COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Global Branding & Marketing across Cultures minor (formerly Global Branding and Cambridge English) focuses on building brands and developing effective advertising communications in a global and cross-cultural context. We will examine what brands actually are, the main trends within global branding, and how consumer decision-making is effected by the cost of living crisis and the desire to be more sustainable. Another key theme of the course concerns the fact that in contemporary society younger consumers expect brands to to take a stand on and engage in social, political, cultural and environmental issues, including, amongst other things, politics, LGBTQ+ rights, the Black Lives Matter movement, and eradicating forms of modern slavery from their global supply chains. With this is mind, we evaluate how brands can engage with these issues in an authentic manner without engaging in greenwashing and losing the trust of their customers. Finally, the course considers how brands must adapt to the fragmentation of traditional media channels and seek out millennial and gen z consumers on digital platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram, as well as on video and music streaming services. We will refer to case-studies of global brands and apply the theoretical knowledge by developing an integrated marketing communications plan for a Dutch consumer brand in a new culture and market.

Because the course is fully taught in English, this course will also help to prepare you for a career in global business. Not only will you gain insight into global branding, but you will also develop your business English language skills by engaging in several international projects with students from the United States. These projects are themed around sustainability, the circular economy and designing an advertising campaign in an international market.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The aim of this course is to develop your global branding knowledge and professional English language skills. The focus is on global marketing communications, and by the end of the course, you will have acquired a high level of expertise in this field. You should be able to apply your expertise to real business cases and be competent in developing global marketing communications strategies. You will also have a sharper sense of how branding reflects broader social, cultural and political issues and how it helps to progressively drive causes.
Because of the fact that the course is in English and you will be taking part in international projects with native English speakers, your English listening, speaking, reading and writing skills will improve to the point that you should be able to communicate more confidently, fluently and naturally in English in any business situation. In terms of professional development in this course, you will develop competencies, such as cross-cultural communication skills and research and analytical skills, and gain first-hand experience of working in international virtual teams.

Admission requirements in accordance with the OER of your own program.

- Integrated Advertising, Promotion and Marketing Communications Global Edition, 8th Edition, Kenneth Clow, Donald Baack, Pearson 

- World Advertising Research Council (university subscription)

- Business Grammar Builder, 2nd edition, Paul Emerson, Macmillan

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 14:00 and 17:00.

Contacthours:

The contact time for each week (approx. 10 hours) consisting of online and on-campus classes.

Global Branding Semester Project (8 ECTS)

This project is a group project that spans across the entire semester. In teams you will select a Dutch global brand that you wish to transplant to a new culture and market. You will conduct in-depth research into the brand, their domestic and international communications strategy, carry out a SWOT analysis and find out country-specific cultural and brand-related insights. You will eventually create an Integrated Marketing Communications Plan for your brand in your focus country. 

Global Branding International Project (6 ECTS)

You will apply your global branding expertise in projects and assignments, often carried out in international virtual teams. This will help you gain a deep understanding of the global branding and international marketing communications concepts, theories and models. You will also improve your spoken and written English by communicating in weekly live sessions with US students. The topics of the project change each semester. In recent years, we have engaged with ideas around the circular economy by selecting a consumer product that was heading for landfill and upcycling it and reselling it in a new market, in such a way that also addresses specific UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Global Branding International Project (4 ECTS)

You will apply your global branding expertise in an international team with graphic design students from Rockland Community College in New York. Specifically, you will gain first-hand experience of developing an advertising creative brief for a Dutch brand that is entering the New York Market. You will conduct research on market trends and consumer insights in New York and the US more generally, and provide inspiration and guidelines that enable the US students to design print, Instagram and TikTok advertisements that are tailored to this specific market. You will provide feedback on the advertisements and guide the US students to completion, which will also help you improve your spoken and written English.

Global Branding Article (6 ECTS) 

You will demonstrate your professional expertise and communication skills by writing a paper about a specific aspect of branding that you are passionate about and/or that links to your current studies or future career development. The article is written in the style of an international advertising trade journal or website, which also gives you good experience of writing in a more journalistic and accessible style, in comparison to the more formal report writing you will do for other deliverables on the course.

Individual Project Reflection Report (3 ECTS)

You will critically reflect upon the the various group projects that you have been involved in over the course of the semester. You will draw upon the feedback that your received from international students and your local teammates and refer to how this will inform your future professional development. For example, 

• How will you apply what you've learned to your future career:
  • Virtual teamwork skills
  • Global Branding knowledge
  • Language skills
  • Cross-cultural competences

Personal Branding and Professional Development (3 ECTS)

Having a professional portfolio can be a valuable asset for your career. You will be informed about the importance of developing your own personal branding, both online and offline. Drawing on insights from brand management and assets that we have discussed on the course, you will produce a personal portfolio that highlights your unique skills and experience as well as what you have learned about branding from the course. For example, you will showcase some of the work you have individually carried out over the semester and explicate the skills and expertise you displayed and what you could offer a future employer, etc. You will then use the skills and techniques related to personal branding that you have learned and apply this within your professional online profiles, such as LinkedIn, etc. As part of this deliverable you will also present a short video pitch explaining your skills and expertise to a prospective employer, write a CV and present examples of your work in the portfolio.

Classes will be on campus and online. All sessions are recorded so students can also watch lessons afterwards.

Questions about the minor? Contact Christopher Higgins c.f.h.higgins@hva.nl

Questions about the Kies op Maat procedure? Contact  onderwijsbureau.fbe@hva.nl

Aanmeldingen worden op volgorde binnenkomst ondertekende leerovereenkomsten in behandeling genomen.