... Executive Education Programs for Individuals Topic-Focused Programs Creating Brand Value Teaching Team

... Topic-Focused Programs Creating Brand Value Teaching Team

Upcoming Session
(1 of 1)

Status: Accepting Applications

Dates: 17–20 APR 2024
Format: In-Person Learning takes place on the HBS campus or a designated location.
Location: HBS Campus
Fee: $11,250

The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals.

Admissions Criteria and Process

participants sitting around a small table during a study group session in the McArthur hall lounge

Marketing & Sales Comparison Chart

Compare programs at-a-glance to find what's right for you.

Need Help? Contact Us:

Program Advising team

Email: executive_education@hbs.edu

Marketing & Sales Comparison Chart

Compare programs at-a-glance to find what's right for you.

Need Help? Contact Us:

Program Advising team

Email: executive_education@hbs.edu

Summary

Consumer brands are one of the most valuable sources of sustainable competitive advantage, but managing brands and achieving their full potential has never been more difficult. Today's consumers are increasingly diverse, are skeptical of marketing, and are empowered by digital technologies that easily connect them to others who share their tastes. To take full advantage of these trends, brand managers must be able to strengthen their brand through stories that spark conversations—capturing attention, generating engagement, and providing relevant meaning.

This program will build the cultural and relationship prowess today's business-to-consumer (B2C) brand managers need. You will explore branding as a collective and collaborative meaning-making process among firms, consumers, and other cultural producers, acquiring new ability to craft, communicate, and manage brands in ways that nurture relationships and create value for both consumers and your business.

Summary

Key Benefits

Through real-life examples of how B2C companies and their marketers are creating brand value, you will expand your understanding of today's branding challenges and discover best practices for designing, curating, and managing successful brands.

DetailsExpand All Collapse All

Establish brands that resonate with today's consumers Establish brands that resonate with today's consumers

Evaluate brands from the consumer's point of view to uncover their sources of value
Employ effective brand storytelling
Capitalize on brand influencers
Create, crowdsource, and manage brand communities
Build brand loyalty and optimize your customer relationships
Ensure consumers are allies, not adversaries

Design brand strategy and manage brands for maximum value Design brand strategy and manage brands for maximum value

Compete more successfully by evolving and repositioning existing brands
Respond effectively to competing brands entering the market
Expand your brand's profitably
Develop an effective brand portfolio strategy
Manage brand risk

Leverage a brand as a significant corporate asset Leverage a brand as a significant corporate asset

Determine the value of a brand
Invest in brands and evaluate the ROI of branding
Build sustainable competitive advantage through branding

Build your personal brand and expand your personal and professional network Build your personal brand and expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with executives from various backgrounds and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions
Develop a strong personal brand

Key Benefits

Details

Establish brands that resonate with today's consumers

Evaluate brands from the consumer's point of view to uncover their sources of value
Employ effective brand storytelling
Capitalize on brand influencers
Create, crowdsource, and manage brand communities
Build brand loyalty and optimize your customer relationships
Ensure consumers are allies, not adversaries

Design brand strategy and manage brands for maximum value

Compete more successfully by evolving and repositioning existing brands
Respond effectively to competing brands entering the market
Expand your brand's profitably
Develop an effective brand portfolio strategy
Manage brand risk

Leverage a brand as a significant corporate asset

Determine the value of a brand
Invest in brands and evaluate the ROI of branding
Build sustainable competitive advantage through branding

Build your personal brand and expand your personal and professional network

Extend your network by living and working with executives from various backgrounds and countries across the globe
Build relationships with a diverse group of peers who can provide wide-ranging insights into your business challenges and career decisions
Develop a strong personal brand

Who Should Attend

Mid to senior-level marketing executives charged with creating, nurturing, and managing brand value
Entrepreneurs who want to create or grow their own brands in the consumer/retail space
Consumer and retail sector general managers engaged in growth strategy
CEOs, CMOs, and other senior leaders who recognize the asset value of their brands and want to invest in them

This program welcomes individuals or teams. Attendance by multiple company representatives will foster collaboration and amplify the program's impact. Intact teams of 3-5 individuals will have the opportunity to work together during the program if they so choose.

Program for Leadership Development participants earn 3 PLDA Points on completion of this program.

Dive Deeper into the Experience

See how exchange with faculty and peers yields new insights into critical business trends.

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Who Should Attend

Mid to senior-level marketing executives charged with creating, nurturing, and managing brand value
Entrepreneurs who want to create or grow their own brands in the consumer/retail space
Consumer and retail sector general managers engaged in growth strategy
CEOs, CMOs, and other senior leaders who recognize the asset value of their brands and want to invest in them

Program for Leadership Development participants earn 3 PLDA Points on completion of this program.

Dive Deeper into the Experience

See how exchange with faculty and peers yields new insights into critical business trends.

Thrive in a learning environment that welcomes diverse ideas and perspectives.

Global perspectives > Leadership growth > Organizational impact.

Learning and Living at HBS

When you participate in an Executive Education program on the HBS campus, you enter an immersive experience where every aspect of the learning model has been carefully designed to facilitate your growth. Your learning will take place on your own, in your living group, and in the larger classroom, driven by the renowned HBS case method.

Review Our Campus Health & Safety Protocols

Learning and Living at HBS

Review Our Campus Health & Safety Protocols

Admissions Criteria and Process

We admit candidates to specific sessions on a rolling, space-available basis, and encourage you to apply as early as possible. Although most programs have no formal educational requirements, admission is a selective process based on your professional achievement and organizational responsibilities.

Answering Your Questions

Our Program Advising team can help you at any stage of the admissions process—starting with identifying the program that best addresses your learning and development goals. Contact a program advisor via email or call 1.800.427.5577 (outside the U.S., call +1.617.495.6555).

Application Submission

We recommend that you apply at least four weeks before the program start date. You may use our online form or download an application. HBS maintains all application information in strict confidentiality. We acknowledge receipt of applications via email. In the unlikely event that you do not receive an acknowledgment, please email us at exed_admissions@hbs.edu or call us at +1.617.495.6226.

Application Review

To optimize the learning experience and maximize the exchange of ideas, our Admissions Committee makes selections that balance each participant's experience, scope of current responsibilities, and type of organization. HBS seeks candidates who reflect a broad range of industries, functions, countries, and backgrounds. We review applications monthly and will contact you via email with the Admissions Committee's decision.

Fee, Payment, and Cancellations

The program fee covers tuition, books, case materials, accommodations, and most meals. You will be invoiced upon admission to the program. Invoices are due within 30 days of receipt, or upon receipt if the program start date is less than 30 days from the invoice date. If you need to cancel or defer your participation, you must submit your request in writing more than 30 days before the start of the program to receive a full refund. Cancellation or deferral requests received 14 to 30 days prior to the start of the program are subject to a fee of one-half of the program fee. Requests received within 14 days are subject to full payment.

Admissions Criteria and Process

Answering Your Questions

Application Submission

Application Review

Fee, Payment, and Cancellations

What You Will Learn

Through a rich learning experience that includes faculty presentations, interactive case study discussions in the classroom and in small groups, and reflective exercises, you and an exceptional group of peers will explore diverse aspects of branding today. You will engage in a holistic examination of the nature of brands and how they create meaning and value for consumers, incorporating insights from psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, religion, economics, and, of course, marketing. Cases will examine both regionally-focused and global brands.

The program will provide ample time for individual reflection or strategy meetings, in which you can work on your own or with other members of your organization to articulate key take-aways and create an action plan.

What You Will Learn

Key TopicsExpand All Collapse All

The value of brands The value of brands

Understanding how brands create value for consumers and for businesses
Using brands as a source of sustainable competitive advantage
Improving brand positioning
Exploring the role of brands in the contemporary marketplace
Identifying the forces making brands more or less relevant to today's consumers
Analyzing the relationship between brands and shareholder value
Calculating the return on investment (ROI) of branding

Brand storytelling Brand storytelling

Building, maintaining, and measuring consumer-based brand equity
Using consumer research to inform brand strategy
Crafting an effective brand story
Co-creating brand meaning alongside customers
Using cultural branding techniques to craft resonant brand narratives that connect to culture
Creating immersive customer experiences
Navigating the relationship between brands, social issues, and activism

Brand management Brand management

Identifying opportunities and challenges associated with brand extensions that bring the brand across geographic, product category, and customer target market lines
Repositioning brands to increase their effectiveness
Designing brand portfolio strategy and brand architecture to maximize value across a suite of brands
Developing a global branding strategy and introducing brands to a global audience
Preventing loss of brand equity
Maintaining consumers' trust and loyalty during times of brand crisis

Consumer brand relationships, influencers, and brand communities Consumer brand relationships, influencers, and brand communities

Building and nurturing brand loyalty
Negotiating customer interactions via a customer relationship management (CRM) tool
Understanding the role of brand communities, the value they provide, and the risks they present
Building brands through influencer marketing and celebrity branding

Key Topics

The value of brands

Understanding how brands create value for consumers and for businesses
Using brands as a source of sustainable competitive advantage
Improving brand positioning
Exploring the role of brands in the contemporary marketplace
Identifying the forces making brands more or less relevant to today's consumers
Analyzing the relationship between brands and shareholder value
Calculating the return on investment (ROI) of branding

Brand storytelling

Building, maintaining, and measuring consumer-based brand equity
Using consumer research to inform brand strategy
Crafting an effective brand story
Co-creating brand meaning alongside customers
Using cultural branding techniques to craft resonant brand narratives that connect to culture
Creating immersive customer experiences
Navigating the relationship between brands, social issues, and activism

Brand management

Identifying opportunities and challenges associated with brand extensions that bring the brand across geographic, product category, and customer target market lines
Repositioning brands to increase their effectiveness
Designing brand portfolio strategy and brand architecture to maximize value across a suite of brands
Developing a global branding strategy and introducing brands to a global audience
Preventing loss of brand equity
Maintaining consumers' trust and loyalty during times of brand crisis

Consumer brand relationships, influencers, and brand communities

Building and nurturing brand loyalty
Negotiating customer interactions via a customer relationship management (CRM) tool
Understanding the role of brand communities, the value they provide, and the risks they present
Building brands through influencer marketing and celebrity branding

Special Program FeaturesExpand All Collapse All

Brand Storytelling Workshop Brand Storytelling Workshop

Members of Second City, the world's premier comedy club, comedy theater, and school of improvisation, will guide you and your peers through a series of interactive exercises designed to help you practice and perfect brand storytelling.

Personal Branding Workshop Personal Branding Workshop

In this exercise focused on leveraging program learnings to create your own personal brand,you will learn to be more strategic and intentional about defining and communicating your personal value proposition and managing your reputation.

Breakfast Discussions with Special Guests Breakfast Discussions with Special Guests

Panelists drawn from a range of premier global brands will engage in a facilitated discussion of topics relevant to each day's themes.

Special Program Features

Brand Storytelling Workshop

Personal Branding Workshop

Breakfast Discussions with Special Guests

Panelists drawn from a range of premier global brands will engage in a facilitated discussion of topics relevant to each day's themes.

The HBS Advantage

Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.

Faculty Chair

Jill J. Avery

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Marketing

Read Full Bio

Faculty

Sunil Gupta

Edward W. Carter Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Marketing

Read Full Bio

Ayelet Israeli

Marvin Bower Associate Professor

HBS Unit:

Marketing

Read Full Bio

Michael Moynihan

Executive Fellow, Harvard Business School

Read Full Bio

The HBS Advantage: Our Executive Education programs are developed and taught by HBS faculty who are widely recognized as skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.

Faculty Chair

Jill J. Avery

Senior Lecturer of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Marketing

Read Full Bio

Faculty

Sunil Gupta

Edward W. Carter Professor of Business Administration

HBS Unit:

Marketing

Read Full Bio

Ayelet Israeli

Marvin Bower Associate Professor

HBS Unit:

Marketing

Read Full Bio

Michael Moynihan

Executive Fellow, Harvard Business School

Read Full Bio