Brand management is the process of shaping the perception of a company to increase its value in the hearts and minds of its customers - and the marketplace. Much more than simply a static, visual logo, the brand of today is an ever-changing customer experience delivered by the entire organization. Whether in personal or corporate branding, brand management is important to establishing a great reputation, growing a loyal customer base, and staying ahead of the competition.

Especially in the digital era, it takes strong brand identity and agile brand marketing to punch through the noise of the increasingly saturated online landscape. While this can be challenging, the internet has also created new opportunities to create positive associations with brands through techniques like content marketing and influencer marketing. The ability to leverage digital analytics also offers new ways to identify your target audience as well as understand and improve your positioning within the competitive landscape.

Thus, today brand management is more essential than ever as part of a savvy marketing strategy. The ability to connect with customers in more memorable ways and across more channels than ever allows creative brand managers to grow market share by growing mindshare, and generate more value for every marketing dollar spent.

With branding essential to all types of organizations - public, private, and non-profit - brand management is needed in all industries. Typical roles that draw on brand management expertise include digital marketers, social media managers, and other advertising, public relations, and marketing specialists.

Having experience doing brand management and other marketing activities in these roles can prepare you to become an advertising manager. Advertising managers are responsible for coming up with compelling promotional campaign ideas as well as overseeing their execution by design and sales teams. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment growth for marketing managers will increase faster than the economy-wide average, but opportunities will be greatest for managers with expertise in the digital realm as print media fades in relevance.

Yes! Coursera offers online courses and Specializations in brand management and related topics like content strategy and influencer marketing. And, in keeping with Coursera’s own brand strategy of only offering high quality online courses from top-ranked programs, you can learn about brand management from leading experts at schools like the University of London, the University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University. You’ll do the same coursework and get the same credits as on-campus students, as well as having access to faculty via live virtual office hours, but paying a significantly lower cost.