a grade drop due to attendance
shortage, 'D' will automatically become an 'F' grade.
If a student fails to meet the specified attendance requirement, his/her grade in the respective
course(s) would be lowered by the Director PGDM in accordance with the grade penalty rules
laid down above.
Attendance Grades
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Students will receive their attendance grades in the form of letter grades along with their
performance grades. The final transcript will carry attendance letter grades and their
interpretations as following
90% and above- A grade
80% and above up to 90%- B grade
70% and above up to 80%- C grade
60% and above up to 70%- D grade
Below 60% - I (Incomplete grade.)
Exiting and Entering
Students are expected to remain in the classroom, be mentally alert, and participate in the class
proceedings for the duration. If a student must leave early for unavoidable reasons, that student
should obtain permission from the professor before the class begins. Leaving and re-entering the
class is not permitted, except under extraordinary circumstances. Faculty members may cross
check the attendance and if a student is found absent in the class, the case will be sent to
discipline committee and actions will be taken by the committee.
Norms of Behavior
Students should demonstrate respect for Faculty and fellow students. Respectful behavior
contributes to the enhanced learning experience. Students should refrain from disruptive
behavior such as eating, using laptops, and holding side-conversations. Using laptops during is
allowed only on the instruction of the professor. If necessary, the students are expected to seek
redress for grievances at a proper forum instead of seeking an immediate solution.
All grievances may be addressed to the PGDM Director or respective functional heads and in his
absence, to the Associate Dean. In such cases, a copy should be marked to the above.
Respect the Facilities
Students are expected to help maintain chairs, display screen, desktop computers, LCDs, tables,
window curtains and electrical fittings in good usable condition and not damage them or render
them useless. Students are expected not to destroy the classroom ambience. The cost of damage,
loss or theft on account of students will be recovered from them. When this cannot be attributed
to one student, the cost will be recovered from an identifiable group of which the individual is a
part or from the entire batch. Students are expected to use cans to dispose of trash. They are also
encouraged to remove defacing or unclean material voluntarily.
Essentially, students should always use proper reporting and escalating mechanisms for concerns
and issues. Under no circumstances should students take matters into their own hands. Students
are expected to use only the students dining hall for dining. Classrooms or any of the other
administrative or academic areas shall not be used for dining.

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Great Lakes Institute of Management has adopted the principle of preserving the environment.
Therefore, it tries to inculcate in the minds of its students and staff, a sense of being one with
nature causing no harm anytime, anywhere, and under any circumstances which will result in
damage to the environment.
Smoking, chewing tobacco and drinking alcohol in and around the premises is strictly prohibited.
Severe penalties will accrue to those students caught violating this.
Use of Laptops in the class
Use of laptops in the class is strictly prohibited during class hours, unless specifically authorized
by the Faculty or the Academic Administration.
Biometric Readers:
Bio-metric readers are installed for attendance in class rooms. Students must register their
attendance using only these devices.

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