Matching 20 brand leaders of tomorrow with world-class thinkers and cutting-edge makers via reading, debate, imaginative coursework, a mentoring programme and three fully immersive modules: Level Set, Skill Set and Mind Set.
This module shapes the ‘level set’ discussion around our three key areas of focus: brand, business and brain. It will also include a writing workshop and a book club discussion.
Every session on the Diploma is ultimately about Brand, but in this first session we will focus on the core fundamentals of ‘what is a brand’ - and perhaps more critically, ‘what do we need a brand to do’, from Stephen King through to your own thinking.
Combining frameworks and theories with practical, working examples, we will explore brand theory, strategy and positioning to develop a deeper understanding of how brands work within a communications and business context.
This session will kick off with an exploration of how brands and related intangible assets impact the value of businesses before taking a deeper dive into how finance and the City views and values brands.
Through a broad financial perspective on brands, marketing and advertising, this session will pull on wider debates around short-termism, the continuing impact of digital and the need for shared language and culture across the C-suite
Multiple forces are at play in every decision we make, with the brain, physical context, societal and cultural factors all having a central role in shaping behaviour.
Combining the latest insights from diverse fields such as neuro-economics, sociology, psychology and behavioural economics - the science that sits behind people’s purchase behaviour - can give us frameworks to understand and navigate these factors.
This session focuses on the fundamentals of human behaviour in relation to brands, with the sharpest minds on the matter in our industry sharing their core thinking, debunking myths and pushing us all to consider the implications of this knowledge for modern brand building and business.
We believe that the best way to learn is by doing and implementing theory fast. The three-day session will stimulate you with best-in-class thinking. The format of the module will be a fast-paced ‘Sprint Pitch’ with a challenging brief from a best-in-class client.
The talks during these three days will all be crafted to help delegates shape their response to the brief.
A full assessment brief will be provided at the module commencement.
At the start of the module, delegates will be split into groups and briefed by our client. Over the course of the three days, each group will build their recommendation to address the challenge and finally present their solution to the client and panel of judges.
This presentation will count towards your final grade.
Module 3 will provide you with frameworks, perspectives and viewpoints that you may not have been exposed to previously. These will be centered on innovation, ethics, sustainability, diversity and culture.
This is a unique opportunity to connect with new styles of leaders and to build your approach to business and brands. This module is about impacting and creating personal and professional change.
You'll also get the chance to work with a presentation expert who’ll help you build confidence and pick up new skills—even if presenting usually feels way outside your comfort zone.
This training will take you up to a new level of communication and persuasion.
A full assessment brief will be provided at the module commencement.
You will deliver a 15-minute TEDx-style talk to a public audience on your chosen “I believe…”.
In addition to the presentation, you will take part in a panel interview and submit a 2,500-word essay in support of your thinking, providing evidence and an outline of the critical and theoretical frameworks on which your belief is built.
These 3 methods of assessment will contribute towards your final grade.
The ability to navigate, formulate and assimilate your way to your own opinions and perspectives is not the full picture; you need to be able to articulate your thinking.
This workshop aims to give candidates tools and tips from the experts to inform their approach to the qualification assessments as well as their day job.
This workshop helps candidates prepare for their final "I Believe" presentation.
The presentation expert will ensure that even those who are uncomfortable speaking will move out of their everyday comfort zone to find new skills and confidence. This will take individuals up to a new level of communication and persuasion.
Candidates are matched with a mentor from the industry who they can use as a sounding board for their ideas and assessments throughout the qualification.
This is an independent research project running throughout the duration of the qualification, examined after Module 3.
An “I Believe” is a personally persuasive and strategically compelling point of view about brands today. We are looking for ideas that are fresh, inspiring and feel practical and relevant to our industry, today and tomorrow.
The qualification previously culminated in a final thesis, “I believe… Therefore…”. In 2019, the thesis was reimagined as a series of outputs: an essay, a public talk and a panel interview examination.
Past candidates and their agency CEOs have described the “I Believe” output of the Excellence Diploma in Brands as R&D for the advertising industry. The best “I Believe” output has appeared in industry publications and on industry stages.
Confirmed speakers, judges and mentors for the 2026 intake will be announced on IPA channels soon.
Fern Miller, co-founder and CSO at Uncharted, and Laurence Green, Director of Effectiveness at the IPA, are the new co-chairs of the IPA Excellence Diploma. They are award-winning industry pioneers with over 20 years of strategic and innovation experience. They have founded agencies, run and built departments, led client teams and worked across multiple marketing disciplines.
Tom Roach • Omar El-Gammal • Richard Huntington • Abba Newbury • Ollie Feldwick • Neil Godber • Lorna Hawtin • Geoff De Burca • Lisa Thompson • Gethin James • Olivia Stubbings • Tish Mousell • Patrick Mills • Larissa Vince
Find out more and apply for the next intake
If you have any questions about the Excellence Diploma in Brands, get in touch at learning@ipa.co.uk.