The CIM Brand Marketing Programme

Overview 

The CIM Brand Strategy Programme is a strategic and practical course for marketers responsible for building, managing or evolving brand direction. It gives professionals a structured approach to defining brand propositions, activating brand identity and selecting the right long-term strategy to support commercial goals. 

The course covers the full scope of brand development - starting with purpose, positioning and value propositions, and moving through to brand activation, reputation management and investment planning. Key topics include brand architecture, brand equity, internal brand delivery, innovation, strategic resource use and brand measurement. 

Who should attend 

This course is designed for marketers with responsibility for brand strategy, whether for a product, service, organisation or internal function. It is suitable for professionals working across B2B, B2C or not-for-profit sectors, including brand managers, marketing managers and consultants. Participants should already have a strong marketing foundation and be looking to deepen their brand planning capability. 

Learning outcomes

How to develop propositions that define a brand 

• • Define a brand’s competitive advantage using internal and external analysis 
  • Establish purpose, values and brand ambition to guide long-term direction 
  • Build a compelling value proposition aligned to business goals and customer needs 
  • Apply segmentation, targeting and positioning to sharpen brand focus 
  • Use customer and market insight to inform brand relevance and appeal 
  • Align cross-functional teams to support strategic brand delivery

How the brand supports the proposition 

• • Activate brand identity across key touchpoints and internal culture 
  • Translate strategy into brand expression through tone, language and design 
  • Deliver brand consistency to support trust, loyalty and differentiation 
  • Align brand investment to customer value and commercial outcomes 
  • Justify brand spend with evidence-based models and performance measures 
  • Use internal systems and processes to embed the brand across the organisation 

Determine the factors that drive a successful brand strategy 

• • Integrate innovation into brand thinking to remain distinctive and relevant 
  • Build brand strength through the strategic use of resources and capabilities 
  • Manage brand reputation and mitigate risk through structured planning 
  • Create resilience in brand strategy through adaptive and agile approaches 
  • Apply models such as RBV, VRIO and brand architecture to drive value 
  • Select the right strategic brand approach based on market, mission and maturity