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2025/2026  KAN-CGMAA5002U  Effective Brand Advocacy

English Title
Effective Brand Advocacy

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 3 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Full Degree Master
Duration Summer
Start time of the course Summer
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Min. participants 30
Max. participants 60
Study board
Study Board for Governance, Law, Accounting & Management Analytics
Programme Master of Science (MSc) in Economics and Business Administration - General Management and Analytics (GMA)
Course coordinator
  • Milena Micevski - Department of Marketing (Marketing)
For academic questions, please contact mmic.marktg@cbs.dk
Main academic disciplines
  • CSR and sustainability
  • Communication
  • Marketing
Teaching methods
  • Face-to-face teaching
Last updated on 03/11/2025

Relevant links
Learning objectives
After the course, students will be able to:
  • Master the art of activism and advocacy and understand its crucial role in shaping business success and driving social change.
  • Spot and strategize: Identify key stakeholders and create winning engagement strategies to bring them into your advocacy circle.
  • Communicate like a professional: Use storytelling, persuasive messaging, and emotional appeal to turn ideas into movements that captivate audiences.
  • Leverage digital and AI tools and platforms to boost your advocacy efforts and reach wider audiences.
  • Analyze real-world advocacy campaigns and extract actionable insights from the best in the business.
Course prerequisites
Completed Bachelor degree or equivalent.
Examination
Effective Brand Advocacy:
Exam ECTS 3
Examination form Active participation

The completion of this course is based on active student participation in class. The course will be considered as passed if the students participation - based on an overall assessment - in the class activities fulfill the learning objectives of the course. The individual student’s participation is assessed by the teacher.
The student must participate in A combination of assignment and presentation
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Grading scale Pass / Fail
Examiner(s) Assessed solely by the teacher
Exam period Summer
Make-up exam/re-exam Oral exam based on written product
In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance.
Size of written product: Max. 5 pages
Assignment type: Essay
Duration: 20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Examiner(s): If it is an internal examination, there will be a second internal examiner at the re-exam. If it is an external examination, there will be an external examiner.
Description of activities
A combination of assignment and presentation: A combination of in class assignments and presentation: The student must participate in minimum 80 % of the scheduled teaching.

The student will receive three in class assignments and will be tasked with developing an advocacy strategy based on these assignments. Finally, they will present their advocacy solutions and strategies.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

This course will equip students with the skills to effectively advocate for their companies and brands at all times. As public attention to social, political, and environmental matters grows, brands are increasingly expected to take meaningful positions and demonstrate engagement that transcends financial aims. Today, organizations are recognized as contributors to broader societal conversations, influencing cultural norms and responding to changing expectations. By developing strong brand advocacy, employees and stakeholders can authentically represent the company’s core values and responsible commitments, strengthening connections with communities and advancing the brand’s role in positive change.

 

Digital advocacy is the use of technology to create, promote, and mobilize support for a particular cause or campaign. It's an attempt to influence public perception. A good digital strategy uses a wide range of tools and content to connect the brand’s "social cause" with its audience more deeply. Such a strategy is not limited to the use of expensive and large social media, but is another way to offer support to all actors operating in conditions of scarce resources. Module topics will include:

  • Collaboration with influencers
  • Writing impactful
  • Newsletters,
  • Blogs and expert articles
  • Social listening
  • Managing social networks
  • Effective utilization of videos and infographics

 

After the course, the student should be able to:

  • Understand the principles of activism and advocacy and its role in business.
  • Identify key stakeholders and develop strategies to engage them.
  • Learn effective communication techniques for brand activism and advocacy, including storytelling and persuasive messaging.
  • Explore AI, digital tools and platforms for amplifying advocacy efforts.
  • Analyze case studies of successful advocacy campaigns to extract best practices.
Research-based teaching
CBS’ programmes and teaching are research-based. The following types of research-based knowledge and research-like activities are included in this course:
Research-based knowledge
  • Classic and basic theory
  • New theory
  • Teacher’s own research
Research-like activities
  • Analysis
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
Description of the teaching methods
The teaching approach for this course is designed to be hands-on, interactive, and based on active learning principles. These teaching methods encourage continuous engagement through class discussions, group work, and hands-on projects. The focus is on practical learning outcomes, enabling students to develop effective advocacy campaigns and strategies that can be implemented in the real world. Students will engage in practical tasks that simulate real-world advocacy scenarios, working in groups to collaborate, solve problems, and develop comprehensive strategies for business advocacy. Students will begin by identifying and segmenting their target audiences using a pyramid of engagement. They will learn to differentiate between levels of engagement (e.g., awareness, support, contribution, leadership) and strategize techniques to move individuals from one level to the next.

This module involves developing engagement strategies and personalizing communication content. The teaching will emphasize practical skills in audience segmentation and formulating calls to action, preparing students to manage advocacy campaigns across different engagement levels. Next, students will be tasked with creating a newsletter for advocacy, incorporating persuasive writing, visual storytelling, and influencer marketing. This part of the course will teach students the intricacies of maintaining a consistent and strategic digital presence. In the final step, students will focus on storytelling techniques for advocacy by crafting a short that aligns with their advocacy goals. They will be required to create multimedia story to accompany their narrative, given the characteristics of the modern audience member. This task fosters creativity while teaching students the importance of media selection in amplifying advocacy efforts.
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback will be provided from the teacher and through the duration of the course and students’ engagement in the group work.
Student workload
Teaching 18 hours
Reading and Preparation 66 hours
Further Information

This is an intensive 2-week course that cannot be combined with other courses.

Expected literature
  • Cammarota, A., D'Arco, M., Marino, V., & Resciniti, R. (2023). Brand activism: A literature review and future research agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 47(5), 1669-1691.
  • Vredenburg, J., Kapitan, S., Spry, A., & Kemper, J. A. (2020). Brands taking a stand: Authentic brand activism or woke washing?. Journal of public policy & marketing, 39(4), 444-460.
  • Manfredi-Sánchez, J.L. (Juan Luis). "Brand activism". Communication and Society. 32 (4), 2019, 343 – 359
  • Sarkar, C., & Kotler, P. (2021). Brand activism: From purpose to action. Idea Bite Press.
Last updated on 03/11/2025