Dr. McAlister’s Strategic Branding Course is of great value to all MPA students. For more information see the description below. You may enroll in this course during the regular registration period.

Professor: Dr. Leigh McAlister

Department: Marketing

Target audience: MPA students

When: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

Overview: Successful implementation of a differentiation strategy requires that differentiated products be branded so that the equity built by a differentiated product or service can be harnessed to support future growth. Of course brand managers need to understand branding tools, but so do accountants, entrepreneurs, investment bankers, consultants, corporate financiers and general managers.

Rationale: The course will help accountants prepare to deal with these substantial intangible assets and also help them understand, so that they can support: Brand managers who build, leverage and defend strong brands; entrepreneurs who need to effectively “position” (who is going to buy, and why) a product/service and build programs to support that position; and investment bankers, corporate financiers and general managers who need to understand branding tools which contribute significantly to firm value. (On average, brands contribute up to 59% of all publicly traded firms’ market value and up to 65% of US firms’ market value.)

In addition, the class will address how to build your personal brand for career success. The class begins with three primary branding models, and then moves on to positioning, marketing programs to support positions and techniques for establishing the value of brands.

“Without a doubt, Professor McAlister’s class on Strategic Branding has been one of my favorite classes I’ve taken at UT. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or just an average consumer, Professor McAlister will have you thinking about how companies create a strong brand and why it’s necessary to do so. The skills you will learn will not only help you market and create your own brand, but lead you to look at advertisements and products in a whole new way. I highly recommend this fun, interesting and energetic class to any MPA.”

Katie Koehler
Master in Professional Accounting
The University of Texas at Austin

Submitted by Anna Craft