/ LearningPower into Action
International Projects
Branding and Communication
13 March 2012 / 1 (6)

Joint Client Project between Partner Schools

The work process in the following two courses is very similar. The students interview company representatives and other stakeholders to establish the current position of the company or the brand.

Brand Management(Brand Expertise& Branding Project)

  • 15 ectc (Brand Expertise 9 ectcBranding Project 6 ectc)
  • From mid-January to mid-May

The studies cover the following contents:

  • Strategic brand analysis
  • Brand research (qualitative)
  • Brand identity and brand promise
  • Brand image
  • Brand building process and models
  • Managing the brand identity
  • Brand communication
  • Extensive branding project for a client company

Each student project group is responsible for conducting a qualitative study for a client company, preferably a small or medium-sized company. Through interviews, the students study the brand identity and brand image among the chosen target groups (internal or external stakeholders). Based on the interpretation of the research findings, each project group makes a creative proposal for a brand manual (brand management guidelines) for their client company.

The website designed for client companies at explains the project from the client’s perspective.

Creative Corporate and Marketing Communication (includes a client project)

  • 12 ectc (the share of the client project is 6 ectc)
  • From September to mid-December
  • From mid-January to mid-May

The course covers the various corporate and marketing communications tools, especially advertising and the electronic and social media. The students will design a comprehensive corporate and marketing communications plan for a client organization (preferably for an international company). Depending on the goals of each project, the focus may vary between corporate/brand identity development (brand guidelines) and the communications plan.

Outcome of the Project for the Client

The outcome of our work will include the following:

(1)Brand research report

  • Theoretical key concepts
  • Internal brand image (in-house interviews)
  • External brand image (customer/stakeholder interviews)

(2)Guidelines for managing the brand (brand manual)

  • Current brand description
  • Future directions for the brand identity
  • Preliminary brand communication tools

(3)Presentation to the company

Project Work Schedule

Learning Processes in the Client Project

The project aims to establish the following learning processes in the students:

(1)Understand and describe creative corporate and marketing communications and/or branding as a strategic tool for business management, leadership and marketing.

(2)Conduct personal study and tutorial work at an advanced level, comparing sources and models, making thorough applications, and combining theories and the student’s own ideas to formulate new models.

(3)Work professionally with a client company in a multicultural team.

(4)Apply problem identification, analysis and solving to branding and/or communication projects.

(5)Understand the significance of and conduct qualitative research in branding and/or corporate and marketing communication.

(6)Collect, analyze and use relevant research findings to create brand guidelines and/or a communication plan for a client company.

Reporting within the University during the Client Project

(1) Project plan

What? Why? How? When?

  • Purpose and objectives of your project (research question and sub-questions).
  • Introduce the company in a nutshell (only enough to understand the project).
  • Use in-text references to indicate the sources of information.
  • Introduce the main content areas and the research and work process.
  • Your communication with the client organisation.
  • Methods
  • What information to gather, and why and how and when.
  • How to analyse the data into information and how to present it.
  • Creative work (brand guidelines and/or a communication plan).
  • Group member responsibilities.
  • Process map: schedule and deadlines.
  • Sources of theoretical and empirical information.
  • Post your project plan into Moodle and share feedback before presenting the project plan in class.
  • Present the plan in class (involving every group member) after possible modifications.

(2) Outcome

Brand guidelines and/or a communication plan

Write the report in three stages (A, B, C) as follows.

Version A (Theory)

Title page

Table of contents

Introduction (Chapter 1)

Brief background information

Brief company introduction (only enough to understand the project)

Purpose and objectives of the research (research question and sub-questions)

Research approach (qualitative interviewing)

Orientation to the structure of the report

Theory (Chapter 2)

Collect theory from versatile sources

 Conceptual framework for your empirical study

Use in-text references

Summarize your theory with text and illustration

Methodology (Chapter 3)

How to conduct the interviews

How to analyse the data into information

Sources

Appendices

Questionnaire and other relevant appendices

Number the appendices

Refer to them in the main text

Version B (Complete)

Change the verbs in Version A (in the methodology section) so that it explains what actually happened (past tense) instead of what will happen (future). Then add the following:

Findings from the qualitative interviews (Chapter 4)

  • Present and interpret the findings in the light of the conceptual framework presented in the theoretical part of your study.
  • Summarize the findings.
  • Discuss the validity and reliability of your study.

Brand guidelines and/or a communication plan (Chapter 5)

  • Based on the research findings and your own creativity, make a proposal that includes your own creative solution for branding guidelines and/or a communication plan.

Conclusion (Chapter 6)

  • Summarize your work.
  • Present your conclusions and recommendations for further research or action.
  • Evaluate the outcome your work.

Add an abstract between the title page and the table of contents.

Version C (Final)

  • Make the possible changes and adjustments suggested by your instructor.
  • Assess your own report using the following presentation assessment form:
  • Send your report to the following email address for the Urkund analysis (“firstname” and “lastname” refer to your project supervisor’s name):

(3) Presentation

In class and to the client organisation

  • Use a slide show (and maybe other suitable material) in your presentation.
  • Use proper theoretical themes and concepts to show your theoretical framework (don’t explain the basic details).
  • Explain your methods and findings (use proper theoretical themes and concepts here as well).
  • Explain the contents of your creative work (brand guidelines and/or the communication plan) and the reasoning behind it.
  • In the end, summarize your brand and/or your communication plan, each on one slide.
  • Use creativity.
  • You may use notes but don’t read directly from paper.
  • Avoid looking over your shoulder to the screen.
  • Be prepared to answer any questions that the audience may ask you.
  • Your presentation will be assessed using the following presentation assessment form:

(4) Group assessment

  • Keep a logbook of your project group meetings.
  • Use these records to evaluate each member's commitment to the project when filling the group member assessment form at the end of the course (see below).
  • Attach the logbook to the group assessment form.
  • Do not allow any free-riders!
  • Describe each group member’s contribution to your work
  • Use the form at
  • One page about each group member (assessed collectively by the group).
  • Verbal description of how the workload was divided.
  • Percentages to each member by dividing the total 100 per cent among the group members.
  • Fill the second page about any critical incidents that you may have had.

Cooperation Ideas
Two international partner schools could each have their own course (theory).
Some or all of the 3 – 6 projects could be joint projects as follows:
  • 2 Haaga-Helia students and 2 partner school students in each project?
  • Using a platform such as Moodle (or other closed platforms?)
  • Group discussion forums available
  • Blogs and wikis available
  • What about public social media?
  • Blogs, wikis, Twitter, websites
  • Synchronous meetings using the webcam and microphone (Skype, ConnectPro)?
  • The student project group meetings without the instructor/supervisor.
The instructor(s) or project supervisor(s) present in some meetings
  • Project plan presentation and feedback
  • Checkups
  • Project outcome presentation and evaluation
  • Project supervisors from one school or both schools?
  • Final assessment done by one school or both schools?
  • How to fit the schedules of the two schools?
  • Other ideas? Other considerations?

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  • Join the Facebook group LearningPower into Action and start posting and commenting.
  • Tweet your ideas using #LeaPo.
Thank you for your ideas and all the best to your learning! 
Matti Helelä 