1. Pick a product category of interest to you. Examine the history of a leading brand in the category over the last decade or so. How would you characterize the company’s efforts to reinforce or revitalize brand equity? 2. Perhaps using the same product category from Q1 (or not), identify what you believe to be a fading brand. What suggestions can you offer to revitalize its brand equity? Try to apply the different approaches suggested in the chapter. Which strategy or strategies would seem to work best? 3. How aware are you of the country of origin of different products you own? Which products do you care about their country of origin? Why? For those imported brands that you view positively, find out and critique how they are marketed in their home country. (suggestion: many of you could use your brand of study as the basis for answering this question). 4. Go to the Nike website (Nike.com). Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the home page, lower left hand corner. Click on the little icon (looks like a fat exclamation point) next to United States and pick a website of another country that Nike markets in. Do a brief comparative analysis of the layouts and themes (products, messaging, etc.) and assess the extent to which you feel the brand is marketed on a standardized vs. customized basis between the two countries. What aspects of the brand’s equity (brand associations, image, and positioning) are consistent between the two sites; what seems to be different? Briefly explain the rationale behind your analysis.