Brand Management

The cases of brand management cover a range of issues relating to how brand managers can strategically manage their most valuable assets. The cases cover three key areas of the strategic brand management process, which include brand positioning, brand value chain, and the brand resonance model to build and sustain brand equity. The first case is on Takeout, one of the leading Bangladeshi-origin fast-food brands operating in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This case focuses on how the brand develops and implements competitive and superior brand positioning strategies by having a balanced mix of the right target market, correctly defining the nature of competition, and choosing the precise points of parity and points of difference. The case brought in the COVID-19 pandemic perspective and showed how the strategic positioning of the brand gave it the confidence to sail through the pandemic. The second case presents the analysis of the brand value chain of US-Bangla Airlines, a Bangladeshi-origin leading airline company operating in domestic and international routes. This case highlights how the different value creation stages are creating value for each and consequent stages for US-Bangla Airlines. In particular, the value creation stages analysis shed light on marketing program investment (i.e., investment in product, communications, employee, and others), customer mindset (such as awareness and attachment), market performance (such as price premiums, and market share), shareholder value (such as stock price, and market capitalization), and their impacts on the entire brand value chain of the company. How the different multipliers, such as program, customer, and market are used for value creation by the company is also discussed. All these are done under the purview of the COVID-19 pandemic. The third case is on Shashyaprabartana, a traditional grocery store that stands out amidst the crowded grocery market in Bangladesh. Shashyaprabartana has been positioned as a source of superior grocery products in consumers’ minds for about two decades. In these long years of operation, their only branding initiative was to reinforce the brand name through various interactions. Relatedly, this case emphasizes the significance of transforming customers into brand evangelists rather than spending money on brand promotions. In particular, the case provides insights into why loyalty toward this brand is not negatively affected due to the limited branding initiatives, given an increasing acceptance of new brands among the people of South Asian countries. The acceptance of Shashyaprabartana among both the elderly and the youth segments is increasing and this case discusses the resonance of such increasing brand preference by shedding light on the contributing functional and emotional factors. This case also presents the discussion on the company’s recent but limited adoption of digital marketing and brick-and-click modality and flags up probable challenges to sustaining brand identity in the competitive crowded market.