Twelve modules. Five stages. One credential: Certified Brand Strategist. Understand, Diagnose, Position, Build, Defend.
Format: Certification, Hybrid
Price: RM5,999 (usual RM9,999)
Duration: 12 modules ยท 3 to 4 months
When: A weekly sessions of about 2 to 3 hours eachYou choose both dates from the live calendar.
Where: Subang Jaya + Live on Zoom
Taught by Deen, founder of UnBranded. 30 years in brand and marketing strategy.
Certificate: yes, with a verifiable credential ID
Attendance is not certification. You earn it by presenting and defending your strategic thinking.
What this is
Twelve modules across five stages: Understand, Diagnose, Position, Build, Defend. CBSP is competency-based professional development for people who build brands for a living. You work through frameworks, applied cases and real practice, then present and defend a complete brand strategy in the capstone. Your work is assessed against defined competency criteria, and the live Zoom exam means nobody passes on ChatGPT.
What you will be able to do
Strategic Analysis: read a market and turn information into insight
Brand Diagnosis: find the real problem before forming a strategy
Brand Positioning: write a position that is a decision, not a tagline
Strategic Development: link insight, strategy and direction
Brand Architecture: make brands, sub-brands and products cohere
Brand Expression: turn strategy into verbal and visual identity
Brand Experience: deliver the promise at every touchpoint
Strategic Communication: reinforce position through priming and narrative
Modules
The Strategic Role of Branding. Branding beyond visual identity. Brand versus marketing, brand strategy versus marketing strategy, perception, brand value, consistency and strategic thinking.
Brand and Business Diagnosis. Investigate brand position, business goals, market, existing perception, customer experience, competitors, internal inconsistencies and strategic gaps before forming a strategy.
Market and Competitive Insight. Market dynamics, competitor positioning, category conventions, differentiation, opportunities, emerging threats and perception gaps. Information turned into insight.
Customer and Audience Insight. Beyond demographics. Motivations, needs, decision-making, purchase barriers, emotional and rational drivers, and audience relevance.
Brand Positioning. The core of the programme. Category framing, differentiation, relevance, distinctiveness, brand promise, reasons to believe, positioning statements and validation.
Brand Strategy Development. Linking insight, strategy, position and direction. Strategic objectives, priorities, promise, values, personality, strategic pillars and experience implications.
Brand Architecture. How products, services, brands and sub-brands relate. Parent and sub-brands, hierarchy, naming, portfolio logic, extensions and coherence.
Brand Identity and Expression. How strategy becomes visible through verbal and visual identity, personality, tone of voice, guidelines and creative direction.
Brand Experience. Touchpoints, the customer journey, service delivery, internal brand behaviour, consistency, experience gaps, and whether the promise is delivered.
Brand Communication and Priming. Reinforcing position through communication direction, content strategy, message hierarchy, narratives, priming, repetition and perception formation.
Strategic Implementation. Turning strategy into action plans, internal alignment, phased implementation, measurement and brand governance.
Brand Strategy Case and Defence. The capstone. Apply everything to a strategic brand challenge, then present and defend a complete recommendation. Judged on thinking, evidence, logic, application and defence.