Business Foundations Specialization

Taught by three of Wharton's top faculty in the marketing department, consistently ranked as the #1 marketing department in the world, this course covers three core topics in customer loyalty: branding, customer centricity, and practical, go-to-market strategies. You’ll learn key principles in - Branding: brand equity is one of the key elements of keeping customers in a dynamic world in which new startups are emerging constantly. - Customer centricity: not synonymous with customer service, customer centricity starts with customer focus and need-gathering. - Go-to-market strategies: understand the drivers that influence customers and see how these are implemented prior to making an investment. Complete this course as part of Wharton's Business Foundations Specialization, and you'll have the opportunity to take the Capstone Project and prepare a strategic analysis and proposed solution to a real business challenge from Wharton-governed companies like Shazam and SnapDeal or to a challenge faced by your own company or organization. Wharton-trained staff will evaluate the top submissions, and leadership teams at Shazam and SnapDeal will review the highest scoring projects prepared for their companies.

100% online course

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 12 hours to complete

Suggested: 5 weeks of study, 4-6 hours/week

English

Subtitles: English, Ukrainian, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Turkish, Japanese

Skills you will gain

MarketingMarketing StrategyPositioning (Marketing)Brand Management

100% online course

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 12 hours to complete

Suggested: 5 weeks of study, 4-6 hours/week

English

Subtitles: English, Ukrainian, Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Turkish, Japanese

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

1

Section

2 hours to complete

BRANDING: Marketing Strategy and Brand Positioning

Professor Kahn starts us off with the first of two Branding modules: Marketing Strategy and Brand Positioning. For an overview of all concepts covered in the course, please read the syllabus below. Additional info may be found in the Course Pages. Please participate in the discussion forums as your input will enhance the overall experience of this course! ...

7 videos (Total 80 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

7 videos

Marketing 101: Building Strong Brands Part I15m

Marketing 101: Building Strong Brands Part II4m

Strategic Marketing11m

Segmentation and Targeting12m

Brand Positioning12m

Brand Mantra: The Elevator Speech9m

Experiential Branding13m

3 readings

Syllabus10m

FAQ10m

Additional Readings10m

1 practice exercises

Quiz #120m

2

Section

2 hours to complete

CUSTOMER CENTRICITY: The Limits of Product-Centric Thinking & The Opportunities and Challenges of Customer Centricity

Module 2 of our class features Professor Peter Fader, who will focus on concepts related to Customer Centricity. In an economy that is increasingly responsive to customer behaviors, it is imperative to focus on the right customers for strategic advantages. The coming weeks will provide the foundation needed to build a customer centric outlook. If you want to read more about Professor Fader’s views on customer centricity, feel free to follow him on Twitter (@faderp). He regularly shares relevant perspectives and readings there. ...

9 videos (Total 81 min), 1 quiz

9 videos

From Product-Centric to Customer-Centric Management15m

Cracks in the Product-Centric Approach9m

Data-Driven Business Models4m

Three Cheers for Direct Marketing3m

Which Firms Are Customer Centric?12m

What is Customer Centricity?11m

Living in a Customer-Centric World14m

More Reflections on Customer Centricity3m

Questions on Customer Centricity6m

1 practice exercises

Quiz #220m

3

Section

2 hours to complete

GO TO MARKET STRATEGIES: Online-Offline Interaction & How to Find Lead Users and Facilitate Influence and Contagion

Professor David Bell takes over this week as we begin our third module! We are shifting focus to the critical topic of "Go to Market Strategies." The "go to market" strategy offers more possibilities than ever before as companies have the potential to address consumers both offline and online through a variety of platforms. Professor Bell has been able to work on these very issues with several exciting startups and will use those experiences to help illustrate this week's material. ...

12 videos (Total 113 min), 1 quiz

12 videos

Introduction and Execution2m

Online/Offline Competition4m

Friction4m

The Long Tail Part 110m

The Long Tail Part 29m

Preference Isolation14m

How Internet Retailing Startups Grow12m

Customers and Digital Marketing9m

Influence and How Information Spreads11m

Pricing Strategies 1: Introduction11m

Pricing Strategies 2: Customer Factors12m

The 7ms9m

1 practice exercises

Quiz #320m

4

Section

3 hours to complete

BRANDING: Effective Brand Communications Strategies and Repositioning Strategies

Professor Kahn is back in this fourth module, the second of her Branding Modules, covering effective brand communications strategies and repositioning strategies. Understanding how customers perceive your brand messaging and marketing is one of the most important aspects to understanding consumer behavior: what consumers perceive is what affects their actions, and what they perceive is not necessarily true! Professor Kahn unpacks customer behavior and perception and explores successful strategies for influencing both in this final required module of the course....

6 videos (Total 87 min), 1 quiz

6 videos

Brand Messaging & Communication12m

Brand Elements: Choosing a Brand Name19m

Brand Elements: Color & Taglines11m

Brand Elements: Packaging10m

Brand Elements: Persuasion13m

Repositioning a Brand18m

1 practice exercises

Final Exam20m

5

Section

1 hour to complete

Applied Marketing (Optional)

These short lectures apply marketing principles taught in the course to current examples. Content in these lectures may deepen your understanding of course concepts, but won't be tested directly on the quizzes or exam....

10 videos (Total 30 min)

10 videos

The Brand Named Jennifer2m

Awesomeness TV1m

Playboy in China1m

Crocs1m

Barriers To, and Challenges Of, CustomerCentricity5m

Pay It Forward: Google and others3m

CLV: Electronic Arts3m

Rewarding CLV: Merial4m

Customer Analytics Initiative3m

New Start-ups in Customer Centricity4m

Instructors

Barbara E. Kahn

Professor of Marketing and Director, Jay H. Baker Retailing Center

Peter Fader

Professor of Marketing and Co-Director of the Wharton Customer Analytics Initiative

David Bell

Xinmei Zhang and Yongge Dai Professor, Professor of Marketing

About University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn) is a private university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and considers itself to be the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies. ...

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
What will I get if I pay for this course?
If you pay for this course, you will have access to all of the features and content you need to earn a Course Certificate. If you complete the course successfully, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. Note that the Course Certificate does not represent official academic credit from the partner institution offering the course.
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Is financial aid available?
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Business Foundations Specialization