Applying branding principles to grow a brandThis assignment builds on Course Objectives and draws on the knowledge you have gainedon how brands grow. You need to incorporate feedback from the first report and in this finalreport you will also consider if COVID had any effect on the brand’s ability to build mentalavailability or physical availability. Evidence-based recommendations are required to set twolong-term strategies to grow the brand. All students continue with their critique on the brandallocated for individual assessment purposes.Overview: You are responsible for setting brand strategies and need to expand your view ofthe brand to consider all topics covered in the course.Part One: Category overview and Brand Performance (estimate 700 words):1A Your first task is to identify the key brands operating within the category any note anychanges to consumer behaviour that have occurred and if these are temporary or ongoing.Highlight any category factors that require consideration, showing their relevance to growingyour brand.Summarise consumer demand for your category. Draw on industry reports to explain ifdemand for the category has increased, decreased or remained at the same level sinceCOVID. Identify any category factors that inform your brand’s growth strategy. Draw onmultiple sources of information to explain category sales in Australia and/or globally. Use thefollowing questions as discussion ideas when considering areas to review for yourbrand/sector in this section.– What are the main issues for brand management in the category? Has this changed due toCOVID?– Has consumer demand or how the product is bought changed?– Are all consumers and brands facing the same challenges or opportunities for growth?– Is there any evidence to suggest your brand’s market share has changed? If so, would it haveincreased or decreased recently?Provide evidence to support your views and incorporate at least one marketing law-likepattern in your overview of the category and to identify key competitors for your brand.Highlight the main challenges or opportunities for growth uncovered from your review.1B Now consider the brand’s long-term challenges and opportunities post COVID. Potentialareas to discuss where relevant include:– Are there any new brand entrants that are likely to stay or opportunities for others to enterthe market?– Are there any brands likely to permanently leave the sector?– Are there any long-term opportunities arising from category disruption during COVID?– What is needed to grow the brand in the long-term?Conclude by highlighting two competitor brands you will review alongside your brand withthe rationale for their selection. List any long-term challenges and opportunities for thesector to that affect the ability of your brand to grow.Part Two: Identify how to grow Mental Availability post COVID (estimate 500 words):Draw on feedback received from your report on how brands build Mental Availability toanalyse how your allocated brand has maintained or built its Mental Availability in the pastyear. Choose two competitors to compare and contrast to your brand’s efforts.2A Provide a brief overview of marketing efforts of the brand to build Mental Availability,critique efforts against evidence on how to grow brands (refer to examples in your appendixof what the brand has communicated in Australia and globally during COVID). Repeat thisanalysis for two other brands and draw on course concepts to explain whether you expecttheir Mental Availability to have remained at the same level, to have grown or to havedeclined. Justify your conclusion.2B Prioritise messaging for the brand post COVID. Justify your views. Apply the frameworkshown in the course text: How Brands Grow, Part 2, page 71 (Figure 4.2) to generatepotential CEPs for the category. Note which CEPs were being build pre or during COVID-19. Conclude with a reduced list that you would recommend as the priority for building MAof your brand.2C Provide a summary of potential Distinctive Assets for your brand (group by asset type)recommended for testing with consumers. Briefly discuss the use of Distinctive Assets inadvertising by the brand before COVID and in the past year. Include a table comparing typesof Distinctive Assets used by your brand with two other competitors. Prioritise the types ofDistinctive Assets to invest in for the brand. Explain your reasoning and support byincorporating course concepts on how Distinctive Assets can help build Mental Availability.Part Three: Identify how to grow Physical Availability post COVID (estimate 450words):3. Provide an overview of marketing efforts of the brand to build Physical Availability,critique efforts against evidence on what is needed to build all three aspects (Presence,Relevance/Portfolio Management and Prominence). Add in details gained from your researchof the brand in the appendix. Discuss whether the brand’s Physical Availability is similarglobally (where relevant) and if any changes occurred in the past year. Repeat this analysisfor two other brands and draw on course concepts to explain whether you expect theirPhysical Availability to have remained at the same level, to have grown or to have declined.Conclude by highlighting areas where change is needed to grow the brand’s PhysicalAvailability. Justify your conclusion.Part Four: Discuss Ethical Brand Considerations (estimate 300 words):4. Discussion on ethical brand management you perceive as relevant when setting strategiesto grow your brand. Potential areas to discuss are:– Does your brand, or the category, have ethical issues to consider when setting orimplementing strategies to grow the brand? For example, marketing to children or vulnerablegroups, or marketing products/services that are highly regulated by governments?– Did your brand or others in their category modify product offerings, pricing or policiesduring COVID?– Did they partner with government or non-profits to help society in other ways, if so, drawon course concepts to discuss if this is likely to have changed consumer behaviour?Part Five: Recommendations (estimate 300 words):Conclude with two strategic recommendations specific to your brand that support its growthin the next five years. Ensure your recommendations draw on course concepts and logicallyconclude from points discussed earlier in the report. Include specific metrics suggested toevaluate the success of each strategy.Length: 2250 words, plus a minimum of 15 references and 15 brand examples. There is no‘magic number’ of articles or references to use but any claims you make require sources tostrengthen your argument. Use the submission template and add headings, because this willprovide clarity in the assignment.Use the UniSA library Referencing Roadmap resource to check that you have used thecorrect Harvard referencing format before submitting. Ensure that you are familiar withAcademic Integrity polices and submit assignments that show your own thinking and theability to apply course knowledge to specific branding scenarios.I am expecting that the understanding of the issues in your assignment will reflect your priorexposure to marketing ideas in previous courses. In other words, the expected level is higherthan that for a new marketing student. I also expect that you will draw on the course text,eReadings and lecture content when discussing concepts.Marking Criteria for Assignment1. Ability to source, evaluate and integrate relevant and appropriate information sources.2. Ability to analyse a brand and identify concepts related to brand management.3. Creativity and completeness in developing suitable recommendations (addresses all taskelements and represents original contribution)4. Application of relevant course knowledge to develop strategies for long-term growth of thebrand.5. Ability to develop a logical argument and present it in a way that the audience is persuadedit’s the best solution.6. Presents ideas succinctly (efficiently) and professionally – style that is audienceappropriate; correct language choices; use of Harvard referencing.
