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Course Objectives:
To provide the students a thorough knowledge of Advertising Principles and a practical understanding of the techniques and practices used by today's advertising agencies and clients. Specifics include, current issues facing the business of advertising and the environment in which advertising operates, strategy development, writing an advertising plan, learning to be a good presenter, media, creative development, and integration of other communications. Careers and employment in advertising will also be investigated.
Course Description:
This is a course designed to give the student a working knowledge of Advertising. It will examine the tools of advertising to sell goods and services as well as brand and image. Students will be expected to gain knowledge of the issues facing both advertising agencies and clients of today. As a practical matter, the course will be slanted toward the advertising agency side of the agency/client partnership. Creativity will be discussed. Advertising is an idea business, and ideas will be part of the normal class discussion and participation. The students will not be required to design ads or write copy except an occasional assignment to conceptually highlight and describe the direction of their ideas. Emphasis will be on the understanding of the business of advertising and planning the advertising campaign; home assignments will be given out almost every week to enhance this understanding. Additionally, one class may be held away from the Lincoln Center Campus, at an advertising agency, or even an Internet Professional Services Firm.. Guest speakers may lecture at some classes, dates to be determined. An attempt will be made to follow this outline; but we will also be flexible enough to take advantage of opportunities that may cause us to "stray" from topics designated at the outset of the course.
Required Reading:
Weekly scanning of AD AGE, AD WEEK and or their web sites, and the daily weekday advertising columns of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal will be required.
Students will have to be familiar with the Advertising Educational Foundation web site www.aef.com.
Ogilvy on Advertising, by David Ogilvy, Vintage Books, a Division of Random House 1985.
The Regis Touch, by Regis McKenna, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company 1986.
Organizing Genius by Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company 1997.
The New New Thing, by Michael Lewis, W.W. Norton & Company 2000.
Additional Reading Resources:
Webster's New World Dictionary of Media and Communications by Paul Weiner, MacMillan 1996.
Selected readings from the American Association of Advertising Agencies publications, such as Want a Job In Advertising?
Making It In Advertising by Leonard Mogel, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993.
Course Outline:
Class #1, August 29. Introduction to Advertising
This is the first class, we will get to know each other and discuss what is expected each week. For much of this class, we will discuss key and relevant articles from the advertising trade press, and other information sources. A list of advertising definitions will be distributed and discussed. We will begin to discuss campaign strategy and creative variables using recent ads from magazines, television, out of home and radio. Important themes stressed during the course will be highlighted. The four main themes of the course will be discussed: Integration is key, Advertising needs to be benefit driven, Advertising is changing rapidly, and Advertising is a team sport.
Class #2, September 5. Insightful Advertising Strategy
As in every opening session of every class, we will discuss recent happenings in the Advertising business from the trade press. Strategy development, and the various methods and systems used by agencies and clients to arrive at strategy will be discussed in detail. Students will be asked to analyze facets of the Company, the Competition and the Consumer of known companies. The image of: the User, the Company and the Product as well as the practical identification of these strategies will be subject of class discussion and participation. The Regis Touch by Regis McKenna will be important input for strategy development. Students should read it as soon as possible, and be ready to be tested on the material for midterm.
Class #3, September 12. Image, Branding, and Writing the Creative Brief
A lecture on image and branding covering various theories used by marketers today. Examples of branding and image will be shown and discussed. A discussion of the creative brief and the understanding of how important it is to start with strong strategy, before the process of creating actual ads will be stressed. Creative examples will be shown on storyboards, finished television, radio scripts, and layouts for magazines, newspapers and out of home will be discussed in class.
Class #4, September 19. Media is the Second Creative Department
This class will concentrate on the discipline of Media and the management of the majority of the clients' advertising money. Arriving at the spending level, various use of media, the act of planning and buying media, as well as the construction of a basic media strategy and plan will be discussed. We will also address the value of the different media and the judgment to use one medium over another. The book Ogilvy on Advertising will be discussed in class, students will be expected to have read it by this date.
Class #5, September 26. Putting It All Together, the Advertising Plan
One of the major parts of the course is the writing of an advertising plan. Each student will have to turn in an advertising plan for a grade. Students will be shown the components of the advertising plan. Research and audience measurement will be discussed. Several teams will be assigned to a specific company and or product as the subject of the advertising plan. Breakout groups for discussion will result in the first outline of an advertising plan.
Class #6, October 3. It's the Integration, Baby.
Most advertising Plans today are integrated. They involve many other parts of the marketing mix other than just traditional advertising. Class discussion will involve the Worldwide Web, Public Relations, Direct Response, and putting it together with the Advertising Plan. Part of the class will also review the material to date for next weeks' first test. (As a reminder, students should have read both the McKenna and the Ogilvy books for the midterm exam.)
Class #7, October 17. Advertising Organizations That Give Back and First Test (Midterm)
After the initial exercise of current events in advertising, the class will be made familiar with the work of the various organizations that exist to serve advertising. The 4 A's, AEF, ARF, ANA and similar organizations. Pro Bono and Public Service Advertising will be reviewed. Discussion of the status of the Advertising Plans will also be part of this session. One exercise will be given to prepare for the Presentation Skills class.
The first test, given during the second half of class, will include multiple choice, true false and essay questions.
Class #8, October 24. Presentation Skills Workshop
This is the only class where advertising industry current events will not be discussed. The entire class will be devoted to creating exciting and effective presentations. Part of advertising on either the client or agency side is the persuasive presentation of ideas and information. Students will be given the opportunity to learn how to present effectively. This is an important session and class participation will be essential. Many presentation techniques and exercises apply to all types of business, and will be important learning.
Class #9, October 31. The Case History (Halloween Night)
A discussion of the Book Organizing Genius will be incorporated into this class. The major way to communicate success in advertising is through the case history. In new business cases are used to show how accomplishment is realized. Relevant cases are proof that the advertising agency team can do similar work for a new client. This class will show how to construct case histories, and show examples.
Class #10, November 14. What's the Client About?
The client organization is varied and diverse. Some client organizations are advertising oriented and others are product management oriented. We will discuss several kinds of client organizations and how advertising is handled in each of them. Also we will discuss client case histories and how the organization benefited or detracted from the end product. The relationship between agency and client will also be discussed.
Part of this class will be a review for the second test.
Class #11, November 21. The Life Blood of an Advertising Agency and the Second Test
New Business is the most exciting, yet the most difficult and demanding task in an advertising agency. Firing and hiring an advertising agency from a client's perspective is a major undertaking. We will discuss new business techniques, some case histories, and some of the modern theory of winning new business.
Second Test will be similar to the one taken before. Multiple choice, True/False questions and some essay.
Class #12, November 28. This class will be held at an Advertising Agency. Why Would Anyone Want To Be In Advertising?
This class will be held at an Advertising Agency in Manhattan or Interactive Professional Services Firm. A tour will be given, and a discussion of how to make a career in advertising. If a traditional agency, a panel of creative, media, strategic planning, broadcast production, print production and account management will be held to answer questions and cover the basics of each discipline in the actual area in which they work. If an Internet firm, we will discuss the differences between traditional agencies and these "new economy driven" companies. Additionally, if there is time, some remarks will be made on the future of Creativity in the Advertising Industry.
Class #13, December 5. Review for Final Exam, One Half of the Class Presents Advertising Plans in Teams.
The first half of the session will be the Advertising Plan Presentations given by the assigned teams.
The second half of the session will be spent reviewing all materials covered in all the previous classes. Help will be given to students in the way of Questions and Answers about any part of the course.
Class #14, December 12. Final Examination, The Other half of the Class Presents Advertising Plans in Teams.
This is the last class session of this semester. Advertising Plan presentations continue the first half. The second half is the final examination.
The final examination will be similar to the tests given before. Multiple choice, True/False and Essay questions. If students request it, grades can be e-mailed within a week after the test is given.
Steve Norcia
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