Jay Gronlund has been teaching this engaging and practical 10 week marketing course at NYU’s continued education program since 1999, primarily because he enjoys sharing his experiences with such interested students from the U.S. and abroad (all college graduates, with about half foreigners). There is a case study reflecting real world situations discussed in every class, several created by Gronlund.
Syllabus Description for NYU Course
“Branding is one of the trendiest, hottest concepts in management circles today. Its influence and importance goes beyond marketing,as it effects sales, operations and even engineering. It involves all products, services, corporations, even countries, celebrities like Madonna, and packaging designs. Branding is definitely the heart of marketing. The ultimate challenge is to position and develop a compelling brand that is truly meaningful to consumers and different from competition. The growing intensity of competition around the world is the driving force that makes branding so critical today. Survival will depend on how well a company or product/service is positioned to satisfy important customer needs and especially to distinguish itself from competition. The days of demonstrable product superiority or uniqueness are long gone, so the most valued asset of many companies today is their brand equity. The strategic development and positioning of a brand is vital for long term success, as it becomes the cornerstone for building consumer loyalty, market leadership and profitable growth. It is also the best way to ensure a competitive edge. This discipline of positioning and brand development is a must for managers from every size and type of company, domestic or international, who face the challenge of keeping his/her business truly competitive and growing. Course involves presentations on important marketing principles with frequent reference to well known business situations, plus extensive case study discussion.”
Topics Covered in NYU Positioning/Branding Course
- Overview: Strategic Framework for Positioning
- Fundamentals of Positioning, including the Positioning Statement
- Understanding the Target Consumer and Consumer Insights
- Developing Competitive Brands and Brand Asset Profile
- Ideation and Developing the Brand Personality
- Market Research: Key Issues, Focus Groups and Segmentation
- Brand Names and Brand Line Extensions
- Corporate Identity/Branding and Direct Marketing
- Implications for Marketing Mix and Digital/Online Marketing
- Global Branding
Student Testimonials – Examples of Feedback
“Jay Gronlund’s course has given me such a strong foundation in branding that I was able to start using the principles and tools in my business right away, and saw immediate results. Bringing a wealth of experience and tremendous passion for the subject, Jay creates a dynamic and inspiring learning environment. I left the course not only with a great deal of knowledge, but also with hands-on experience in writing brand positioning statements and marketing proposals, and also learning how to work together in a team context with creative ideation techniques. Jay is truly skilled at drawing out your own creative thinking and guiding you on how to express and structure it in a branding/marketing plan. And he’s put together a wonderful, comprehensive guide book that’s become my reference for anything I do with branding.”
– Kathy (4D Music Inc.), USA
“I had a great experience in class. Your firsthand accounts of branding and marketing work with clients really helped to bring life to the concepts we discussed. I feel much better prepared to help my clients work through many of the challenges they’re facing at this point in the business cycle.”
– Daniel, New York, USA
“I really enjoyed your class. It was a great class. I was very nervous in the beginning of the class since my field is graphic design which is somewhat different, yet related with marketing. but your explanation and case studies really helped me to understgand how to build a brand and positioning the brand.”
– Kue H. Lee (Design & Animatics), So. Korea
“It was a real pleasure to take this course with you. In addition to the great practical insights into the branding field, you can only imagine how much effect your professional encouragement and motivation for everybody within the class had on me and on several other students that I got to know, especially during these challenging times of life shifts.
– Emad Al Muti, Jordan
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