MK 640 - Branding for Start Ups

Credits: 4
This course addresses the fact that brand development and long-term viability are predicated on appealing to the emotional/psychological needs and wants of customers and must be reflective of their senses of self-conceptualization, belonging, values, and aesthetics. In this course, students will explore the necessity of building a brand from the consumer’s perspective and address the constructs of a brand’s DNA including: alignment, aesthetic, attitude, and advantage. The blueprint for this approach to branding is drawn from examples from artists in the heavy metal genre of the music industry. Loyalty studies have revealed that heavy metal fans are the most loyal and enduring fans in music. Yet, artists in this genre, by and large, have less access to resources than their pop counterparts. Students will analyze the approach taken by artists, marketers, promoters, and labels in the metal genre to create unwavering loyalty and provide a working model, from which start-up ventures and creative enterprises can build relevant, meaningful, and vital brands.