Strategic Brand Management for Executives: Repositioning Brands Through Sector Transformation – London, 18–22 Jan 2027

Programme overview

Technical depth: Conceptual · Practical mode: Case study

Introduction

Privatisation, market liberalisation, mergers and new competitors force organisations to rethink what their brand stands for, often while employees, customers and investors remain attached to the old identity. Poorly judged rebrands destroy equity, while inaction leaves a legacy brand unable to compete. This Core Concept course equips executives to judge brand strategy with recognised equity, identity, architecture and valuation frameworks, and to govern brand investment through transformation. Participants examine cases from several sectors and leave with a Brand Transformation Strategy Paper ready for board discussion.

Course Objectives

• Evaluate brand equity and reputation during sector change using the CBBE Pyramid, tracking data and stakeholder evidence
• Judge positioning and identity proposals against recognised models, including the Aaker planning model and the Kapferer Identity Prism
• Decide between refresh, repositioning and rebrand options, and between brand architecture structures, after mergers or restructures
• Direct brand investment and governance so that long-term equity and short-term commercial goals stay in balance
• Oversee brand value reporting using ISO 20671-1 evaluation and ISO 10668 valuation principles
• Present a Brand Transformation Strategy Paper for board decision

Target Audience

• Executives accountable for corporate brand, reputation and communications strategy
• Business unit heads whose organisations are being restructured, merged or opened to competition
• Strategy and transformation executives overseeing organisational repositioning
• Marketing executives responsible for brand portfolios and brand investment
• Executives leading newly corporatised or privatised entities

Course Outline

Day 1: Brands in Transforming Sectors

• Sector Transformation Patterns: Privatisation, Liberalisation, Consolidation and New Entrants
• Brand Equity Diagnosis with the Keller Customer-Based Brand Equity Pyramid
• Corporate Reputation Drivers Using the RepTrak Dimensions
• Stakeholder Landscape Mapping for Brand Decisions
• Brand Health Review from Tracking, Search and Social Listening Data

Day 2: Brand Strategy Models and Standards

• Aaker Brand Identity Planning Model
• Kapferer Brand Identity Prism
• Brand Relationship Spectrum: Branded House to House of Brands
• ISO 20671-1 Brand Evaluation Principles and Fundamentals
• ISO 10668 Monetary Brand Valuation Approaches for Board Reporting

Day 3: Strategic Brand Decisions

• Repositioning Options Analysis: Refresh, Reposition or Rebrand
• Brand Architecture Decisions After Mergers and Restructures
• Mental Availability and Distinctive Brand Assets Assessment
• Brand Investment Balance Using Binet and Field Long- and Short-Term Effects
• Employer Brand and Internal Brand Alignment Plan

Day 4: Brand Risk, Governance and Value Protection

• Rebrand Risk Assessment: Equity Loss, Cost and Stakeholder Backlash
• Brand Governance Model: Guardianship, Decision Rights and Brand Book Controls
• Reputation Crisis Scenarios and Brand Recovery Options
• Board Brand KPI Dashboard: Equity, Reputation and Commercial Measures
• Trademark Portfolio Protection Through the WIPO Madrid System

Day 5: Case Work and the Brand Transformation Strategy

• Privatised Utility Case: Repositioning a Former Public Monopoly
• Merged Financial Institutions Case: Choosing the Brand Architecture
• Brand Equity Scorecard for the Participant's Organisation
• Brand Transformation Strategy Paper Drafting
• Board Presentation and Peer Challenge

Skills You Will Gain

• Brand Equity Evaluation
• Brand Positioning Judgement
• Brand Architecture Decision-Making
• Reputation Risk Oversight
• Brand Governance
• Brand Value Reporting
• Brand Investment Allocation
• Stakeholder Brand Alignment

Why Attend This Course

• Present a Brand Transformation Strategy Paper for your own organisation, tested against peer challenge
• Question agency and consultancy brand proposals with clear criteria rather than creative preference
• Anticipate how employees, customers and investors will react to a rebrand before committing budget
• Compare brand decisions with executives from utilities, finance, tourism, healthcare and state-owned companies

Conclusion

A brand that served an organisation in a protected market rarely serves it unchanged once that market opens or the organisation itself is restructured. This course moves from diagnosing equity and reputation, through the principal identity, architecture and valuation frameworks, to repositioning decisions, investment balance and brand governance. The final day brings these judgements together in a Brand Transformation Strategy Paper that participants take back to their boards, giving them a structured basis for the brand decisions ahead.