Explores the art and science of branding, and the strategies through which companies can create, capture, and sustain shareholder value through brands. Through a mixture of theory and real-world cases, the course examines brands from the perspectives of the cultures and consumers who help create them, and the companies who manage them over time. Basic branding disciplines including positioning and repositioning, brand equity measurement, brand leverage, integrated brand communications, brand stewardship, and brand architecture are considered, as are more contemporary topics such as brand parodies, brand community, and branded entertainment. Particular attention is paid to branding challenges associated with today's interconnected, consumer-empowered, and transparent web-enabled world. 4 cr.