Brand Communication

Course

The whole world of public relations is currently shot through with transformative change. The word “advertising,” still on the lips of many today, represents a misnomer and, in any event, refers to only one of many communication techniques in a much more complex and specialized milieu. Traditionally sought-after skill sets are being redesigned to meet the far-reaching changes in enterprise, in the market, and in brand-oriented consumption.

To meet this demand, UNA – Aziende della Comunicazione Unite and POLI.design have launched the Brand Communication: Designing, Building, and Managing a Brand Specializing Master as a way to enhance the role of the communication consultant, thus establishing common ground between skills that belong to the field of communication and those that belong to the most innovative fields at the Politecnico di Milano. The Specializing Master aims to employ the proper tools to manage the ongoing changes and fill a need to coordinate strategic thinking for the brand, at whose heart lies brand equity.

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Training objectives

The master’s program aims to train professionals with skills in coordinating and supervising communication projects related to strategic areas in the presence of new technological contexts. The training process will cover all aspects of the communication projects and, in particular, it will be focused on providing participants with the set of elements that make it possible to build the brand from a strategic point of view: marketing, account and strategic planning, brand marketing strategy, creative strategy, media planning, empowerment.

Participants will be placed in communication agencies in tasks related to strategic communication processes: account, strategic planner and media planner.

Didactic Plan

The Brand Communication Specializing Master is structured as follows:

• Classroom lessons, whether foundation or specialist, are taught by highly qualified faculty from the Politecnico di Milano, from communication enterprises to brand owners. This segment allows students to have a real approach to the work developed by the communication professionals. They will be able to understand the logic behind the different processes, the techniques, and the dynamics that are required for the organization and management of communication, which correspond to the real goal of the Brand Communication Specializing Master.
• Seminars with special guests, experts in the world of communication. Students can have direct contact with the leading figures of the communication enterprises.
• Project work (intensive workshop) the class is divided in small groups to work on communication projects through metadesign analysis and by making a brief. This segment introduces students into the actual project segment of the Master, through real simulations of communication campaigns and by using the proper marketing elements to achieve the given objectives. The aim of the project will be to identify the strategic concept of the brand. In this sense, groups of students, guided by experts, will compete to create the best marketing campaign.
• Internship enables students to transfer the skills acquired during the Master under the mentoring of experts with long experience as professionals in communication agencies.

Didactic Modules

Area 1: General training (Introduction)

This module deals with brand development (brand identity and brand equity) in contemporary society’s economic and cultural context. This first part intends to let participants reach a common ground regarding their knowledge, from which they will be able to tackle the modules relating to specialized training.

• New trends in communication;
• Brand value (brand identity & brand equity)
• Brand reputation;
• From storytelling to story being: the rise of purpose-driven marketing.

Area 2: Specialized training

Development of the study of the skills necessary to deal with the different roles involved in the strategic communication project of the brand, starting from the Marketing area. Then, there will be a deeper look into the advertising and creative processes at the basis of the work in the agency. Finally, the study of the structures and roles that characterize the world of media (offline and online) will be discussed.

Marketing, communication, society (CSR) 

This module deals with methods and tools for reading and interpreting the needs of an evolving market and defining a brand’s strategic positioning.

• Communication as a strategic business asset;
• Marketing fundamentals;
• The marketing strategy and plan;
• Marketing data and research;
• How to communicate sustainability;
• Mapping personas and the customer journey;
• The customer experience as a strategic lever.

Advertising and agency processes (Strategy):

This module explains how an innovative strategy and communication campaigns can be developed, starting with brand identity, market positioning and target audience objectives.

• The structure of the communication agency;
• The roles in the communication area;
• Situational analysis and consumer insight;
• Positioning;
• Copy strategy.

Account and strategic planning (Strategy):

The lectures describe the communication market and the different professional roles trained by the Master’s course.

The speakers will talk about their profession and its evolution in a changing market, highlighting the hard/soft skills and attitudes needed to meet contemporary challenges.

• Strategic brand thinking;
• Work plan and communication strategies;
• Role and functions of the account;
• Role and function of the digital account;
• Role and functions of the strategic planner;
• Strategic models;
• Strategic planning.

Media:

This module deals with the best suited methods and tools to achieve the campaign objectives, according to their contribution to the effectiveness and efficiency of the communication plan.

The module also includes a part that explains how to implement a digital-driven approach for the elaboration of go-to-market strategies.

• Specifically, you will learn the fundamentals of media and content design across digital and physical touchpoints.
• Stages of the media process. Media surveys. Audience measurements and media indicators;
• Advertising investments and Competitive Analysis with Nielsen data;
• Target Analysis with Synoptics (socio-demo variables, consumption, lifestyles, trends);
• Scenario, planning and post-buy of TV, web, radio, press, and outdoor;
• New advertising communication vehicles: Facebook and Google;
• Negotiation techniques;
• Strategic media planning;
• Measuring the effectiveness of advertising campaigns in traditional and digital media;
• Programmatic.

Creativity (Strategic Creativity):

This module will discuss how a creative and strategic approach, based on data, research and storytelling, enables the development of innovative content and strategies.

• Branded Entertainment;
• Gaming and Communication;
• Creativity and Web 3.0;
• Transmedia Design;
• The role of awards – The most significant international awards;
• The art of competition;
• Information overload: How to build your own information/training path

Production:

• Production company: the role of the producer;
• Events and event budgets;
• PR – strategies.

Empowerment:

This module aims to show how to manage processes and teamwork to achieve efficient and effective project results.

• Leadership;
• Team building;
• Public Speaking.

Title Released

Specializing Master Diploma in “Brand Communication: Planning, Building, and Managing a Brand” from the Politecnico di Milano.
The Specializing Master grants 60 CFU, equivalent to 60 ECTS

Employment Opportunities

The profile achieved by the practitioner, will let them coordinate and supervise communication processes. Participants will acquire vision, organization and management skills for complex communication projects, transversal skills and knowledge of the economic dynamics of contemporary markets. They will also refine their ability to grasp trends, fashions, customs, and individual and collective behaviors, in a continuous process of learning and transferring the skills acquired. Current market demand tends to identify a professional figure able to dialogue with other professional figures on the entire communication process and, in particular, a figure who: fully knows all the nuances of communication activities, is able to guarantee the achievement of communication objectives, is able to face a process of rationalization without disregarding the emotional aspects of communication, is able to grasp the trends and communication needs that society expresses, is aware of the ethical dimension of communication. Participants will address the different areas of the brand’s strategic construction and communication project by studying skills in the various functions: Account, Strategic Planner, and Media Planner.

Account

The account is the person who deals with communicating with the customer, collecting and interpreting their requests, and proposing the agency’s responses to these requests. The information from the client (research, marketing and product data) and that internal to the agency (research, market studies, etc.) are used to draw up a strategic communication plan.

Strategic Planner

The strategic planner has the main task of preparing the conceptual and strategic communication path. In doing so, the strategic planner uses the information on the market at his disposal (tastes, trends, evolution of fashions and trends, competitors and targets), defining the most correct and memorable position of the brand, product or company in the minds of those with interest in them. He/She is a person of great experience who knows not only about the markets (marketing) but also how consumers or people behave in the space identified (psychology and sociology of communication).

Media Planner

The Media Planner has the task of defining the methods of distribution of the communication message on the channels. The professional activity is carried out through a series of analyzes before (definition of a media strategy and media buying), during (monitoring of activities) and after the realization of an advertising campaign (evaluation of results). The media planner will go to work in media centers or advertising dealerships.

Admission

Requirements

The Specializing Master is reserved for candidates in possession of a University Diploma or Laurea V.O., Laurea or Specialistic / Master’s Degree N.O. in Engineering, Architecture, Industrial Design, Economics, humanities or technical-scientific disciplines. Equivalent qualifications will be considered for foreign candidates in the respective academic systems.

The selections will take place in chronological order in accordance to the date of receipt of the application, until all available places are taken. The selection will be made by the Commission.

Candidates will be able to participate in one of the online presentation / selection days scheduled during the year.

Deadlines

To take part to the selection process, the application form must be completed online within the following deadlines:

• EU/non-EU who graduated in Italy / EU citizens with qualification gained abroad within November 1st, 2023.

Price

The cost of the Specializing Master is 13.000 € Exempt from VAT under Article 10 of DPR 633/72. (12.500 € participation fee + 500 € registration fee at Politecnico di Milano).

4 partial exemptions of 25%

4 (four) partial exemptions of 25% from the participation fee are available for attendance to the Specialzing Master in Brand Communication, the Design, Construction and Management of the Brand (MBC), year 2023/2025.

The deadline to apply for partial exemptions is 11:59 p.m. (GMT+1 – Italian time zone) on 06/26/2023.

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POLI.design offers the community of Politecnico di Milano a 50% discount to be applied to the participation fee for a I and II level Specializing Master or Higher Education Course / Post Graduate Program / Continuing Education Course which POLI.design manages and provides. The discount is for internal staff (i.e., structured teachers and technical and administrative staff) with active contracts at Politecnico di Milano and members of their household.

HOW IT WORKS:

To benefit from the discount you will need to:

• send the selection application to the chosen course with the relevant required documents;
• successfully pass the selections;
• send a copy of the applicant’s family status.

Faculty

The composition of the teaching staff reflects the excellence of the Politecnico di Milano and the companies associated with UNA, in the strategic and creative areas of communication, management, and media, with nationally and internationally renowned guests and testimonials.

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