BRMT 177 Term 7

Mid-term take-home exam (15%Grade)

MUST BE SUBMITED VIA LMS to your respective campus folder by 27 January, 2017 @ 8AM
Submit on time to avoid penalty

[Please submit with the file name Brand Audit _PGID.docx]

Brand YOU Audit

For your mid-term exam, you are to complete a comprehensive examination of Brand YOU using the
frameworks and tools we have discussed in class over the last 5 classes. This would include stating
Brand Yous Brand Personality, Brand Value Proposition, Brand Mantra, Brand Concept Map, Associate
Network Model, CBBE etc. Your audit should also use the headings and subheadings from the example
that is presented in SBM Chapter 8, pp 279 to 286.

Note: A well-researched report assures you better grade than a lengthy incoherent write up.

The focus of the audit is Brand YOU within the context of the MBA full time employment market.

As with any brand audit, I want you to do an externally, consumer focused analysis to:
- assess the health of Brand YOU
- uncover sources of brand equity in Brand YOU
- recommend ways to leverage and improve Brand YOUs brand equity
The consumers would be the hiring manager, interviewer, etc.

You will turn in a brand audit paper of no more than 6 single spaced pages with an additional 2 pages
of appendix if relevant. You should also make sure you include references in those two pages if
appropriate and label them as such.

Your paper should contain the following:

I. The Brand YOU Inventory

This should be a current, comprehensive profile of how Brand YOU is marketed, branded, and sold.

1. Identify all Brand YOU elements.

2. Identify the inherent attributes of the product category and your specific strengths &
weakness (compared to other marketing MBA students).

3. Profile direct and indirect competitive brands (other MBA students both ISB and
elsewhere) for points of parity and points of difference.

II. The Brand Exploratory

An investigation of consumer knowledge of Brand YOU, awareness, and the strength, favorability, and
uniqueness of associations (category, use, brand promise, etc.).

1. Analysis of prior research studies of Brand YOU.

This can be any prior testing (e.g. career aptitude tests,
prior job search feedback, prior job/internship feedback, etc.)

1
 2. Interviews to explore perceptions of Brand YOU.
These can be done (or may have been done previously) with classmates,
co-workers, ISB Faculty or Staff, etc.)

3. Identify problem areas/inconsistencies with the market reality.

III. A short term (2-3 month) marketing plan for Brand YOU that includes both 1) a strategy for brand
positioning in the MBA job-search market and 2) an IMC campaign [what are the various outlets (e.g.
LinkedIn) you will use to promote Brand You] that will increase awareness of Brand YOU and promote
sales (i.e. lead to a successful market outcome a job). IF you already have accepted a job, this
needs to be a long term marketing plan that will allow you to maintain and grow your brand equity over
the next 1-3 years post-graduation.

Page Format Guidelines:

1. Please leave a margin of 1 inch on all sides. Use 12 pt font, Times New Roman typeface
with 1.5 line space.

2. Submit as word doc (NOT as pdf) as it enables track mode editing and evaluation.

3. Indicate your Name & PGID in the footer section.

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