Overview Managing and optimizing brand equity is one of the long-term goals of any organization and thus it is a joint

Overview

Managing and optimizing brand equity is one of the long-term goals of any organization and thus it is a joint responsibility of all the functional departments. Brand equity is the set of assets linked to the brand. These assets include brand awareness, brand loyalty, and brand associations. Appropriate alignment of key departments with marketing is a key element in the brand management and optimization process.

As the regional marketing director leading a phased marketing strategy to reopen parks after a safety incident, you must ensure key functional departments in the organization coordinate for a smooth reopening of the parks. There is a need for clear, concise, and frequent communication for helping departments understand their responsibilities and their interdependencies with other departments. As a part of your initial analysis about the brand implications, create a presentation to help the departmental heads understand the alignment needs and the roles and responsibilities of the cross-functional departments.

Prompt

In this assignment, you will identify the responsibilities of three functional departments of the organization in the course scenario: sales, operations, and marketing. You will also share the need for alignment between these functional departments to ensure the smooth reopening of the park and to improve brand equity.

Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:

1. Describe the need for alignment among the sales, operations, and marketing departments to ensure the successful reopening of the park. Consider the following key elements (1–2 slides):
   • Interdepartmental communication
   • Knowledge and feedback sharing
2. Identify and describe the roles of these cross-functional departments and how they can contribute to improve brand equity. Consider the following points for your description (3–5 slides):
   • Sales
     • If the sales department's primary role is to create individual and group sales for the company, what strategy can they undertake to grow sales considering the current situation? Ground your response in research and rich detail.
   • Operations
     • If the operations department’s primary role is the safety of the guests and employees, what strategy can they undertake to ensure a safe and fun experience for both guests and employees? Ground your response in research and rich detail.
   • Marketing
     • If the marketing department’s primary role is to attract, retain, and grow revenues from the park’s target audience, what strategy can they undertake considering the current situation? Ground your response in research and rich detail.