Donatella Lorato
40%
Objectives of the Minor assessment (Individual Written Assignment):
To demonstrate the student’s understanding of and capability to adapt / document course materials in a
practical consumer description exercise.
Description of the Assignment:
Any company thrives or perishes based on the strength of their brand strategy. Depending on the dynamics of the
industry or the innovations in the company the strategies keep changing. The fashion industry has historically been
one of the fastest to change – but Burberry has been an exception. In their 150 year history, there have been only
two major shifts in their brand positioning. One from an army trench coat maker to a complete men‟s wear
company and more recently in 1998 a shift from a “me too” brand in the luxury segment to a pioneer in newer
products and digital promotions. In a nutshell, Burberry underwent a transformation from an underperforming,
marginalized, over-licensed, decentralized brand, to becoming one of the most beloved and valuable luxury
brands in the world, tripling sales in five years. It transformed from a stodgy, beige trench coat company to one of
the leading voices on trends, fashion, music and beauty, all while redefining what a world class customer
experience should be, digitally and physically. Students are asked to understand and define the personality of the
brand, their positoning and their current brand equity, focusing on newer products, pricing and promotion.
Structure of the Assignment:
–
Introduction
Personality of the Brand: Kapferers brand identity prism
Positioning strategy: targets, competitors
Brand Equity: product, pricing, promotion
Brand strategy: performance, imagery, salience
critical conclusions: insights and trends
Format of the Assignment :
A word document to be submitted+a pdf document for the in-class presentation ( each student is expected to
make a 20 minute-presentation )
Cover page with Date, Course indication, name of Lecturer, Project title. One Table of Contents.
Minimum of 2,000 words, plus eventual supporting charts and graphs (as judged appropriate).
References and bibliography (obligatory) should be formatted using the Harvard system (a guide to use the
Harvard system is to be found on the ESE student web site.)