Brief

For your individual assessment you are required to critically analyse the marketing of a selected brand or category (defined as ‘...a class or division of people or things regarded as having particular shared characteristics'), in at least two different markets (countries or regions).

Your analysis should make appropriate use of the concepts that we have covered in the module and demonstrate application of models such as Hofstede's ‘Cultural Dimensions', the marketing mix (4Ps or extended marketing mix, 7Ps), branding tools (such as the ‘brand onion') and relevant STP (segmentation, targeting, positioning) tools.

For example, you might choose to analyse FMCG toiletry brands such as ‘Dove' or ‘Nivea' (for women) or ‘Axe' (‘Lynx' in the UK) or ‘Gillette' (for men) or luxury brands such as Gucci and Armani (though see comments below about the dangers of analysing a corporate brand) by analysing their brand positioning, their global marketing strategy (adaptation v standardisation), and differences in the way these brands are communicated in the countries that you choose for analysis, through the application of appropriate cultural theories.

For example, referring to one of the scenarios given, you may elect to analyse ‘men's toiletries' - using ‘Axe' or ‘Gillette'. What are their respective market positions and who are their target consumers? What is their global strategy (in terms of the 4Ps) and do they standardize or adapt their products? How do they communicate with their target audience? Does the brand message vary in different countries / regions and does the communication reflect the cultural differences described by Hofstede and other commentators?

It is NOT recommended that you analyse a corporate brand such as Nike, Adidas, Unilever, Nestle etc. If you attempt to do this you may find that the topic becomes too difficult to control and that you might end up writing about everything - but not in sufficient detail. It is better to select a particular product line (such as women's running shoes or men's football boots), rather than trying to tackle to whole corporate brand.
The assessment should be written as a business report and should follow a traditional report structure (which will be covered in one of the seminars before the end of term). However, you are also encouraged to include multi-medias such as video links and ‘stills' images to enhance the quality of your work.