In the past it was like this... Then something happened So now we should do this

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Question:

In the past it was like this...

Then something happened …

So now we should do this …

So the future might be like this …

Use this outline or something close to it.

Here are the assignment specifics:

Choose a brand that competes in the category that you analyzed in a Assignment #2. Second, imagine you are leading a team meeting at the brand you chose.

Your team has been charged with providing the CEO with a plan for accelerating the brand’s growth. You're leading this group, and you need to brief your team on the key issues. Use something comparable to the rough narrative outline noted above. (This has been successful for rising stars at Amazon, so consider using it.)

A couple of guardrails:

Make this about developing a brand strategy--it's not a financial strategy, a hedging strategy (like the way Southwest Airlines hedged fuel purchases to make tons of money), or a merger/acquisition strategy. Concentrate on the brand itself and how you can make it stronger.

Give it a future focus, but be sure to focus. You’re not trying to solve the whole problem with this memo. This memo guides a meeting and leads to discussion. It should imagine a possible future. (Sometimes the Amazon memos are written with a “press release from the future” attached to it that serves as a sort of “what if we did this?” for the brand.) At the same time, use the memo to provide clear direction--in short, "focus the future."

What’s most important is that you’re identifying a problem, laying out options, and imagining possibilities and likely raising questions that need to be answered.

And a few suggestions:

Draw freely on the readings by Aaker and Sharp, on some of the ideas shared in the class, or any other credible brand and marketing approaches that you know about and can defend.

This is meant to be a practical, but intellectually challenging exercise.

Does the brand need to create a new category or sub-category, in the mold of Aaker?

Does it need an availability that would make Sharp proud?

Are you merely looking to do a focused campaign to address one problem or opportunity? It’s up to you do decide.

Cite sources via footnotes along the way and a bibliography at the end.

A few DON’Ts: Don’t write this like a stodgy case study. Don’t tell me about the brand’s ancient history or fill it with useless background. Don’t get sidetracked: this about developing a growth plan for the brand.