Corporate Branding and Storytelling

Introduction

The course prepares students to analyze and understand corporate branding, its psychological and sociological basis, fundamental concepts, and its role in strategic management. It integrates traditional perspectives of corporate branding with a focus on brand storytelling. Students apply concepts and theories related to developing and managing brand stories.

The course bridges theory and practice, integrating content from lectures and guest speakers with course assignments, case analyses, and small-group exercises. The coursework culminates in a final brand-storytelling project and presentation.  

GRA 6143 Corporate Branding and Storytelling presents a shift in corporate branding strategies that include environmental and social governance issues as one of three "megatrends" causing a paradigm shift in corporate branding. Students examine business cases concentrating on brand authenticity and sustainability themes and investigating brand alignment vis a vis environmental and sustainability corporate values.

Course content

Topics covered:

1. Corporate Branding and Positioning:
   • Brand positioning strategies
   • Brand differentiation.
   • The Vision-Culture-Image (VCI) Alignment Model.
2. Brand Storytelling
   • In the context of changing communication mediums and technologies
   • Elements of a story
   • Maintaining brand positioning and brand equity with brand narratives
3. • Identity and cultural archetypes
   • Determinants of brand personality
4. Corporate Storytellers
   • Business stories
   • Founder stories
   • Customer stories
   • Organizational storytelling
5. Brand Communities
   • Digital communities
   • Customer stories
6. Multiplatform Storytelling
   • Transmedia narratives / multiplatform storytelling

The course includes cases representing diverse corporate branding opportunities and challenges.

Evaluation/Examination

The course evaluation includes a final reflection based in-class activities, specific deliverables, and the student learning process; and a final brand story research paper and presentation. 

Throughout the course, each student will work on a brand. No two students can work on the same brand. 

The research paper demonstrates knowledge of concepts presented in the course and the ability to analyse and assess brand stories and strategically manage brand storytelling. The presentation emphasises communicating the ideas in practice and delivering recommendations.

The report and presentation integrate the key insights from the brand audits, brand analysis, group work and individual assignments developed throughout the semester.