Brand Strategy (15 Mar - 15 May, 2026)
Program plan - 8 sessions, 8 weeks (1 session per week)
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Session length: ~45–60 minutes
Written deep-dive content (+ optional additional materials) and 20–30 minute video -
Live sessions: 4 sessions, 60 minutes each (between every 2 sessions)
Live class with instructors to discuss all your open questions -
Training simulator: all the theory will be practiced using 3 fictional brands:
- PolarBean: Market leader - benchmark brand
- Orbit: Mid-sized brand in the middle
- NightShift: Niche/Cult favorite
🎯 Goal
Clearly grasp the differences between the 3 key Schools of Thought in brand strategy
🔺 Features
The Brand Strategy program is designed for experienced practitioners seeking a deeper understanding of the core schools of thought in brand strategy:
- Inside-Out (David Aaker)
- Outside-In (Kevin Lane Keller & Jennie Romaniuk)
- Bothism (Christoph Burmann), which blends the first two.
You’ll learn to recognize each school’s perspective—what it emphasizes, what it overlooks, and where biases may appear.
Structure for the Brand Strategy course
Through practice, you’ll switch between perspectives and keep multiple schools active in your thinking, enabling richer, more effective strategic decisions.
What You'll Learn & unLearn:
⭕ Session 1: Consumer buying patterns vs. memory building
When to use each, and what truly matters if you want to build durable memories in buyers’ minds that actually drive long-term growth.
⭕ Session 2: Inside-Out - David Aaker & Jean-Noël Kapferer
We’ll walk through their core viewpoints and models, explain the principles behind how they work, and examine the main criticisms their approaches have received within the industry.
⭕ Session 3: Inside-Out - practice
We’ll apply the Inside-Out lens and see how this approach plays out across the brandLingual Coffee Wars brands in practice.
⭕ Session 4: Outside-In - Kevin Lane Keller
We’ll walk through how to apply the CBBE model, break down its key elements, and examine the industry’s evidence-based critiques of it.
⭕ Session 5: Outside-In - Jennie Romaniuk
We’ll walk through the core principles behind how the Distinctive Brand Assets perspective was formed—and explore what may be missing from it.
⭕ Session 6: Outside-In - practice
We’ll put Keller’s and Romaniuk’s perspectives into practice using our Coffee Wars brands
⭕ Session 7: Bothism - Christoph Burmann
We’ll walk through the Two Head model’s key elements and apply them to the Coffee Wars brands.
⭕ Session 8: Final synthesis & decision guide
When to use each approach and how to course-correct strategy conversations in real client and team settings.
🔺 Community & Collective Intelligence
brandLingual believes that real growth today happens only through collective learning from each other. That’s why we offer a safe space—our community platform—where you don’t have to pretend to be a superstar with all the answers when, in reality, you might feel a strong sense of imposter syndrome.
Our community is all the good you’re looking for on LinkedIn, leaving the negative side behind closed doors. Our goal is to encourage you to take off your armor and be curious and explorative again, asking: “Help me understand this” instead of quietly watching what others do without daring to find your own voice.
Testimonial
The Brand Strategy program helps experienced practitioners understand and apply multiple schools of thought on branding, recognizing their perspectives, biases, and core principles to achieve more effective strategic outcomes.