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Accessibility statement
Brands shape what organisations mean, how people relate to them and how they influence society. This module takes you from the foundations of brand strategy, identity, equity and relationships to cultural meaning, power, digital transformation and global brand management. Along the way, you’ll critically examine contemporary issues, including AI, sustainability, activism and inclusive branding. Through case studies, practitioner insights and applied activities, you’ll learn to analyse brand evidence, evaluate communication and develop responsible, evidence-informed branding responses. By the end, you’ll have the strategic, digital and creative skills to support further study and a career in marketing, brand management and communications.
Your study is organised into three blocks:

Block 1, Foundations of Branding and Brand Management
The module begins by exploring why brands matter and how they create value for organisations, consumers and society. You’ll learn how brands work as meaning systems that organisations and audiences create together, and how brands, products and organisations differ from one another. You’ll then study brand strategy and equity, positioning, segmentation, identity, image and reputation. You’ll also look at brand relationships and stakeholder responses, including engagement, trust, loyalty, brand failures and crisis management. Alongside this, you’ll examine how qualitative and quantitative research, metrics and dashboards support brand decisions, and consider digital brand strategy across touchpoints, content, user experience, influencers, communities, personalisation and algorithmic visibility.
Block 2: Brands in Society
In block 2, you’ll investigate branding as a cultural and historical practice, using semiotics to explore how brands create meaning through signs, stories, myths and ideology. You’ll also consider how branding shapes identity and subjectivity, and how market, institutional and platform power affects representation and consumer experience. The block then examines brand work inside organisations and across agencies and networks, including emotional labour, surveillance and the changing role of AI. The block also widens the lens to global brand strategy, where you’ll analyse how brands operate in contexts shaped by sustainability, inequality, trust, transparency and legitimacy.
Block 3: Brands in Context
This final block brings the previous two together. You’ll critically examine brand purpose, activism, and social impact, weighing questions of authenticity, tokenism, backlash, and the role brands play in social change. You’ll then turn to inclusive branding, looking at representation, intersectionality, the experiences of marginalised consumers and the systemic inequality that shapes them. The block also considers brand communities, consumer tribes, and place branding, examining how physical and digital spaces shape brand meaning.
Throughout the module, you’ll work with case studies, practitioner insights, online discussions and applied activities, all of which will help you connect the theory you’ve learnt with contemporary practice.
You’ll develop a critical understanding of branding theories, strategies and contemporary challenges, while learning to gather and evaluate brand-related evidence, analyse branding problems and develop theoretically informed responses. Along the way, you’ll use digital tools to analyse brands and communicate your findings, building your critical thinking, collaboration and reflective learning skills. You’ll also evaluate the ethical issues in brand management, weighing the impact branding has on organisations, consumers and society.
You’ll develop practice-oriented skills relevant to careers in brand management, marketing communications, digital marketing, strategy and related roles. Through contemporary cases, you’ll evaluate evidence, communicate branding ideas and build strategic responses and professional artefacts. Practitioner insights and alignment with the Chartered Institute of Marketing's professional competencies will help you connect academic learning with current branding practice.
The module aligns with the Chartered Institute of Marketing's Global Professional Marketing Competencies Framework. CIM accreditation is awarded at a qualification level rather than to individual modules, so this module is not accredited in its own right. It does, however, count towards our accredited BA (Honours) Marketing and Business Management (R84) degree.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:
You can study this module on its own or use the credits you gain towards an Open University qualification.
B323 is a compulsory module in our:
B323 is an option module in our:
Brands, branding and society starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2027.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2034.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
There are no formal entry requirements for this module. As this is an OU level 3 module, you’ll need the study skills and subject knowledge normally developed through study at OU levels 1 and 2, or equivalent experience.
You’ll benefit from prior study of marketing or business at OU levels 1 and 2, for example, An introduction to business and management (B100) (now discontinued), Marketing essentials (B128), Understanding customers (B206) or Shaping business opportunities (B207), or from equivalent professional experience.

Before the module starts, it may help to review basic marketing strategy, consumer behaviour and academic referencing.
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying B323 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
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Studying with The Open University can boost your employability. OU courses are recognised and respected by employers for their excellence and the commitment they take to complete. They also value the skills that students learn and can apply in the workplace.
Over 30,000 employers have used the OU to develop staff so far. If the module you’ve chosen is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could approach your employer to see if they will sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees.
You can pay part or all of your tuition fees upfront with a debit or credit card when you register for each module.
We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.
Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2027. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
This module will next start in the 2027/28 academic year and will open for registration in March 2027.
This module will next start in the 2027/28 academic year and will open for registration in March 2027.
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