Building Better Brands

Creating and developing an effective brand and brand strategy is critical to the early (and long-term) success of business start-ups and emerging businesses. Whilst it is of course important for start-ups to focus on their business offering and sales channels, it is vital for a new product or service to build and leverage a strong and truly unique brand. Start-ups are in the advantageous situation of being able to strategically define and situate their brand in a unique, differentiating position, helping them to stand out from the (usually crowded and active) competition. On this course, students consider what their new start-up company (product/service) will be known for, and valued for, in the minds and hearts of their customers. This short course aims to help start-ups and entrepreneurs build the foundations for an engaging and compelling brand that will not only differentiate their business and promote their offering within the marketplace, but will convey their new brands essence, its purpose and its promise, express its personality, values, mission and vision, to capture their customers minds and engage audiences. This partly theoretical, partly practice-based course will guide participants to create their start-up branding tool-kit: combining aspects of brand strategy and brand identity design as well as considering basic principles of customer experience and experiential branding. Course outcomes By the end of this short course students will: • Have acquired a better understanding about brand strategy principles, and the whole process of branding. • Have built the premises for a strong and effective brand for their business. • Have identified their brand's core values and purpose and have defined their brand's personality, essence and brand story. • Have defined brand positioning, brand promise, mission and vision. • Investigated the power of words, verbal branding, brand storytelling and strategic messages to promote their business. • Feel more confident about marketing their newly branded (or re-branded) business strategically. • Explored building effective brand communication and engaging content, and how to create compelling conversations, facilitate good customer experiences, and foster strong bonds with audiences.