Certificate Programme in Strategic Brand Management and Communications

• Elements of Brand Image

• Importance and Benefits of Brand Image

• Factors Affecting Brand Image

• Strategies to Building strong brand image

• Impact of Brand Image on Consumer Perception

• Measuring Brand Image and Awareness

• Relationship between Brand Image and Purchase behavior

• 5 Key Dimensions of Brand Personality Network

• Difference between Brand Image and Brand Personality

• Importance of Building Unique Brand Identity

• Importance of Brand Identity Prism

• Brand Wheel Framework

• Creating Unique Brand Identity

• Establishing Brand Identity

• Purpose of Visual Identity

• Brand Positioning

• Difference between Brand Loyalty, Brand Equity, and Brand Value

• Factors Contributing to Brand Loyalty

• Building Brand Loyalty

• Factors Contributing to Brand Equity

• Building Brand Equity

• Impact of Brand Loyalty on Brand Equity and Brand Value

• Brand Architecture and Brand Portfolio

• Advantages of Creating a Brand Portfolio

• Brand Portfolio vs Brand Architecture

• Key Focus Areas of Brand Portfolio

• Strategies for Brand Portfolio Management

• Outcomes of a Faulty Portfolio Strategy

• Need and Purpose of Brand Extension

• Types of Brand Extension

• Strategies for Brand Extension

• Ansoff's Brand Extension Grid

• Advantages and Disadvantages of Brand Extension

• Consumer's Evaluation of Extensions

• Need for Brand Licensing

• Role of Brand Licensing in Growth Strategy

• Types of Brand Licensing Agreements

• Benefits of Licensing a Brand

• Effective Brand Licensing Strategies

• Brand Metrics and Associated Metrics

• Importance of Brand Metrics

• Contribution of Brand Awareness, Brand Consideration and Brand Associationto Brand Metrics

• Measuring Brand Awareness

• Measuring Brand Consideration

• Tracking KPIs using Effective Brand Metrics

• Differentiation Point of Parity and Point of Difference

• Brand Resonance

• Brand Positioning Process and Statement

• Importance of Perceptual Mapping

• Benefits of Brand Essence

• Brand Repositioning

• Brand Revitalisation

• Difference between Brand Repositioning and Rebranding

• Corporate Branding and its Benefits

• Building a Powerful Corporate Brand

• Types of Digital Media

• Digital Branding: Components and Importance

• Elements of Digital Brand Strategy

• Importance of Digital Marketing

• Branded Content and its Advantages

• Branded Content vs Other Brand-related Content

• Characteristics of Branded Content

• Storytelling for Content Creation and Presentation

• Importance of Brand Collaboration

• Content Creation and Presentation Strategies

• Co-branding and its Importance

• Different Forms of Successful Co-branding

• Strategic Steps for Successful Co-branding

• Co-branding vs Brand Licensing

• Advantages and Disadvantages of Co-branding

• Co-branding and its Importance

• Different Forms of Successful Co-branding

• Strategic Steps for Successful Co-branding

• Co-branding vs Brand Licensing

• Advantages and Disadvantages of Co-branding

• Global Branding

• Luxury Brand Management

• The Luxury Models through History - From Chanel to Dior - The Pyramid Model, Yves Saint Laurent - Pret-A-Porter, Gucci & Leather Goods - Success in Asia, Giorgio Armani - The Galaxy Model, LVMH

• Online luxury branding

• Contemporary and Future Branding Trends

• Current Trends Shaping Brand Marketing

• Customer Experience: Role in Brand Marketing

• Role of Content Visualisation in Brand Marketing

• Need for Responsible Consumerism

• What is Integrated Communication Strategy?

• IMC in the Digital Era

• Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing

• Key Components of IMC

• IMC Planning Process

• Importance of integrating a creative approach to key Marketing Communication functions

• Role of an Organisation’s Vision and Mission in Brand Building and Communication

• Creating the Brand Wheel

• Aligning Brand Strategy with the Organisation’s Vision

• Traditional and Digital Channels for Brand Communication

• What is Brand Communication?

• Purpose of Brand Communications

• Branding Communications vs Brand Marketing

• Introduction to Public Relations

• Principles/Objectives of Public Relations

• Evolution and growth of PR

• Factors contributing to the evolution of PR

• Types of Public Relations

• Functions of PR in an Organisation

• PR in the Age of Social and Digital Media –

• Online Reputation Management (ORM)

• ORM – A continuous process

• Differences between PR and ORM

• How PR and ORM work in tandem

• Activities conducted during ORM campaigns

• Mechanisms to measure online reputation

• What is Stakeholder Management?

• Different types of stakeholders

• Role of stakeholder management

• Stakeholder Mapping

• Stakeholder management strategies and tools

• Parameters for rating a stakeholder

• What is Crisis Communication?

• Role/Purpose of crisis communication

• Types of crisis

• Role of strategic communication in crisis management

• Effective crisis communication during different stages

• Benoit’s 5 major strategies

• Creating a crisis communication plan

• What is an Event?

• Goals of different types of Events

• Event communications

• Event communication metrics

• Functions of a PR agency

• Difference between account management and client servicing

• Steps to select a PR agency for your business

• Long-lasting client relationships

• Effective tools in an agency management system

• When should you hire an agency?

• Which agency is the right choice: Ad agencies, Full Service, brand or creative shops, PR firms, digital/inbound agencies

• Exploring the Indian market and the big names

• Client Related Issues and Process: Stages in the Client Agency Relationship, Factors affecting

• Client-Agency Relationship, the Pitching Mechanism

• Roles in an Ad agency: Copywriting, Photography, graphic Design, Creative direction, copy editing, digital media specialist, account coordinator etc

• Agency Media Interface

• Agency Revenue Process

• Measuring success with an agency

• Ending relationships with an Agency

• What is a strategic media plan?

• Importance of media planning

• Key elements of the media planning process

• Difference between media planning and media buying

• Strategies used in media scheduling

• Overview of Indian Media scenario

• Defining goals and KPIs

• Designing a digital first media strategy

• Defining Media mix

• Collaborating with creative agencies

• Pricing and price sensitivity and elasticity

• Defining strategy for data gathering, measurement and analysis

• Managing campaigns

• Skills required for a media planner

This is a crisis communication case. The participant has to study the case and answer questions like:

• What led to the series of events? Was it avoidable, how could it have been avoided?

• How was Wells Fargo's reaction to the events?

• During this crisis, how were the communication interventions of Wells Fargo?

This programme is suitable for marketing professionals, brand managers, communication specialists, public relations professionals, consultants, entrepreneurs and business leaders. It is particularly relevant for individuals looking for a brand management course online to strengthen their strategic capabilities, understand consumer behaviour and take on broader responsibilities in branding and marketing.

The curriculum covers brand building, brand identity, brand positioning, brand equity, brand portfolio management, digital branding, luxury branding, integrated marketing communications, public relations, stakeholder management and crisis communication. Participants also explore brand repositioning, media planning and advertising to understand how brands can build differentiation and maintain relevance in competitive markets.

Participants who successfully complete the Certificate Programme in Strategic Brand Management and Communications and secure at least 70% in the overall evaluation receive a certificate from MICA. The programme also offers an optional AI certification in Brand Management and Communications for participants interested in exploring Generative AI and Agentic AI applications in branding.

Yes. This online certificate course in marketing is designed for professionals seeking to strengthen their expertise in brand management and communications alongside their existing work commitments. The 28-week programme offers pre-recorded faculty lectures, weekly live doubt-clearing sessions with programme leaders, two live faculty sessions and industry masterclasses.

The programme explores how marketing communications, brand storytelling, public relations and digital channels work together to build consistent brand experiences. Participants learn to develop integrated communication strategies, align brand messaging across channels and strengthen customer engagement. These capabilities are relevant to professionals looking to advance in brand marketing and strategic communications roles.

A brand positioning strategy defines how a brand wants to be perceived by its target audience and how it differentiates itself from competitors. It helps organisations establish a distinct brand identity, communicate their value proposition and build stronger customer associations. The MICA programme covers brand positioning frameworks, perceptual mapping, brand identity and brand repositioning to help participants understand how to develop and implement effective positioning strategies.

Yes. The curriculum includes a dedicated module on Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC), covering communication strategy, IMC planning and traditional and digital marketing channels. It also includes crisis communication training through a dedicated module on crisis management, covering crisis response strategies, communication planning and stakeholder communication during challenging situations. Participants also work on a practical PR crisis communication project.