BRAND AND LUXURY MANAGEMENT - 2

Brand and Luxury Management is included in the second-year curriculum of the Master’s Degree in Marketing Management and the Master’s Degree in Innovation and Management for Culture and Creativity. The course is structured into two modules, each 6 CFU: Brand and Luxury Management – 1 and Brand and Luxury Management – 2 (this course).

The course contributes to the development of advanced competencies in strategic marketing, brand management, pricing, customer value, and luxury brand management, with particular emphasis on contexts in which the brand constitutes a central driver of competitive, symbolic, and experiential value creation.

Module 1, taught by another instructor, provides the theoretical and conceptual foundations of the course. In particular, it introduces the main concepts and frameworks related to brand management and luxury branding that are necessary to understand the processes through which brands are built, managed, and enhanced in contemporary markets.

Module 2 (this course), building on Module 1, explores in greater depth two closely integrated areas: pricing and luxury brand management. With regard to pricing, the module addresses topics such as value-based pricing, value quantification, customer value propositions, willingness to pay, price realisation, and some of the main managerial and behavioural implications of pricing decisions.

With regard to luxury brand management, the module examines the distinctive features of managing luxury brands, with particular attention to the role of exclusivity and signaling, the evolution of contemporary luxury consumption, sustainability, second-hand luxury, the omnichannel retail experience, and the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

Taken together, the two modules are designed to provide students with an advanced understanding of the processes through which brands create, communicate, and monetize value, with specific attention to premium and luxury contexts.

The course is delivered in English.

By the end of this course (Module 2), students will be able to:

Understand the strategic role of pricing in value creation and value appropriation, distinguishing among cost-based, competition-based, and value-based approaches.
Analyse and apply key frameworks for value quantification, customer value propositions, and economic value estimation, linking them to willingness to pay and price realisation.
Critically assess major managerial challenges in pricing, including behavioural biases in pricing decisions and the implications of dynamic and real-time pricing approaches.
Understand the specificity of luxury brand management relative to traditional marketing, with particular attention to exclusivity, scarcity, selective distribution, desirability, and premium pricing.
Analyse luxury consumption behaviours, including status signaling, quiet luxury, inconspicuous consumption, and new forms of symbolic legitimacy in contemporary luxury.
Critically evaluate sustainability, circularity, and second-hand luxury strategies, recognising both their opportunities and their tensions with brand identity and desirability.
Analyse the role of physical and digital retail in shaping the luxury experience, including phygital, relational, and omnichannel dimensions.
Critically discuss the role of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in customer experience and brand management in luxury settings.
Apply the concepts and frameworks covered in the course to real business cases, developing coherent managerial recommendations at both strategic and operational levels.

Basic knowledge of marketing management is required.
Attendance of Module 1 of the Brand and Luxury Management course is required, as Module 2 builds on the fundamental concepts introduced in the first part of the course, including positioning, brand identity, brand equity, and customer value.

Module 2 of Brand and Luxury Management focuses on two main and closely connected thematic blocks: pricing and luxury brand management.

The first block addresses pricing, with a specific emphasis on value-based pricing and value quantification. This part of the course covers the following topics: customer value propositions; understanding customer value in B2B and B2C markets; willingness to pay; economic value estimation; total cost of ownership and other value quantification tools; price realisation; major myths and managerial mistakes in pricing; pricing as a driver of profitable growth; behavioural dimensions and violations of rational choice in pricing decisions; dynamic pricing; and real-time pricing.

The second block addresses luxury brand management. This part of the course covers the following topics: the specificity of luxury brand management and its differences from traditional marketing; luxury branding and the anti-laws of marketing; the evolution of contemporary luxury consumption; signaling, brand prominence, conspicuous and inconspicuous consumption; quiet luxury; sustainability and responsible luxury; second-hand luxury and the circular economy; the role of the physical store as an experiential and symbolic space; phygital omnichannel luxury retailing; and the relationship between technology, artificial intelligence, and customer experience in the luxury sector.

The course also aims to connect pricing and luxury brand management. In particular, it discusses how price is not only an economic instrument, but also a signal of quality, exclusivity, positioning, and brand desirability, especially in premium and luxury markets.

All required course materials are available on Moodle and include:
- booklet articles
- slides

A separate booklet with case studies is also available on Moodle. These case studies are used only for the in-class group presentations and are not part of the exam material.

Compulsory written exam with multiple-choice questions.

Learning will be assessed through a final written test aimed at evaluating students’ knowledge of the main concepts, models, and frameworks discussed during the course, as well as their ability to apply them to examples and business cases related to pricing and luxury brand management.

Exam material:
- booklet articles
- slides.

An optional group assignment, including an in-class presentation, is also available and allows participating students to earn bonus points toward the final grade.

written

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

Exam
The exam consists of a single written test. The test is graded on a 30-point scale, corresponding to the standard grading system in thirtieths. A minimum score of 18/30 is required to pass the exam.

Structure of the written test
The exam consists of 20 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 30 minutes.
Each correct answer is worth +1.5 points; each incorrect answer carries a -0.4 point penalty.

The questions are designed to assess:
knowledge of the concepts and models presented during the course;
the ability to apply these concepts to real-world cases and examples;
critical understanding of the course content.

Bonus points for group work
Students who participate in the group project may earn up to +3 bonus points on the final grade, depending on the quality of the analysis, the strength of the managerial recommendations, and the quality of the presentation.

Final grade criteria

Grade range 18–22
Sufficient knowledge and applied understanding of the course content.
Limited ability to make independent judgments and to connect pricing with luxury brand management.
Sufficient communication skills, with adequate use of basic marketing terminology.

Grade range 23–26
Fair knowledge and applied understanding.
Fair ability to make independent judgments and to use the main frameworks covered in the course.
Fair communication skills and relevant use of technical language.

Grade range 27–30
Good or excellent knowledge and applied understanding.
Good or excellent ability to make independent judgments, conduct critical analysis, and apply concepts to managerial settings.
Fully appropriate communication skills, with accurate use of specialised terminology.

Honors (cum laude)
Excellent knowledge and applied understanding of pricing, value quantification, and luxury brand management, with a rigorous ability to integrate theory, frameworks, and managerial implications.

Lectures, discussion of scholarly and managerial articles, case study analysis, group presentations, guest speakers, and applied in-class discussion.
The course is taught in English.

Module 2 is conceptually connected to Module 1, while maintaining a clear thematic focus on pricing and luxury brand management.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Circular economy, innovation, work" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development