(The former Marketing Communications Management concentration has been subject to structural adjustments and has changed name to Brand and Communications Management).

For many firms their brand has become one of their most important assets. The concept of branding is becoming more proliferate, making branding not only a business-to-consumer matter, but also a key element in the value proposition in business-to-business and business-to-government contexts. Brand equity considerations and reflections on the immaterial value are increasingly seen in terms of multiple stakeholders and in terms of the financial value of the brand. The ability to understand the symbolic role brands play in consumers' lives and to measure their value has become a prerequisite for making brand investment decisions.

The BCM concentration is specifically aimed at those who would like to work professionally with brands. It provides the framework to understand how brands become part of consumers' identity projects, how brands are created and, how they have to be continously managed.

You are supplied with a mixture of theoretical and analytical tools, communication- and decision-oriented models focusing on developing strong relations between consumers and brands. You will also use multiple real-life business cases.

The concentration provides students with the ability to understand the symbolic meaning of brands and to think and plan strategically as well as to transform strategies into practical marketing programmes. You will also analyse complex brand issues through the use of diverse analytical tools and decision support systems.