MKT 533 - Branding Strategy

I don't understand why the class has such a great peer evaluation last semester. I bid for 800 points... The professor is nice, but the class is... hum... the professor is teaching the very very very basic stuff on class... for example, the different customer services which you can read a book within 20min but he can talk for a week... a waste of time... but very very very few homework... So, if you want to enjoy a good California lifestyle or you want to focus on more career.. take the class.

BEST PROFESSOR EVER! This is why I came to Marshall - for professors and classes like this. Professor Strauss is a genius, is an expert in Brand Strategy, cares deeply about his students and UNDERSTANDS us, and is one of the most engaging speakers (He's done TED talks and presented to Google). He will use time to explain career paths and compensation for agency side and client side of brand strategy/marketing because he knows we'll be looking for jobs. He brings in recent brand consulting examples from his own company and more because we need to see what's happening now - not 5 years ago like all other Marshall marketing professors. Only take brand strategy with this teacher - not Badame. I really hope Marshall sets their marketing standards higher to match classes and talent like Professor Strauss.

Very fluffy class. Some interesting lectures but for the most part its common sense material. Not a lot of work at all ('pop' quizzes, solo project and group project). I think this course taught by Sasha would be better served as a 1.5 unit class.

Best marketing class in Marshall! The professor runs an agency himself so he has many real cases to talk about. He really cares about students. Besides teaching the branding strategies, he provides many advices on career development as well. Highly recommended!

Sasha is very passionate and gives great lectures. Perhaps he had too many guest speakers come in. Having a little more theory would be great as well.

Wish it was a little more structured. Think there was good information to pull out, but sometimes the class felt scattered and not structured to get point across. I do think a lot of the things he talks about are relatively common sense. That being said, I like the real-life problems.

Interesting case studies in the class, but I feel like too much was crammed in for a 1.5 unit class. I liked how she incorporated the readings with the lectures and there were a few great guest speakers. She expects a lot in terms of assignments and readings, be prepared.

I took this course to brush up on marketing since Core. It is A LOT of work for a 1.5 unit class--two 5+ page papers and a presentation (think 30 page deck). The course material is quite repetitive as well and I think dated for marketing.

Professor Strauss provided great examples and added good variety to the class. He brought in great guest speakers. The group project was super helpful to analyze all aspects of a brand and provide recommendations for the positioning statement, etc.

Engaging professor. Worthwhile to attend class.

This is hands down THE BEST COURSE I HAVE EVER TAKEN. Professor Strauss is a marketing legend. He is very quirky and animated in the way he teaches, but it keeps you really engaged and you get used to his style pretty quickly. He often talks about current marketing and branding problems real companies are having right now, so you know everything he discusses is very relevant. His teaching style is the perfect balance between conceptual knowledge and real world application. Strauss is the CEO of his own brand strategy agency, and I love that he uses case studies of his actual clients. He even brings in some of his employees as guest presenters, and they are all fantastic. If you have even the slightest interest in marketing, I highly encourage you to take this course. I guarantee you won't regret it.

This was my favorite class this semester! Sasha has such a great perspective and I am very excited that I was able to have him as a professor.

Should probably be a 1.5 credit, but nevertheless an amazing class

Easy course, interesting cases, and speakers. Fairly easy workload. Badame uses the same class structure for all of her classes, so if you;ve taken a class with her before, it's the same deal. Case studies in class, open book midterm, group project, individual case write up, and 2 single-page reflection papers on the guest speakers.

The best non-quantitative marketing professor at USC who knows his stuff and keeps up-to-date with the trends in brand strategy. Runs his own firm and has a lot of great insight. A must take if you are a marketing student for the professor alone.