This course, designed to introduce students to the fields of brand strategy, brand management, and integrated marketing communications (IMC), highlights the importance of market and consumer research for developing consumer insights, sound brand strategies, and successful IMC campaigns. The first half of the course focuses on the theories, strategies, and models used to assess the equity of an existing brand or to create a new one. The second half of the course covers the tactics used to carry out brand strategies, such as package design, distribution, and pricing strategy, but focuses most heavily on the topic of integrated marketing communications. Using a brand audit as the catalyst for learning, students will conduct primary and secondary research to better understand an assigned brand, its industry, competitors, and current and potential consumers. Based on this audit, students will develop strategic recommendation for the brand and the tactical efforts they recommend in support of the strategy. The course stresses problem-solving and the decision-making processes involved in setting strategic objectives and planning the marketing mix, message, and communication strategies for carrying out brand strategies.
M.S. in Commerce | Academics
Marketing & Management Track
In the Marketing & Management Track, you will acquire in-depth knowledge of the principles and practices of modern marketing while cultivating essential professional and managerial skills in project management, business planning, and strategy. Through team projects for sponsoring organizations, you will gain experience leading and working in diverse teams, managing projects, formulating a point of view, and concisely reporting meaningful insights to diverse audiences.
The Marketing & Management Track is designed to give students seeking careers in client- or customer-facing organizations the key frameworks, technologies, and functional skills employers are seeking. For example, students will learn to:
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Conduct a thorough brand analysis for a sponsor company and set forth strategic recommendations and guidance for enhancing customer value and/or revenue performance
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Manage projects effectively and efficiently, including scope, estimation and scheduling, global sourcing, virtual and global teams, and vendors
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Use a business planning model to design, develop, and execute an effective integrated web and social marketing program
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Understand how consumer behavior and consumer response to pricing fit into the formulation of viable marketing strategies
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Market products and services and manage strategic alliances in a business to business environment
Brand Strategy and Integrated Marketing Communication
Product & Project Management
The primary objective of Project Management is to provide a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for the effective management of projects. To this end, the course is closely tied to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK, as espoused by the Project Management Institute) and consists of seminars on such topics as planning, stakeholder management, human resource management, global/virtual teams, and risk management. Prerequisites: Restricted to M.S. in Commerce students
Digital Strategy & Analytics
This course examines ways to design, develop, and execute effective integrated, web, and social marketing programs. The course uses a business planning model that allows students to justify, build, and execute social and digital marketing programs with bottom-line ROI. Students learn to identify and measure high-value market segments, use web and social research to evaluate competitors, and convince management of the value of digital and social marketing.
Consumer Behavior Research and Pricing Strategy
Students are expected to: (a) learn the key concepts and theories that underlie consumer behavior and consumer responses to pricing; (b) develop an understanding of how these theories fit into the formulation of viable marketing strategies; and (c) cultivate a skill set that is essential to effective performance in professional and managerial positions: working as a team, thinking analytically, formulating a point of view, and concisely presenting recommendations. Learning in this course is best achieved by getting a firm grasp of the underlying principles that can be applied in a reasoned and systematic fashion across a broad spectrum of business contexts.
Developing and Managing Innovative New Products
Developing innovative products is the lifeblood of the firm, yet many product introductions fail due to improper design, unrealistic expectations, or a failure to understand the consumer. This course will dissect the new product development process, including creative ideation, concept testing, prototyping, and entry strategies. Concepts such as open source innovation, disruptive technologies, and the diffusion of innovations are also considered.
Financial Management
Financial Management covers basic corporate finance, including cost of capital, capital budgeting, valuation of stock and bonds, working capital management, and international finance. Prerequisite: Restricted to M.S. in Commerce students.
A.T. Kearney
Accenture
American Express
Anheuser-Busch InBev
Barneys New York
Bloomberg
Boston Consulting Group
Capital One
Edelman
EY
Hyatt corporation
IBM
Infinity Marketing
IPT Mediabrands
Ketchum
MicroStrategy
New York Yankees
Oracle
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Tesla
Uber
Marketing & Management Track
Alumni Profiles

Jena Al-Barzinji (M.S. in Commerce '19)
"The M.S. in Commerce helped me develop strong business acumen and challenged me to think in new ways. It gave me an entirely new skill set that I could immediately use when entering the workforce."

Antonia Hite (M.S. in Commerce '17)
"The project experience at McIntire really prepped me well for client presentations. You have to be able to feel comfortable presenting and owning your presentation. The case studies and client presentations at McIntire gave me a taste of what that’s like. I learned how to make an effective presentation deck to get information across clearly and concisely, as well as how to present data in a meaningful way, which can really make or break a presentation."

Meyrav Levy (M.S. in Commerce '18)
"One of the most important things I learned during my time in the M.S. in Commerce is how to adapt my communication style to different teams I work with, as well as managing competing priorities effectively."

Evan Sacks (M.S. in Commerce '14)
"Business clicked a lot more for me than biomedical engineering, as I found the concepts to be both more relatable and interesting. I really enjoyed Marketing classes, learning about the psychology of consumer decision-making, and I also gained valuable experience from collaborating with classmates on group projects."