WEEK ONE

Provide an introduction to your chosen brand: who are they are, what is their industry, and why did you choose them? More importantly: what role does branding play in their story when you look at their past, present, and expected future?

WEEK TWO

For larger projects in this class, you are needing to further explore the value of customer journey maps. You do not need to create one for your Fortune 500 brand, but Id like you to first see if you can find any existing ones for the brand. Post a link to any you found and discuss if the tool was or was not valuable to you in thinking about the customer experience with your chosen brand.

Then Id like you to think about what are some possible paths that you could map out for this brand. Who would be the audience you track, and what experience with your brand would be worthy of mapping? Are there some key touchpoints that would be worthwhile to explore should you actually engage in this activity for your Fortune 500 brand?

WEEK THREE

Completing a brand audit for companies as large as the one you are looking at in the brand journal is not only a huge undertaking but probably impossible when you are external to the company. But Id still like you to choose a brand audit template and try your best to imagine how youd fill out the worksheet. Identify what the template is, where you found it, and why you think it is the best choice for analyzing your particular brand.

You only have a page to work with here, so make sure to focus on the more salient and interesting points. What does your company have when it comes to clearly stated brand guidelines? What is missing that you find notable and should be remedied? You might also talk about how this theoretical audit differs from what you are doing for the actual audit project in the class.

WEEK FOUR

Brand character is a tricky act, especially if you are limited to just three items. What do you think the three character traits are used by your Fortune 500 company (or is it possible to actually find them and report back)? Are these supposed traits strong or weak options for your brand? What might you do to tweak the choices and best set up your brand for success?

I dont want to read a page-long description of what the trait of courage means. You know, I know Instead, use the space here to show me your understanding of your company and how those character traits are in fact integral to how the brand operates. I think it is particularly helpful for you to point out where the brand might be failing to uphold a key character trait, as this opens the door for you later in the journal to critique and then provide solutions for your client.

WEEK FIVE

Mission and vision statements seem awfully similar, so Id like you to practice highlighting the differences by finding either or both if you can for your chosen brand. Contemplate whether these statements work for you and explain the pros and cons.

Then Id like you to come up with your own theoretical statements based on what you think the brand needs to be focused on if it wants to be relevant and continue growing. This is just one entry in one assignment, so dont crazy trying to be perfect. But do spend some time, and make sure you walk me through your analysis on how you got to the end product.

WEEK SIX

Earlier you identified the industry that your brand is part of, but do you know in which arena they compete? Taking ideas discussed in class, try to identify what arena the brand has competed in, is in now, and might need to embrace in the next year or two to stay relevant and compete against upstarts. Does being a larger company require you to think differently about arenas and the competitive landscape?

Im looking for you to have completed the arena workshop first so you can pull in specific terms and ideas from that chapter in Lermans book. While I do not expect you to redo that whole workshop experience, I think imagining some of the steps can help you craft a more detailed and meaningful analysis for this entry.

WEEK SEVEN

Does the brand compete more in the assets or offer positioning territories? Or do they have more of a focus on relationships, staking out approach or skills as the dominant territory? Does an intangible area such as mission play a larger than usual role in the brands positioning?

Discuss how your knowledge of the brand impacts your best guesses about positioning territories and where your chosen client wants to compete.

WEEK EIGHT

My favorite part of brand building is experience. Beyond event marketing and customer service, how does your brand deliver on its brand promise through experiences and relationship aspects of branding? This may be the hardest area to think about and deliver true value to consumers as there are infinite ways to connect and create a moment for your prospects and customers.

Im looking for you to mention multiple external sources here as you identify specific examples of what the company has been attempting. What is your brand doing right in the area of experience, and what are they doing wrong? Where do they go next?

WEEK NINE

Brand identity often seems pretty simple, but there are lots of ways to bring that identity to life and continually engage and delight your customers and prospects. Talk about the obvious external manifestations of the brand such as a brand name, logo or slogan. But also dig deeper to think about the more subtle signals a brand uses to help consumers identify the company.

Beyond offering frank praise and critiques of the brands identity choices, Id like you to imagine possible improvements or wholesale changes. Can your brand afford to evolve or innovate in this area? How would that impact the larger brand experience?

WEEK TEN

How has your opinion about the chosen brand changed or evolved over the quarter? Do you think considering the brand elements at play make them less magical, or you more cynical? What high-level branding things would you like to have spoken more about this quarter, so I can possibly improve these prompts for the next go round?

due date is saturday by 8pm