Brand Strategy and Management

Building brand scenarios through projects of global impact

Milan

ENG

ITA

Master

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Language

English, Italian

Start date

November 2026

Frequency

Full time

Fruition

On campus

Duration

1 Year

Course Coordination

Gordon Cesareo, Alas Gatti

Price

EU/EEA resident students: €20.300

Non‑EU/Non-EEA resident students: €22.300

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Learn how to interpret the world around us, organising your ideas into branding projects where creativity and strategy work together to deliver value. This is what the English-language Master’s Program in Brand Strategy and Management at IED Milano is all about

The English-language Master’s Program in Brand Strategy and Management at IED Milano explores all processes of brand management, communication and strategy. It provides intensive training through a variety of project-based learning opportunities that change year by year, thus enabling close interaction between students and some of the most attractive international corporations on the market.

You will learn how to look at the world around you with critical insight, translating and condensing your vision into creative solutions. This course is specifically designed for those who want to explore the whole process of brand strategy, strategic planning and digital strategy across a wide scope, putting forward some new, creative solutions.

Over your time on the course, you will be taught by top managers of great expertise, who work as Master's lecturers and enjoy exchanging views with their students, sharing with all of them all the experience acquired from top companies and agencies that they work with. Upon completion, you will be able to successfully move into the world of work, showing how far you can go with your analytical, strategic and creative skills.

Information to decide

Join the world of branding with a training course that will prepare you for some of the best international corporations and agencies on the market

The Master's Program Brand Strategy and Management at IED Milano was developed to provide students with easier access to key national and international brand players, as they get familiar with how companies and agencies actually work in brand management processes.

Over the year you will be involved in a combination of lessons, tutorials, case histories, workshops and projects based on real-life briefs, which you will carry out either individually or as part of a team. You will develop the skills required to manage a brand name using a multidisciplinary approach. You will also have the opportunity to analyse contemporary economic and cultural scenarios, while setting out key aspects of product/service communication strategies and expanding your knowledge of branding processes. This work will help you understand how best brand strategies can be used as a way to suit customer needs and specific requirements.

The quality of this programme is reflected in the number of practical training sessions offered on a daily basis, in addition to cross-training weeks focusing on:

- Creativity, where students work on idea generation and ‘out of the box’ methodology.

- Leadership when you are given the opportunity to meet presidents and CEOs of large corporations.

- Luxury industry, with an emphasis on Italian brands and excellences: Missoni, Diesel, Pomellato, Gessi are among those featured over the last few years. Other brands will also be involved and presented through the stories of their founders or general managers.

The English-language Master's Program Brand Strategy and Management at IED Milano is designed for graduates of humanities, social sciences or economics, as well as for those holding a Certificate in creative disciplines from Italian or international design schools. Applicants who have already completed two years of experience in the field are also welcome.

If you are driven by a great curiosity and passion for top brands and communication strategies, if you have a drive to delve into everything around you, if you have determination and perseverance, if you have no fear about always challenging yourself, this is certainly the best training for you.

In recent years, branding has become one of the strategic assets for corporate communication and marketing, which is why more and more consulting firms, companies, and agencies are looking for professionals who know how to create and manage brands and their communication, building long-lasting cultural value assets.

The English-language Master's Program Brand Strategy and Management at IED Milano is strongly focused on training people to lead the branding process..

Over your training, you will be able to work on projects submitted by companies like Pomellato, Campari, Ducati, Diesel, KFC, Persol, Lemonsoda, Vigorsol, Vodafone, KFC, MV Agusta, Costa Crociere and Valsoia. Over the last few years, these companies have presented briefs based on real needs to IED students, providing useful moments of interaction for professional development and developing together high-impact projects for the growth of their products and brands.
The English-language Master's Program Brand Strategy and Management at IED Milano has contributed to creating a community of more than 500 alumni, who currently work as branding professionals for some of the top global branding companies. Although they studied in different academic years, they all know each other and work together at times, helping one another and sharing views, ideas and professional experiences. After your Master's Course you will be able to take up one of the following professions in different fields:

- Companies: Brand Managers, Product Managers

- Branding Agencies: Brand Strategists and Client Managers

- Consultancy: Creative Strategists and Brand Consultants

- Entrepreneurs: Founders and Brand Directors

The main software you will need during your course is provided by IED!

On this page you will find all the features you need for your computer.

Online and In-Person

Syllabus

This training covering in-depth study of branding through cross-disciplinary lessons and group activities. This is a full journey that will take you through the different steps of the branding process. We will develop two branding projects of growing complexity, which will be assigned directly by our partner companies through real-life briefs, as a way to reproduce a typical professional context.

In addition, part of the training will also be spent on personal branding: a series of insightful sessions will give you the opportunity to become familiar with branding strategies, as you build up your own professional identity and move on from doubts about your future to a well-defined career path.

ASSESSING THE LANDSCAPE

Prework (Strategic Marketing)
Consumer insight
Branding in BtoB and BtoC
Branding vs industries
Budgeting

Application
Researches
360° analysis
Product
Targeting
Competitive arena
Trends
Assessment: GAP analysis, conclusions,
Market Positioning
Brand equity models
Channel Strategy and Trade Marketing
Marketing analytics

BRAND STRATEGY

Tools & Methodology and Strategic Platform

Advanced Strategy
5 Senses
Customer journey
Architecture
Partnership and innovation
Brand Principles
Brand guidelines
Business guidelines
Product guidelines

BRAND EXPRESSION

Outside
Look & feel
Naming & verbal
Strategic design
Identity, corporate vs product branding
Sound branding

BRAND IMAGE

Brand Communication
Strategy
Creativity and actions
Branded content and entertainment
Relationship
Field and events
Media strategy, planning & management
Results and data
Brand Reputation
PR and digital PR
Reputation management and crisis
Rankings

CREATIVE THINKING WEEK

Creative mindset
Innovation
Design thinking

BUSINESS FOR BRANDING

Principles
Workflow, project management
Protagonists
Roles and Responsabilities
Proposals
Business Models and Go-to-market

Time Management

Business Development
Agency management
Pitching

BRAND APPLICATION PROJECT

The intermediate project simulates a real professional situation. Students receive a real brief - launched by companies, entities or agencies - and are asked to work on it using the expressive tools they have acquired so far. The course follows a rational structure, involving preliminary research, analysis, concept definition and strategy creation. The last step is the presentation to the project partner. Among the expected deliverables are audience segmentations, strategic brand proposals and campaign strategies.

PERSONAL BRANDING

Career Consultancy
Resume and CV
Self leadership
Career coaching
Personal Skills and Tools
Public Speaking
Team building and conflict management

LEARNING ON THE SPOT

Executive Week
A series of meetings with top Managers
Luxury Week
Lectures with luxury companies’ representatives

THESIS PROJECT

The final project carried out in collaboration with a real-world partner represents the synthesis of the entire training course. Students demonstrate to a client that they can apply all the skills acquired during the course through the development of a team work, communicated in a concrete and impactful way in front of an evaluation committee.

Faculty

Course Coordinator in English

Gordon Cesareo

Brand Design Consultant and Creative Director

Course Coordinator in Italian

Alas Gatti

Digital Marketing Manager

Carla Ferrero

Career Consultant

Matteo Sbarra

Chief Strategy Officer Connexia

Lorenzo Foffani

Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer DUDE

Serena Bergonzi

Senior Engagement Manager at Ipsos Strategy3

Hoang Huynh

Managing Partner at Tactical and Executive at Residence

Nikolas Bass Kallmorgen

Event Manager, Trainer, Interior Design Photographer

Sergio Novello

Chief Executive Officer Cordes & Graefe Italia

Francesca Melli

Sr Brand Consultant FutureBrand & Founder Brand Angel Consulting

Irene Bosi

Personal Branding Coach - Head of Marketing Yoga Academy- Event Director Kalemana Festival

Lorenzo Brufani

Founder & CEO Competence

Carla Vieites

Business Angel Made in Italy

Adriana Testaverde

Client Manager Landor Milano

Clio Zippel

Creative Agency Manager in Amway Europe

Elena Vardanega

Strategy Manager at FutureBrand

Massimo Temporelli

President and co-founder - TheFabLab

Thaina Bergmann

Senior Strategist at AKQA

Michele Giacopuzzi

Product and Interior Designer

Andrea Bozzo

Strategy & Growth Director - EssenceMediacom (WPP Media Brand)

Marco Frugiuele

Global Strategy Director - Snack Content