MPS Branding Curriculum

Course Requirements

Fall Semester

BRG-5260 The Meaning of Branded Objects

BRG-5280 Business and Branding Strategies

BRG-5350 History of Branding: From Gutenberg to the Present

BRG-5460 The Anthropology of Branding

BRG-5620 Analysis, Insight and Forecasting

BRG-5623 Brand Called You I

Spring Semester

BRG-5220 Building Better Brands

BRG-5560 Practices in Design and Market Research

BRG-5624 A Brand Called You II

BRG-5630 Brand Physics

BRG-5660 Pitch Perfect: How to Win New Business

BRG-5740 Object Lesson

BRG-5760 The Power of Persuasion

Summer Semester

BRG-5823 How Movement Signifiers Become Brands 

BRG-5950 Thesis: Repositioning Brands and Experiences

General Course Listing

The courses that follow reflect the offerings for the 2024-2025 academic year. For additional course details please visit the Registrar page and click on the Graduate Course Listing.

BRG-5220

Building Better Brands

Spring semester: 3 credits

Leading the definition and evolution of a world-class brand requires more than intellectual rigor and insight. You must unify and leverage the expertise and efforts of an astounding array of people—leaders, followers, scientists, artists, magicians (consultants), engineers, establishmentarians and revolutionaries. In this course, you will learn to use powerful frameworks that harmonize and focus the efforts of diverse teams as they develop ambitious brand programs. Using real-world case studies—including Caterpillar, Bank of America, DuPont, Harley-Davidson and National Semiconductor—we will look inside the processes that enable organizations to define the future of their brands. The course will provide you with a unique perspective of how research, strategic definition, identity, expression, communications and behavior are shaped into great brands.

BRG-5260

The Meaning of Branded Objects

Fall semester: 3 credits

Brands transform objects into meaning-bearers. This course will explore the collective and individual history of this transformation. As we have evolved from hunter-gatherers into robustly cultural beings, objects themselves have also evolved: from disposable, purely functional extensions of the body to deeply personal, even cherished, expressions of an individual’s life. We will examine the history and insights of individual and social psychology in shaping the context for 21st-century perceptions of, and relationships with, the things that surround us. Concretely, we will investigate the increasingly sophisticated manner in which brands have gained and integrated quantitative and qualitative insights into our lives (and our cultural contexts) to create opportunities for complex, meaning-centered relationships between people and things. Students will use their own experiences as the starting point for this exploration into the lived-meaning of individual brands and their collective role in the construction of modern personal identity.

BRG-5280

Business and Branding Strategies

Fall semester: 3 credits

From developing a brand personality to discovering invisible brand assets, this course is about creating brand value, strategy and business literacy. We’ll review core branding disciplines such as developing brand positioning, mission statement, brand character, naming and brand architecture. We’ll take a look at financial valuation models, as well as creative methods for discovery and ideation, and why a strong brand strategy is like an organization’s DNA, serving as a blueprint for strategy and informing other activities such as leadership, marketing, product development, communication, design and advertising. Discussions based on case studies and readings will also use worksheets as a lens, and provide a platform to examine forces and dynamics that shape brands from traditional corporate to entrepreneurial startups. We’ll touch on globalization, technology, critical thinking, culture and lifestyle.

BRG-5350

History of Branding: From Gutenberg to the Present

Fall semester: 3 credits

This course focuses on building an awareness of the rich legacy for the growth of global consumer culture and its intrinsic connection to visual history. Our review of the 500-year-plus development of consumer markets, consumer brands, retailing and package design begins with Gutenberg and widespread communications through the modern printing press. The course then moves to Elizabethan England and the French Court of Louis XIV, which scholars believe both represent two of the early modern consumer societies. The beginnings of global trade in the 17th century, the industrial revolution of the 18th century, and its radical influence on growth of 19th-century retailing and commerce are examined. Finally, the course considers the 20th- and 21st-century formation of consumer and corporate brands through the lenses of yesterday, today and tomorrow, and how brands can evolve and remain relevant by applying the fundamentals of good branding.

BRG-5460

The Anthropology of Branding

Fall semester: 3 credits

Brands occupy a complex role within cultural spaces—there is an ongoing dialogue between the historically situated culture of consumers who interact with brands (including the language and semiotics of representation), other brands in the same and adjacent social spaces, and the branded experience or object itself, each influencing the other in an evolving fashion. In this course we will use some of the interpretive techniques of observational social sciences, specifically anthropology and linguistics, to analyze, deconstruct and interpret what a “brand” is, how it accrues meaning and influences perception and behavior, and what role it can play in the lives of those who interact with it. We will also use these analyses to help understand what makes a successful brand, and how to interpret available data to create meaningful brands for target audiences.

BRG-5560

Practices in Design and Market Research

Spring semester: 3 credits

Brands have historically relied heavily on marketing techniques to help establish and strengthen their presence. That is changing quickly, as instant global communication and various forms of social networking have replaced the need for consumers to rely on brands for confidence in a purchase. In this project-based course, students will learn how to create a research plan, find participants, and integrate research methods in the context of a specific branding project. Some of the topics explored will be qualitative, quantitative, online and ethnographic interview techniques, video and photo documentary, immersion, participant-aided data gathering, prototype assisted observation, methods for organizing data, finding patterns and distilling insights that lead to actionable and inspiring design directives. We will also explore the differences between market research and design research, and understand the goals and appropriateness of each.

BRG-5620

Analysis, Insight and Forecasting

Fall semester: 3 credits

Cultural change is neither unpredictable nor random. The seeds of the next are buried in the now, in the psyche of the individual and in the collective mind called “culture.” In this course, students will learn to read deeply and carefully the cultural signs that surround them in order to recognize underlying patterns and learn to translate these patterns into actionable human and cultural insights, valuable throughout the lifecycle of any product or brand. We will also explore how to leverage trend analysis to forecast paradigmatic shifts in human behavior and culture as well as in the marketplace. Students will complete the course with the means to identify and leverage the patterns underlying the most powerful and beloved cultural artifacts and brands.

BRG-5623

A Brand Called You I

Fall semester: no credit

The good news: We are now living in what Businessweek has called a “creative economy.” The bad news: More than ever before, design will be called upon to deliver a return on investment and measured performance in the marketplace. How can you truly quantify your talent and develop strategic and competitive intelligence? How can you quantify meaningful differentiation in a world already filled with branding firms, creative strategists and brand gurus? The first semester of this course will include creating a nonrepresentational psychological self-portrait, program intentions, and a variation of Milton Glaser’s 10-year plan.

BRG-5624

A Brand Called You II

Spring semester: no credit

Building on the work completed in the fall semester, each student will participate in a 100-day project (an individual experience of undertaking a design/brand/marketing/creative operation that will repeat every day for 100 consecutive days), as well as an individualized mentorship program and the development of a personal brand pyramid that include a meaningful philosophy to guide a career. Additionally, students will receive professional guidance on compiling a résumé and LinkedIn profile, and composing cover letters.

BRG-5630

Brand Physics

Spring semester: 3 credits 

Brands, at their best, create emotional bonds between people and organizations, as well as movements, businesses or products. They guide and shape behavior, establish instant recognition, and become valued and valuable by facilitating achievement of ambitions, large and small. In order to ensure a brand is meaningful, relevant and remarkable, a brand brief is created. The brief acts as a guideline, instructions and a set of tools that unify understanding, intention and action. In this course students will explore the physics of branding and how to apply them to create differentiated and desired brands. Students will hone their skills in pattern recognition and learn how to identify critical observations and their business implications. We’ll also practice the art and science of evidence-based insight development through qualitative and quantitative research methods. Etymology and storytelling in service of creating emotionally connective and differentiated brand positioning will also be examined. Students will then apply all of these skills as they work with a client who will provide us with a real brand challenge to solve.

BRG-5660

Pitch Perfect: How to Win New Business

Spring semester: 3 credits 

Winning significant branding assignments from noteworthy companies is an art and a science—one that requires intelligence, collaboration and the ability to connect on a human level. In a short span of time, potential agency partners need to understand the challenge quickly and find ways to demonstrate distinct value to a client. In this course, multidisciplinary teams will learn to identify a powerful customer insight that can grow a client’s business. Using strategic frameworks to outline a point of view, each team will develop and present a pitch to evolve a well-known brand that faces many challenges. Final presentations will be delivered as an engaging and creative experience to industry leaders.

BRG-5740

Object Lesson 

Spring semester: 3 credits 

German critic Walter Benjamin observed that “Just as the entire mode of existence of human collectives changes over long historical periods, so too does their mode of perception. The way in which human perception is organized—the medium in which it occurs—is conditioned not only by nature but by history.” Brands are such a conditioning medium. And the modern development of optical, digital and economic instruments inculcates their hold on human consciousness. So, what are the ramifications for branding practitioners? This course draws from the tradition of Western thought—not to overload you with strict tools and frameworks with which to approach brands, but rather to introduce “different pairs of glasses” to expand your perception and capacity. Hopefully, this material will give you an idea of the fuzziness of contemporary brand phenomena, and subsequently give you permission to play—intellectually and professionally.

BRG-5760

The Power of Persuasion

Spring semester: no credit

Persuasion is everywhere, influencing us thousands of times a day, both directly and indirectly, to buy something, support something, or think differently about something. Persuasion is a critical weapon in the arsenal of brands, nonprofits, the government, the press, and anyone interested in molding and shaping attitudes. A venerable art form handed down to us by the ancient Greeks, persuasion is still vibrant today but significantly evolved due to the volume, speed, institutionalization, subtlety and complexity of our messages. In this seminar we will examine how effective persuasive techniques are informed by modern theories of persuasion and classical rhetoric, using examples found in everyday life. Students will craft persuasive messages using framing techniques and theories with the goal of becoming more effective communicators and more critical judges of social influence attempts.

BRG-5823

How Movement Signifiers Become Brands

Summer semester: no credit

This workshop will explore the long story of American-based social justice movements and their use of signifiers that evolve into movement brands. These symbols are born from moments—sometimes the happenstance of an image. We will look at several episodes in U.S. social movement histories to engage the instantiations of symbols as rallying cries and networks of meaning. This study will include consideration of how we might utilize movement branding as a strategy for creating thriving movement affinities. We will start with the U.S. Civil Rights Movement that emerged in the mid 20th century and look at how Rosa Parks’s determination became a visual story about noncompliance with racist policies. We will then examine the anti-nuclear and environmental movements of the late 20th century, which represent another episode of burgeoning symbols that mark a movement’s identity. Code Pink, a response to threat-level color coding and a feminist rallying cry, proliferated symbolic branding opportunities in the movement. Black Lives Matter, “hands up!” and the pussy hat each demonstrate meme opportunities and changing modes of deployment of movement branding.

BRG-5911

Honors Branding Project

Spring semester: no credit

The Honors Branding Project will explore the relationship that branding may have with education through client projects that touch upon classroom engagement, student development and education’s role in the community. In this course students will work with real-world clients on a current brand’s repositioning. We will meet outside of regular class time during the semester to complete the project.

BRG-5950

Thesis: Repositioning Brands and Experiences

Summer semester: 6 credits

Students will participate in a series of workshops that address various aspects of practice and theory, and will explore areas such as the adaptation of cultural values to the brand, the maintenance of brand integrity, global design strategies and brand relevance to target markets. Where applicable, case studies will supplement workshop topics. The MPSB thesis is focused on investigating societal constructs around government and public policy, innate belief systems, behavioral norms, human rights and culture. It is organized on repositioning and rebranding selected significant brands. Criteria for the chosen brands include: brands that have “fallen” but have the possibility for recovery; brands with deep relevance, longevity and historical legacy; brands that respect or convey a core human value or signify something important to our lives. In addition, the MPSB thesis should add meaningful discourse to a cultural or global conversation.