Strategic Brand Positioning and Marketing Training Course

Duration 10 days 16 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends Brand Managers, Marketing Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-M-065

Before you join: Participants should have practical experience in marketing, communications, product management, customer experience, commercial planning or related strategy roles.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Strong brands make commercial choices easier: customers recognise what the brand stands for, understand why it is relevant, and can distinguish it from credible alternatives. Yet many organisations have broad brand claims, inconsistent messages, poorly defined segments, or campaigns that create attention without building long-term preference. These issues are common in banking, public services, consumer goods, technology, healthcare, professional services and NGOs, where portfolios, channels and stakeholder expectations can complicate brand decisions.

This advanced course develops the strategic judgement needed to define, test and activate a defensible brand position. Participants assess market structure, customer demand, competitor positions and organisational capabilities; identify priority segments and category entry points; develop value propositions; and create positioning platforms that guide product, communications, channel and customer-experience decisions. The course addresses brand architecture, portfolio roles, naming, identity systems, brand purpose, reputation, pricing signals, performance measurement and governance. Participants use established frameworks including STP, Jobs to Be Done, Keller’s Customer-Based Brand Equity model and Brand Key.

Teaching combines concise faculty briefings with sector cases, structured analysis, group discussions, positioning simulations and individual application work. Participants develop a live brand challenge or a realistic case throughout the programme, refining their work as each module adds a new decision tool. They leave with a complete strategic brand positioning plan, including market diagnosis, audience definition, value proposition, positioning statement, messaging framework, activation priorities, measures and governance actions.

The course suits experienced marketing, brand, communications, product, customer-experience and commercial professionals who influence market-facing decisions. It is particularly useful for teams preparing a rebrand, entering a new category, clarifying a complex portfolio, improving campaign consistency or restoring preference in a contested market.

What you will be able to do

  • Diagnose brand strength using market, customer, competitor and internal evidence
  • Segment markets and select priority audiences using STP and needs-based criteria
  • Define customer jobs, pains and gains through Jobs to Be Done analysis
  • Develop a differentiated value proposition supported by credible proof points
  • Write a positioning statement and messaging framework for priority audiences
  • Design brand architecture and portfolio roles for multi-brand or multi-service offers
  • Build a brand activation plan connecting positioning to channels and customer experience
  • Present a complete strategic brand positioning plan with measures and governance

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce stronger positioning recommendations for senior leadership and agency partners
  • Translate customer research into clear strategic marketing choices
  • Lead rebranding, portfolio review and market-entry discussions with greater authority
  • Create messaging that links commercial proof points to customer needs
  • Build a portfolio of reusable brand strategy templates and decision tools

For your organisation

  • Sharper market positions that reduce undifferentiated claims and campaign waste
  • Greater consistency between brand promise, customer experience and sales messaging
  • Better prioritisation of segments, offers and channel investment
  • Clearer portfolio roles that reduce internal competition and customer confusion
  • Stronger governance for approving communications, partnerships and product launches

Course modules

16 modules over 10 days

Participants can define a focused brand problem and assess its commercial significance.

  • Brand as an economic asset: demand, price premium and risk
  • Distinguishing brand strategy, positioning, identity and campaign planning
  • Category entry points and mental availability in buying situations
  • Brand audit evidence: sales data, research, channels and customer feedback
  • Diagnosing positioning drift through message, experience and portfolio review
  • Writing a focused brand problem statement and strategic brief

Participants can assess the market forces that shape feasible brand positions.

  • PESTLE factors affecting category demand, regulation and customer expectations
  • Porter’s Five Forces used to assess category profit potential
  • Mapping direct, indirect and substitute competitors within customer choice sets
  • Competitive claim analysis across websites, sales materials and advertising
  • White-space opportunities tested against customer relevance and organisational credibility
  • Scenario assumptions for disrupted categories, entrants and changing buying criteria

Participants can convert customer evidence into strategic insight and demand hypotheses.

  • Research evidence hierarchy: behavioural data, interviews, surveys and observation
  • Jobs to Be Done interviews identifying functional, emotional and social progress
  • Customer pains, gains and anxieties mapped against purchase decisions
  • Buying committees and stakeholder roles within complex B2B decisions
  • Customer journey moments that shape consideration, choice and advocacy
  • Insight statements separating observed facts from strategic interpretation

Participants can select priority segments using commercial attractiveness and strategic fit.

  • STP model connecting segmentation, target selection and positioning choices
  • Needs-based segments built from motivations, behaviours and decision criteria
  • Segment attractiveness assessed through value, growth, access and competitive intensity
  • Targeting criteria matched to capabilities, channel reach and investment capacity
  • Primary, secondary and influencing audiences defined for communications planning
  • Persona documents grounded in evidence rather than demographic stereotypes

Participants can create a customer-relevant value proposition supported by evidence.

  • Value Proposition Canvas linking customer jobs, pains, gains and offers
  • Functional benefits translated from product features and service capabilities
  • Emotional and social benefits tested for relevance and credibility
  • Reasons to believe drawn from proof, performance and distinctive assets
  • Value propositions differentiated from generic category promises and slogans
  • Trade-off choices that make a proposition focused and commercially usable

Participants can write a clear positioning statement that guides market-facing decisions.

  • Positioning statement structure: audience, category, benefit, reason and distinction
  • Frame of reference selected from customer alternatives and category conventions
  • Points of parity required to be considered a credible choice
  • Points of difference evaluated for relevance, distinctiveness and believability
  • Perceptual maps used to compare customer perceptions and competitive claims
  • Positioning territory tests against evidence, ambition and operational delivery

Participants can distinguish useful purpose-led strategy from unsupported corporate claims.

  • Brand purpose connected to customer value and organisational contribution
  • Mission, vision, purpose and values separated for practical brand use
  • Corporate reputation drivers: conduct, leadership, service and social impact
  • Stakeholder expectations mapped across customers, employees, regulators and communities
  • Purpose claims tested against policies, operations and public evidence
  • Reputation risk scenarios linked to brand response principles

Participants can identify the assets and associations that build brand equity over time.

  • Keller’s Customer-Based Brand Equity model applied to brand diagnosis
  • Salience, performance, imagery, judgements and resonance as equity dimensions
  • Distinctive brand assets: names, colours, symbols, sounds and characters
  • Asset recognition assessed through consistency, uniqueness and category linkage
  • Memory structures strengthened through repeated cues and category associations
  • Brand associations prioritised for building meaningful customer preference

Participants can translate positioning into usable identity and language direction.

  • Brand identity prism covering physique, personality, culture and relationship
  • Identity principles connecting positioning to visual and verbal expression
  • Tone-of-voice dimensions defined through clear linguistic contrasts
  • Message hierarchy organised from master promise to supporting proof
  • Naming criteria for brands, products, services and strategic initiatives
  • Creative briefs specifying audience, response, proposition and mandatory elements

Participants can create message systems that remain consistent across audiences and channels.

  • Message house structure for corporate, product and campaign communications
  • Core narrative built from tension, promise, proof and desired action
  • Audience-specific message adaptation without changing the strategic position
  • Objection handling based on risks, alternatives and decision barriers
  • Proof-point libraries organised by claim, evidence source and approval status
  • Content pillars linked to category entry points and customer questions

Participants can recommend portfolio structures that clarify roles and reduce brand confusion.

  • Branded house, house of brands and endorsed brand models
  • Portfolio roles: masterbrand, sub-brand, product brand and service line
  • Brand relationship spectrum applied to acquisitions, extensions and partnerships
  • Naming decisions assessed for equity transfer, clarity and risk
  • Cannibalisation risks identified through segment, offer and price overlaps
  • Architecture governance defining approval rights and exception criteria

Participants can align customer experience and channel activity with the intended brand position.

  • Brand promise translated into observable service and experience behaviours
  • Customer journey mapping identifies high-impact moments of truth
  • Channel roles defined across owned, earned, paid and partner media
  • Sales enablement materials aligned with positioning and proof points
  • Service recovery principles protect trust after operational failures
  • Activation priorities balanced between long-term brand building and demand generation

Participants can assess how commercial choices strengthen or weaken brand meaning.

  • Price as a signal of quality, access and category position
  • Value-based pricing linked to customer outcomes and willingness to pay
  • Brand extensions screened for fit, credibility and dilution risk
  • Innovation platforms derived from unmet jobs and brand permission
  • Product launch narratives connect new offers to established brand equity
  • Promotional decisions tested against long-term preference and margin implications

Participants can design a practical measurement system for brand and commercial performance.

  • Brand funnel metrics: awareness, consideration, preference, purchase and advocacy
  • Mental availability measured through category entry point associations
  • Brand tracking questions aligned with positioning and strategic decisions
  • Share of search, share of voice and share of market
  • Marketing dashboard combining brand, demand, experience and financial indicators
  • Learning agendas distinguish leading indicators from lagging commercial outcomes

Participants can establish governance practices that protect position and improve execution quality.

  • Brand governance model defining decision rights, standards and escalation
  • Approval workflows for campaigns, partnerships, sponsorships and new offers
  • Internal brand engagement linking employee behaviour to customer promise
  • Agency briefing and evaluation criteria tied to strategic objectives
  • Brand guidelines structured for practical use by non-specialists
  • Change-management plan for rebrands, mergers and portfolio transitions

Participants can build, review and present a complete strategic brand positioning plan for a defined market opportunity.

  • Market diagnosis synthesised into a clear strategic brand challenge
  • Priority segments selected with evidence, commercial rationale and audience implications
  • Value proposition and positioning statement tested for strategic coherence
  • Messaging architecture connects promise, proof, objections and channel priorities
  • Activation roadmap assigns actions, owners, milestones and resource assumptions
  • Measurement framework defines indicators, baselines, review cadence and decisions
  • Peer review evaluates clarity, differentiation, feasibility and presentation quality

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Brand diagnostic template
  2. Segment prioritisation matrix
  3. Jobs to Be Done interview guide
  4. Positioning statement and value proposition canvas
  5. Brand messaging architecture template
  6. Strategic brand positioning plan

Who should attend

  • Brand Managers — need a defensible position that directs campaigns, identity and portfolio decisions
  • Marketing Managers — need to connect market insight with commercial marketing priorities
  • Product Marketing Managers — need clearer product narratives for defined customer segments
  • Customer Experience Leaders — need brand promises translated into service and channel standards
  • Communications Directors — need consistent corporate, product and reputation messaging
  • Commercial and Strategy Managers — need brand choices linked to growth, pricing and market entry

Skills and tools covered

Brand positioning strategyMarket segmentationValue proposition designBrand architectureMessaging developmentBrand performance measurement

Tools and standards

STP model, Jobs to Be Done, Keller’s Customer-Based Brand Equity model, Brand Key

How the course runs

Training methodology

Faculty briefings introduce each framework before participants apply it to realistic commercial cases and their own brand challenge where appropriate. Small-group analysis examines research evidence, competitor claims, customer journeys, portfolio choices and campaign materials. Simulations test positioning decisions under competitive and stakeholder pressure. Structured peer review strengthens strategic reasoning, evidence quality and message discipline. Application planning links each method to participants’ current responsibilities, while facilitator feedback helps convert draft analyses into decision-ready outputs.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical experience in marketing, communications, product management, customer experience, commercial planning or related strategy roles. They should be comfortable interpreting basic market research, customer data and competitor information, and should understand core marketing terms such as target audience, value proposition, channel and campaign. Prior responsibility for a brand is helpful but not essential. The course does not require graphic-design skills, statistical modelling, prior formal brand-management training, specialist research software or previous experience with named brand frameworks.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have practical exposure to marketing, communications, product, customer experience or commercial planning. The course assumes familiarity with basic marketing language but does not require previous formal brand-management training.

Bring a current brand, product, service, portfolio or market-entry challenge if you want to apply the tools directly. Useful materials include customer research, campaign examples, sales data, competitor information and existing brand guidelines.

It is designed for experienced professionals who influence brand, marketing, product, customer experience, communications or growth decisions. It also suits cross-functional leaders involved in rebrands, new offers or portfolio changes.

This course concentrates on the strategic choices that define what a brand should mean, to whom and why. Digital channels, campaigns and content are addressed as activation tools rather than as the main subject.

Participants can use the diagnostic, segmentation, value proposition, positioning and messaging tools on active business priorities. The final plan provides a structured basis for leadership discussions, agency briefs and implementation planning.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The first week establishes diagnosis, audience, value proposition and positioning; the second week develops architecture, activation, measurement, governance and the final capstone presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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