At first glance, it might seem like advertising is doomed. After all, it’s almost 20 years since Al and Laura Ries declared “The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR.”
By the same token, it’s been almost 30 years since the first banner ads appeared on the nascent World Wide Web, 27 years since the advent of digital tracking tools, and 17 years since we got hyper-targeting in the digital realm.
Meanwhile, Statista reports that in 2023, ad-supported streaming content will generate more than $7 bn, and there still are about 25 million people who watch ad-supported TV. There’s a huge opportunity out there, still, for advertising. Maybe that is why we still teach it.
In the Online Strategic Communication MA, MC 6553 is Advertising Research and Practice. It’s not a very theoretical course, which probably is why I like it so much. It’s about how advertising and similar paid strategies work, and why. It’s about understanding audiences, and discovering the value proposition. Features and benefits are still important, but so is knowing where your audience is and how to capture their attention and create strong calls to action.
The students analyze existing ads, learn how to write creative briefs, create ads of their own and explore paid strategies that sit alongside traditional advertising. This is a class on execution, and whether it appears early in the curriculum or later on, it provides a solid perspective on the role of paid strategies among the communication mix.
It’s another excellent course that helps make our StratComm program so valuable.
Oh, and regarding the ad up top? I want a Cleveland automobile!
Ready to make communication YOUR business superpower? Investigate the BGSU MA in Strategic Communication, Sean Williams, Coordinator, and associate teaching professor, 419-372-2372.
