module specification

This module provides a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding on branding services and strategic brand management. It outlines the concepts and framework of branding, which increasingly is the ‘face’ of corporate strategy.  So, when an airline such as British Airways announces a £7 billion investment programme this links to the management of the brand.  Brand management is the interface between the consumer of airline services and the organisation and the multiple touch points that facilitate air travel.

It provides students with the tools and techniques and concepts to improve long-term profitability via creating effective brand strategies.

Aims of the module:
• Explore the role of branding from a corporate and consumer perspective for airlines and airports.
• Examine the theory of branding for airlines and airports.
• Develop students' understanding of the role played by brand audit and communications in the building and maintenance of brands in the Aviation industry including airlines and airports.
• Develop students’ researching and analysing skills.
• Develop students’ critical writing, application of knowledge and decision-making skills

NONE

•    Developing brand concepts for service sector compared to FMCG LO1
•    Understanding the management of customer- based brand equity LO1
•    Process of brand auditing process for the service sector LO1
•    Understanding consumer-based brand equity LO1
•    The decision-making process for airline/airport selection LO2
•    Understanding brand architecture for service sector LO2
•    Building strong brand value through positioning and stories LO2
•    The role of the marketing mix and integrated marketing communications in building brand equity LO2
•    Building brand equity through secondary associations LO2
•    Managing brands over time LO3
•    Monitoring brand performance and measuring brand equity LO3
•    Managing brands over international boundaries and market segments LO3
•    Brand stakeholder analysis and ethics LO3
•    Future brand priorities for the digital age LO3
•    Airline corporate brands and brand values linked to operational requirements LO3
•    Operational risk management due to brand strategy LO3

The formal delivery of teaching and learning for this module will comprise an average of three contact hours per week across 12 teaching weeks, supplemented by additional enrichment weeks throughout the semester. Each week will typically include a two-hour interactive session employing a range of teaching and learning strategies. These include workshops, lectures, guest speakers, case study discussions, panel debates, video analysis, as well as scenario-based activities and real-time simulations. Peer-to-peer learning is embedded within the module, as students collaborate to develop practical solutions and critically assess their impact.
Group work is a core component of the learning experience, encouraging active engagement as students share their knowledge and experience through discussion and collaboration. In addition, a one-hour seminar each week will adopt a more focused, discussion-led approach to explore current themes and emerging trends within the aviation industry. This will be further enriched through input from alumni, who will offer career insights, and guest lecturers who provide industry-specific context.
The module also makes extensive use of interactive learning spaces, supporting dialogue between students and staff, and facilitating access to a range of academic resources, including journal articles, professional websites, and external materials. Active participation in class discussions and debates is encouraged, recognising the diverse professional backgrounds and experiences that students bring to the programme.
Students are expected to prepare in advance for each session by reviewing the module schedule, which will be shared online and summarised by tutors at the end of each lecture. This preparation involves independent research and reading around the weekly themes to enable meaningful contributions to class discussions and Q&A activities.
Opportunities for reflective learning are embedded throughout the module. Students are encouraged to consider their approaches to tasks and discussions, and to reflect on informal feedback received during lectures and in relation to their submitted assessments.

Upon completing successfully this module the student will demonstrate capability to:
1. Examine the role of brand management for commercial airlines and airports (LO1).
2. Assess feasible recommendations for the selected organisations, in particular exploring issues which will facilitate decision-making processes within an appropriate strategic brand management framework (LO2).
3. Evaluate the critical features of brand management for airlines and airports in the 21st century context of consumer behaviour (LO3)

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/E9D642FF-A16A-28B8-F410-5A41FB6DFECF.html?lang=en-GB

Core text
Strategic brand management: building, measuring, and managing brand equity, by Kevin Lane Keller; Vanitha Swaminathan, 2020

Other Texts/Additional reading
Disappearing product, by Chris Bilton, 2017
Creating powerful brands, by Leslie De Chernatony; Malcolm McDonald; Elaine Wallace, 2011 [i.e. 2010
Brand/story: cases and explorations in fashion branding, by Joseph Hancock, 2016
Contemporary brand management, by Johny K. Johansson; Kurt A. Carlson, 2015
The new strategic brand management: advanced insights and strategic thinking, by Jean-Noël Kapferer, 2012
Tourism Marketing for Cities and Towns: Using Social Media and Branding to Attract Tourists, by Bonita M. Kolb, 2017
Soar: how the best airline brands delight customers and inspire employees, by Shashank Nigam, 2017
Events Marketing Management: a consumer perspective, by Ivna Reic; Justin Lance, 2016
Airline marketing and management, by Stephen Shaw, 2011
Strategic brand management, by Richard H. Elliott; Larry Percy; Simon Pervan, 2018

Journals
Journal of Brand Management
Journal of Product and Brand Management
Journal of Marketing Management
Journal of Marketing Communications
Journal of Services Marketing
Journal of Marketing
Journal of Consumer Marketing
Journal of Consumer Research
International Business Management
International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management
Marketing Intelligence and Planning
International Journal of Service Industry Management
Journal of Voluntary and Non-Profit Marketing
Journal of Business Management
Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing
Journal of Aviation Management
Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management
Events Management: An International Approach
Creative Industries Journal
Websites:
Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) www.cim.co.uk

Electronic Databases:
Mintel, Market Intelligence, Keynote, Euromonitor
Other:
Financial Times, The Economist, Harvard Business Review, Marketing Week, Business Week.