UNIT 24: BRANDING
Unit 24: Branding
Level: 3
Unit type: Internal
Guided learning hours: 60
Unit in brief
Learners will investigate the role of branding and explore how it is used and will give
recommendations for changes to a brand for a selected product.
Unit introduction
Brands surround us in our everyday lives. People may judge others by their brand of car,
their brand of clothes or the brand of drinks they consume. Brands can help give people
identity and image. Because of this, marketing is often brand driven, with the objective
of establishing a product (good or service) with a separate identity in consumers’ minds,
making the product desirable, wanted and even needed. Messages are carefully crafted
to build customer views and expectations of the products associated with the brand.
Constant advances in digital-based processes and systems, and changes in customer
behaviour and their use of social media, present a challenge for businesses who work
to maintain, develop or reinforce their brand identity. Businesses invest a huge amount
of effort and resources to ensure that the customer recognises and responds to their
brand identity in the right way.
In this unit, you will consider the ways in which businesses use branding to achieve their
marketing objectives and business aims. You will explore the ways in which branding
influences the marketing mix and how brand-strategy recommendations are developed
according to market needs.
This unit will support your continuing studies of branding through a marketing-related
degree or a professional qualification. The unit will also give you the skills you need to
progress to employment in a branding-related role.
Learning aims
In this unit you will:
A Investigate the role of branding in a selected business
B Review how branding is used by a selected business
C Recommend changes to a brand for an existing product.
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UNIT 24: BRANDING
Summary of unit
Learning aim Key content areas Assessment approach
A Investigate the role of A1 Principles of branding
branding in a selected A2 Brand as an asset
business A report on the impact of
A3 Benefits and drawbacks branding on a selected
of branding for a large business.
business
B Review how branding is B1 Branding as part of
used by a selected business strategy
business B2 Brand design A report on the extent to
which the branding of a
B3 Factors influencing
branding activities product meets the aim(s)
of the selected large
business, including
C Recommend changes to C1 Challenges of recommendations on
a brand for an existing managing brands changes to be made to a
product C2 Changing a brand brand in response to a
brand audit.
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UNIT 24: BRANDING
Content
Learning aim A: Investigate the role of branding in a selected business
Learners will understand the principles of branding, the value of a brand and the
benefits and drawbacks of branding to a business.
A1 Principles of branding
• Product: good or service.
• Branding: the elements that define the image, ethos and tone of a business
and its products.
• Brand: a characteristic name, symbol or shape that distinguishes a product
from that of another supplier.
• Brand portfolio: a collection of brands under the control of a business.
• Types of brand:
o business name such as manufacturers and retailers
o product and product ranges such as cars or drinks
o person such as a celebrity actor, singer or entrepreneur.
• Use of branding:
o new brands
o brand extensions
o sub-brands
o product extension.
• Target audiences for brands.
• Consumer feelings about and connections with a brand:
o brand awareness and recognition of the brand
o perceived qualities associated with the brand
o loyalty to the brand.
• Customer loyalty ladder:
o suspects to prospects
o prospects to customers
o customers to clients
o clients to advocates.
• Branding as part of the marketing mix.
A2 Brand as an asset
• Value of a brand: the total financial value of a brand.
• Brand equity (positive and negative): the differential effect that knowing the
brand name has on a customer’s response to the product and its marketing,
the value of your brand beyond physical assets.
• Customer equity: the value of customer relationships that a brand creates.
• Protecting the brand: legal issues – trademark registration, copyright,
patent registration/IP (intellectual property).
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UNIT 24: BRANDING
A3 Benefits and drawbacks of branding for a business
• Benefits of strong branding:
o differentiates the product from the competition
o increases customer engagement
o increases customer loyalty and customer advocates
o can command premium prices/higher prices than non-branded products
o reduces price sensitivity
o increases value of the business
o makes consumer choice and recognition of products easier
o strong brand awareness leads to high sales and high market share
o retailers and service sellers are more likely to stock top-selling brands than less
well-known brands
o brand portfolios allow businesses to compete in many different marketplaces
with a range of product lines.
• Disadvantages of branding:
o may take years to build a brand
o high cost of advertising, keeping brand in the customers’ eyes
o loss of brand value for one product can affect a range of similar products
o brands invite competition and copycats
o high cost of research and development in ensuring brand continues to develop
and lead the market.
Learning aim B: Review how branding is used by a selected business
Learners will understand how branding and business strategies align, and how branding
activities can be affected by internal and external factors.
B1 Branding as part of business strategy
• Brand strategy:
o a long-term plan for the development of a successful brand in order
to achieve specific goals
o aligns with business aims and objectives for the product
o influences the marketing strategy of a business.
B2 Brand design
• Brand values: reflecting the core values and culture of the business
and its employees.
• Brand personality and voice.
• Brand identity.
• Brand names: descriptive, evocative, inventive, geographical, acronym,
founder, lexical.
• Brand elements:
o intangibles – promise, personality, positioning and emotion
o tangibles – identifying symbols, e.g. logos, graphics, colours, and sounds,
e.g. music, jingles, voice.
• Using packaging to communicate a brand.
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UNIT 24: BRANDING
• Touchpoints – any place where consumers encounter a brand such as:
o advertising
o business vehicles and livery used
o company clothing, e.g. uniforms
o signage and logos
o branded mobile apps
o content marketing, to include web landing pages, blogging, videos,
podcasts, email, social media sites and communities.
B3 Factors influencing branding activities
• Internal influences:
o size of the business
o stage of the business – start-up, growth, decline
o type of product
o geographical location of business
o budget for branding.
• External influences:
o competition from other businesses
o social pressure and conventions relating to the product
o political climate
o advances in technology and scope of digital platforms available
o digital impact of customers communicating positively and negatively
about the brand.
Learning aim C: Recommend changes to a brand for an existing product
Learners will understand how brands are managed and why they are changed, and how
this is achieved.
C1 Challenges of managing brands
• Brand management: analysis and planning of how a brand is perceived in the
market, brand success and brand failure.
• Maintaining branding relationship with customers throughout the product
lifecycle.
C2 Changing a brand
• Brand audit – a formal assessment of a brand’s strengths and weaknesses,
to include:
o existing marketing strategies, materials and communications
o the customer perception of brand through primary and secondary data,
such as questionnaires, focus groups, customer satisfaction surveys,
sales and revenue data, blogs
o comparison with competitors’ brands for similar products.
• Changing the perceptions of a brand:
o re-branding
o brand refreshing
o brand relaunching.
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UNIT 24: BRANDING
• Reasons for changing a brand:
o change in business focus
o changes in the market
o trends
o changes in customer behaviour, values and needs
o competitors’ branding strategies
o technological and digital impact.
• Changes in branding and promotion to reflect social trends:
o viral marketing – encouraging consumers to share information about products
via the internet
o social media sites – used to show benefits and features of products to
differentiate from the competition
o emotional branding – creating a bond between the consumer and the product
by creating an emotional response to the advertising.
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UNIT 24: BRANDING
Assessment criteria
Pass Merit Distinction
Learning aim A: Investigate the role of branding in a
selected business
A.P1 Explore the principles A.M1 Analyse the
of branding for a advantages and A.D1 Evaluate the impact
selected large disadvantages of of branding on a
business. branding to a selected large
A.P2 Explain how brands selected large business.
can be an asset to a business.
selected large
business.
Learning aim B: Review how branding is used by a
selected business
B.P3 Review how branding B.M2 Analyse the potential B.D2 Evaluate the
is used by a selected impact of internal extent to which
business. and external factors the branding of a
B.P4 Explain, using on branding activities product meets the
examples, the of a product. aim(s) of a selected
branding of two large business.
contrasting products
in a selected large
business.
Learning aim C: Recommend changes to a brand for
an existing product
C.P5 Explain the C.M3 Analyse the reasons
challenges of why an existing C.D3 Justify suggested
managing an existing brand for a product changes to an
brand for a product. may need to change. existing brand
C.P6 Investigate an for a product.
existing brand for
a product using a
brand audit.
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UNIT 24: BRANDING
Essential information for assignments
The recommended structure of assessment is shown in the unit summary, along with
suitable forms of evidence. Section 6 Internal assessment gives information on setting
assignments and there is also further information on our website.
There is a maximum number of two summative assignments for this unit.
The relationship of the learning aims and criteria is:
Learning aim: A (A.P1, A.P2, A.M1, A.D1)
Learning aims: B and C (B.P3, B.P4, C.P5, C.P6, B.M2, C.M3, B.D2, C.D3)
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UNIT 24: BRANDING
Further information for teachers and assessors
Resource requirements
For this unit, learners must have access to a range of current marketing information on
websites and from printed resources.
Essential information for assessment decisions
Learning aim A
Learners will carry out an investigation into a large business with a reputation for strong
brands. They must ensure that they select a business that will give them the depth of
information required to cover all assessment criteria fully. The choice of business will
be individual and not teacher-led.
For Distinction standard, learners will investigate a large business, looking in detail
at the branding of the business and using their results to make reasoned judgements.
They will come to a supported conclusion on the impact of branding on that business.
They will show understanding of the link between branding and achieving the aims and
objectives of the business such as an increase or improvement in market share, and
improved competitive advantage.
For Merit standard, learners will investigate a large business and explore its application
of the principles of branding. They will analyse the advantages and disadvantages of
branding to the business, including an explanation of how brands can be an asset.
For Pass standard, learners will carry out research into a selected large business to
explore its application of the principles of branding and explain how brands can be
an asset.
Learning aims B and C
Learners will continue their investigation into the business chosen for learning aim A.
For Distinction standard, learners will investigate the reasons for the business having a
brand strategy. They will look in more depth at the branding of one of the two products
investigated, and explain the challenges of managing this brand and the potential impact
of internal and external factors on the branding activities for the product. They will
evaluate the extent to which branding of this product meets the aim(s) of the business
and, with a view to changing the brand, they will carry out a brand audit to inform an
analysis of reasons to change the brand, justifying all recommended changes.
For Merit standard, learners will investigate the reasons for the business having a
brand strategy. They will look in more depth at the branding of one of the two products
investigated, and explain the challenges of managing this brand and the potential impact
of internal and external factors on the branding activities for the product. Using a brand
audit, they will analyse the reasons for changing the brand.
For Pass standard, learners will investigate the reasons for the business having a brand
strategy and use examples to explain the branding of two of its contrasting products.
They will choose one of these products and explain the challenges of managing the
brand. They will use primary and secondary research to carry out a brand audit on
the product, including the existing marketing strategies, materials and communications,
the customer perception of the brand and a comparison with competitors’ brands for
similar products.
Pearson BTEC International Level 3 Qualifications in Business and in Enterprise –
Specification – Issue 2 – June 2020 © Pearson Education Limited 2020
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UNIT 24: BRANDING
Links to other units
This unit links to:
• Unit 2: Research and Plan a Marketing Campaign
• Unit 22: Market Research.
Employer involvement
This unit would benefit from employer involvement in the form of:
• guest speakers and interview/discussion opportunities
• work experience
• opportunities to visit suitable businesses
• support from local business staff as mentors
• provision of business materials as exemplars
• ideas and suggestions to contribute to unit assessment.
Opportunities to develop transferable employability skills
In completing this unit, learners will have the opportunity to develop the skills needed to
progress to employment in a branding-related role.
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