NIMA Academy: Strategic, Measurable Brand Building

On September 24, 2026, Martin Leeflang will lead a masterclass for NIMA Academy. On this day (from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), as a senior marketer, you’ll learn about strategic and measurable brand building. You’ll learn how brands can build mental availability according to Ehrenberg-Bass, Binet & Field, and Sharp. You’ll also set long-term KPIs that you can clearly explain to your team and management.

AI is also on the horizon. It serves as a practical tool for segmentation, content creation, and measuring impact—all without losing sight of the essence of brand-building.

Introduction

Dutch brands consistently underinvest in branding and storytelling. There’s a clear reason for this: brand-building is difficult to justify in the boardroom, while performance dashboards provide a compelling weekly narrative about what works. AI exacerbates this imbalance, because short-term ROI can now be substantiated more quickly and precisely than ever before.

In the masterclass “Strategic, Measurable Brand Building: How to Defend Your Branding in the AI Era,” you’ll learn how to build and strengthen your mental market share, and how to capture that growth in KPIs that stand up to the board’s scrutiny. You’ll work on your own brand challenge: what you’re focusing on, what position you’re taking, and what milestones you’re working toward.

You’ll translate the scientific frameworks of Ehrenberg-Bass, Binet & Field, Sharp, and Ritson into concrete marketing decisions, using real-world case studies from more than nineteen industries and insights gained through our collaboration with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. In addition, you’ll learn how AI and data can strengthen your approach to segmentation, content creation, and impact measurement, and how to repurpose research findings as a source for new campaigns. You’ll leave the session with a decision-making funnel that you can clearly explain to your team and management.

After the training session

✓ Do you understand how mental and physical availability drive brand growth?

✓ Do you know which KPIs make long-term brand-building measurable?

✓ Can you build a decision-making funnel that your board can follow?

✓ Can you analyze other brands' campaigns for brand impact?

✓ Do you know how to use AI for segmentation, content creation, and measuring effectiveness?

✓ Do you have a concrete action plan for your own branding challenge?

Training Outline

During this training, you'll learn how to put brand strategy and growth into practice.

Program

1. How Brands Grow

Mental and Physical Readiness

The scientific basis: Ehrenberg-Bass, Binet & Field, Sharp, Ritson

2. Mind, Heart & Wallet

Where Your Target Audience Perceives Your Brand

From Brand Meaning to Purchasing Behavior

3. Long-Term KPIs

Milestones That Highlight Brand Growth

A decision-making funnel that your board can follow

4. Analyzing Cases

Campaigns by major and smaller brands

What Explains the Effect, Using Data from Validators

5. From Data to Decision with AI

AI in Segmentation, Content Creation, and Effect Measurement

Conversational AI for Target Audience Insights

6. Applying This to Your Organization

Your Own Brand Challenge as a Concrete Action Plan

Feedback from the trainer and peers