The specialization Brands & Stories

Anyone who wants to carry ideas out into the world, who wants to advertise products and services, who wants to popularize people and their visions, needs to think in terms of brands and stories. Brands can be anything, a technological innovation, a bulk store, an art museum, a mayoral candidate or an environmental movement.

In this specialization you will learn to understand brands in all their complexity. In addition, this specialization does not follow a pure management approach, but is interdisciplinary: economic approaches stand alongside psychological, character-theoretical, sociological and cultural studies approaches. This is the only way to understand why people choose certain brands, why they can develop intense relationships with them and how they influence our culture.

But if you want to work with brands in your later career, it is not enough just to understand them - you have to understand how to strategically develop and communicate them. One of the most powerful forms of communication is storytelling. People don't vote for election campaign slogans, they trust the story of the candidates. Donation appeals for NGOs are also more successful if there is a convincing story behind them - and the most successful product brands usually have successful 'storytellers' in their marketing departments. Therefore, in this specialization, we learn the basics of narratology and how to use them for successful brand strategies.

The role of transformation also is a very important part in this specialization: How markets can be transformed with brands - but also, how brands must be transformed when their environment changes: Sometimes brands come under attack because trends change and new values gain in importance or other narratives become popular. In those cases, it is important to develop transformation competence and reinvent brands consistently.

All at a glance

Application Deadline

EU: 1. Sept., non-EU: 15. Jul. or later, depending on the visa process of your home country

Study program start

September

Study Duration

4 semesters

Tuition fee

790 € / month

Total ECTS

120

Taught in

English

Lectures

Thursday evening, Friday to Saturday noon (as well as block seminars)

 

Brands & Stories: Master Modules

The Specialization “Brands & Stories” can be chosen from students of both Master's programs at Karlshochschule:

> Master in Management
> PPE - Master in Social TransFormation

It therefore not only prepares you to shape the world you dream of, but also complements your core modules from the chosen Master's program in an inter- and transdisciplinary setting. Bringing together various perspectives is one of the strengths of the study programs at  Karlshochschule.

You are interested in "Brands & Stories"? Then choose one of the other six holistic specializations to combine with your core modules and this specialization. You decide on your studies yourself!

> Diversity Leadership & Feminism
> Digital Media
> Sustainability & Urban Development
> Globalization, Governance & Trade

For detailed information about each module please see the module description on the right.

Approaching Brands

5 ECTS

Specialization II

5 ECTS

Core Modules of Master in Managent / PPE - Master in Social TransFormation

5 ECTS

Core Modules of Master in Managent / PPE - Master in Social TransFormation

5 ECTS

Core Modules of Master in Managent / PPE - Master in Social TransFormation

5 ECTS

Personal Skills / Leadership Capabilities

5 ECTS

Brand Strategies

5 ECTS

Specialization II

5 ECTS

Core Modules of Master in Managent / PPE - Master in Social TransFormation

5 ECTS

Core Modules of Master in Managent / PPE - Master in Social TransFormation

5 ECTS

Core Modules of Master in Managent / PPE - Master in Social TransFormation

5 ECTS

Personal Skills / Leadership Capabilities

5 ECTS

Brand Stories

5 ECTS

Specialization II

5 ECTS

Core Modules of Master in Managent / PPE - Master in Social TransFormation

5 ECTS

Core Modules of Master in Managent / PPE - Master in Social TransFormation

5 ECTS

Core Modules of Master in Managent / PPE - Master in Social TransFormation

5 ECTS

Personal Skills / Leadership Capabilities

5 ECTS

Research Colloquium

3 ECTS

Master Thesis incl. its Defense

22 ECTS

Personal Skills / Leadership Capabilities

5 ECTS

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