Students Gain an Edge With Brand and Reputation Management Certificate

LeBow College of Business recently began offering an undergraduate Certificate in Brand and Reputation Management, which provides students with an interest in this growing area of study a deeper understanding of the varied and complex issues and trends that affect a company’s brand and reputation, as well as a differentiating advantage when seeking employment.

Ashley Harbora ’11, a recent LeBow College grad, says her Certificate helped her to land her job as a membership coordinator at Association Headquarters, a management services company.

One of the first students to earn this Certificate, Harbora says: “I wanted the certificate because I was really interested in brand management and wanted a competitive edge when applying to jobs. It’s also a great conversation starter during interviews or networking events because Drexel is one of the few places to offer such an opportunity.”    

The curriculum for the Certificate requires three courses, one elective, and an honors-type project worth one credit hour where each student analyzes a “real-world” company and its corporate brand and reputation management, and presents his or her findings to a team of Marketing Department faculty. Courses may be “double-counted” for both a student’s major or minor and the Certificate program.

Harbora, who wants to focus her marketing career specifically into the area of brand management, focused her project on Toyota and the effects of its recent recalls. “Believe it or not, the recall proved to help the brand,” she says. “Toyota was slow to address the problem, but when they did consumers really saw Toyota trying. Toyota still wins awards for their vehicles, and based on consumer loyalty, you might think the recall never happened.” She adds that the project was her favorite part of the certificate requirements.

Another recent LeBow College alumna, Victoria Lam, a business administration major with a minor in fine arts, earned the certificate to help her pursue a career in digital marketing at a fashion corporation.

“This certificate seemed very relevant to what I want to do with my career,” the fall 2011 graduate says. “I am particularly interested in social media, which is based on portraying a company’s brand and voice directly to the customer.”