Conduct an analytical essay of a brand and its sources of equity

Word Count: 1500 words (+/- 10%)

This assignment is designed to allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the course material and your ability to apply it to a real-life example. Your assignment is to select a brand from the list

provided and conduct an analysis of the equity of that brand. With the use of appropriate academic   models and concepts, and with supporting evidence, the goal is to analyse the brand, critiquing what has been done, and suggesting changes and ideas for improvement.

To achieve this, you should assess its sources of brand equity and suggest ways to improve and leverage that brand equity.

You need to select a brand from the list below. The assignment should be based entirely on

information from public or secondary sources, company websites, as well as your own professional experiences and insights. I do not expect you to conduct any surveys or primary research.

Components of the essay

1.    Brief introduction to the brand (maximum one paragraph) – introduce the brand, its

background, product or service offering, parent company (if relevant), which geographical markets it operates in and which market you will be focusing on.

2.    Brand positioning - discuss the positioning of the brand vs. key competitors. Who is the target audience?  What are the POPs and PODs?  Include some examples of brand elements (brand

names, URLs, logos, symbols, characters, slogans, jingles, packaging etc) that the brand has used to establish this positioning.

3.    Brand Analysis

Offer a detailed analysis of consumers’ brand knowledge structures based on the customer- based brand equity framework and how this may have evolved if relevant.

An assessment of brand associations at each level of the consumer-based brand equity pyramid based on secondary evidence only (eg. industry reports, consumer research reports, journals,    media articles, social media etc).  Make sure that you provide credible evidence for your points.

4.    Suggestions and Recommendations

Summarize the extent to which the brand has succeeded historically and in the light of any recent changes, and how you feel it can succeed going forward.  Recommend two either strategic or tactical recommendations that could improve it in the future.

Recommendations should focus on building brand image, awareness and equity, and should relate to your previous analysis.

5.    References

All secondary information sources such as journals, magazine articles, websites and industry reports must be properly acknowledged and formatted within-text citations of the original source and an

organized list of references. Please adhere strictly to the Harvard Referencing Style (refer to Skills Hub for guidance).  References are not included in the word count.

6.   Appendix

An appendix where additional figures, charts and documents e.g. copies of brand materials, links to   branded multi-media materials, positioning maps etc can be included to support your discussion but key discussion itself should be in the main essay, clearly referencing this additional information.

Appendices are not included in the word count.

List of brands 23/24 - CHOOSE ONE BRAND FROM THE LIST BELOW

Formatting

Please consider your presentation style and how this will aid clarity.

Include relevant headings and sub-headings.

Using 11 or 12pt font such as Ariel or Calibri with 1.5 line spacing is recommended.

Submission

All essays are to be submitted on Canvas – check Sussex Direct for exact date / time. Check Canvas for submission instructions.