Professional Development

Price includes full board accommodation and course materials.

Level: Advanced

Key issues:

Product management is a key role for businesses in the consumer goods market. This course offers a range of tools and techniques which can be applied immediately to improve your job and business performance.

The purpose of this course:

To examine best practice in product and brand management and practice the techniques and skills that can be applied to the specific challenges facing consumer goods now.

Who this course is for:

Managers who need to develop their skills in product management and newly appointed product managers working in consumer markets.

Benefits for your organisation:

The course ensures that product managers are able to use best practice techniques to help maintain and develop future profit streams.

Benefits for you as an individual:

The course develops strategic and tactical awareness providing a powerful set of tools for developing and maintaining profitable product portfolios.

You will learn how to:

• Understand and make use of brand equity
• Be able to carry out an audit identifying the key benefits of your product, evaluate the available markets and build competitive advantage into your planning
• Use theoretical models effectively in your work
• Segment the market, target and position the offer
• Manage your product portfolio more profitably
• Identify and define the marketing mix in accordance with customer priorities
• Understand promotional tools and align them powerfully with pre-planned objectives
• Create a sound sales forecast
• Understand and use financial data to analyse performance and set prices
• Pull the above elements into a successful and profitable plan

Course content:

Strategic considerations

• Strategy and directional policy. Roles and responsibilities.

The product managers toolkit

• Brand equity
• New product development
• Life cycle management
• Growth models
• Porter’s 5 forces
• Segmentation, targeting and positioning

Product planning

• Trend analysis and research
• Sales forecasting
• Core competencies
• Competitor analysis
• Customer needs
• The mix and the marketing plan

The augmented product

• Brand analysis and strategy
• Adding intangibles and brand building
• Positioning and copy strategy

Financial Issues

• Understanding and using key models
• Pricing strategy and tactics
• Measuring success

Communications

• The media plan
• Creative planning

Pre and post learning support:

You are asked, if possible, to prepare a briefing on a key issue facing your business today to be worked on during the course.

To take away from the course:

• An invaluable set of product management checklists
• An up-to-the minute textbook
• Reading lists and website addresses
• A systematic review of process and outstanding examples of great product management

Professional Standards

All of our marketing courses are based on CIM's Professional Marketing Standards, ensuring that marketers at all levels of seniority gain the practical skills that employers require to improve business performance. Review our Professional Marketing Standards framework