• Demonstrate knowledge in terms of strategic planning tools.
• Demonstrate knowledge of marketing and communication trends.
• Demonstrate the ability to link theory and practice.
• Demonstrate the ability to structure a strategic planning approach.
• Demonstrate the ability to be creative based on a structured approach.

Course description

The course will prepare students for a life as strategic planners, marketers and communication and advertising professionals.

Over the semester students will learn some of the most important disciplines and tools of the marketing and communications profession. Students will study communication trends and learn how to analyze a given market or situation, conduct hardcore strategic planning and develop the foundation for a creative communication campaign.

The individual disciplines and topics will be linked to real scenarios and cases, making it more hands on.

Content and structure:

The semester is divided into two parts:

Part 1: Strategic Planning.

The first part of the course focuses on strategic planning. Topics include:

Lesson 1. The relation between marketing, communications and ad agencies.

Lesson 2. The organizations objectives and strategy.

Lesson 3. Mission & Vision.

Lesson 4. History, traditions, philosophy and values.

Lesson 5. Primary and secondary target group incl. preferences, values and

Consumer behavior/analyses.

Lesson 6. Stakeholder management.

Lesson 7. Positioning.

Lesson 8. Benchmark (cases, competitors, past campaigns).

Lesson 9. SWOT analysis.

Lesson 10. Product portfolio and industry (Boston Matrix).

Lesson 11. The communication platform.

Students will choose their own company and present findings as the course evolve.

Part 2: Campaign development.

The second part of the semester will focus on the communication campaign development. Based on the tools acquired during part 1, students will learn how to identify or develop:

Lesson 12. The creative brief (connecting strategic planning and campaign).

Lesson 13. The media mix.

Lesson 14. Watch and analyze commercials and current trends.

Lesson 15. Storytelling, logline and tagline.

Lesson 16. Additional sales-points and product attributes.

This two part structure during one semester, allows students to first learn how to research, conduct strategic planning and break the information down to a creative brief. And then learn the tools to develop the strategic creative campaign based on the creative brief.

There may be more or less than the above set 16 lessons depending on the CBS program/calendar/syllabus.

Resume and course high-lights:

Associate professor Benjamin Holk Henriksen, MBA, Cand. jur. 

Email: bhh@themindofaleader.com

Benjamins personal student evaluations for IBC International Strategic Management Autumn 2015 rank from 4.2-4.8.

Benjamin has developed and lectured a similar course at DIS where it gets close to top score of 4GPA in student ratings/evaluations.

Benjamin has been Head of Trade Department at The Danish Embassy in Singapore, Senior Trade Officer - Entertainment at Trade Commission of Denmark Los Angeles and Senior Director Creative, Music Denmark, Los Angeles. Before that he held the positions as Account Manager with the advertising agency Kunde & Co. and Sales manager with the Dutch fashion company Berghaus, and the German company Steilmann GmbH & Co. In 2004 he was elected Vice President of Delta Mu Delta National Honor Society in Business and in 2008 top 100 Business talents by Berlingske Nyhedsmagasin 2008.

Benjamin holds the position as external lecturer at CBS and DIS. Lectured courses include: 1. Strategic Communication. 2. Designing Communication Campaigns. 3. International Advertising. 4. International strategic management. 5. Strategic Planning. 6. Strategic leadership.

Benjamin’s film and book publications include:

2015: Strategy, marketing and communications ABC: Head of strategic and creative marketing & communications film project sponsored by the ministry of education. Partners include: Tuborg/Carlsberg, Roskilde Festival, Zentropa, Naked Communication – London.

2011: “The Mind of a Leader I + II” (39 TV episodes). The series are distributed in 30 countries and 26 episodes aired on national Danish television DR2. 34 interviews with modern leaders and marketing experts, such as Philip Kotler, Anita Roddick, Philippe Starck, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, Jan Carlzon etc. based on the strategic issues raised in Niccolò Machiavelli's timeless masterpiece: 'The Prince' (Italy, 1513) and Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' (China 500 B.C.).

Review of The Mind of a Leader in The Financial Times:

"...comprehensive and imaginative...”

"...the linkages between classic ideas and modern themes is clear and compelling...”

"...this is certainly a useful training aid...”

2010: Author of the book ‘The Mind of a Leader’ published by L&R (fmr. Børsens forlag). The book became a bestseller. 

Many more academic film series.

Att: Programme directors and the Department of International Business Communication - concerning electives:

The course includes aspects of consumer behavior/analyses (as requested).

1. I was not sure how to break-down "studentertimer". I hope we can correct that if needed.

2. Please make sure that I have offered this course both spring and autumn (every semester).

Thank you.

Best

Benjamin

Required readings:

Brief Case: Mission, Vision and Strategic Intent. By Andrew Campbell and Sally Yeung

Text book: Henry Mintzberg Strategy Safari: Chapters: Design school and positioning school.

Harvard cases: Virgin, Lavender.

Holk’s Masterclass: Film

The Mind of a Leader chapter/episodes: Mission & vision, Centralization and decentralization, communication platform, positioning, communication.

Commercials.

Current media affairs.