SPEC 12
Introduction to Advertising and Creativity Winter 2020

This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

First offered in 2019, this course is an introduction to the field of advertising with a special emphasis on creativity. Topics include the nature of brands; how they are created and sustained in today’s consumer, media and technology environments; how brands are positioned (and repositioned); how agencies are organized; the role of big ideas in leading brands to success; what distinguishes an effective ad from an ineffective one?; and the vital and powerful importance of creativity in connecting with audiences on multiple platforms. The course will be of interest to students considering a future in advertising, marketing or journalism–but also to anyone curious about the pervasive influence of marketing communications in culture, style and politics. Classes are a combination of lecture and the presentation of short team projects in which students collaborate to research and analyze ads and other communications related to the topic of the day. Final projects include developing and presenting an original ad and a deep dive into a single brand across all media. There will be two, three-hour classes per week. Out-of-class work will include readings, a short reflective final paper and team research projects examining advertising on assigned topics. Adjunct Instructor Bio: Steve Harty ’73 worked in advertising for 30 years. Along the way he served major clients like JetBlue, American Express, Ally Bank, Mercedes-Benz, Miller Lite and AT&T working for agencies such as Ogilvy, Lowe and BBH in addition to co-founding Merkley Newman Harty. He is now a strategy consultant and Executive-in-Residence at Columbia Business School. For Williams, Steve is president of his class and a trustee emeritus.
The Class: Format: lecture
Limit: 20
Grading: pass/fail only
Requirements/Evaluation: short paper and final project or presentation; each student will develop and present a script for an original ad
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: a mix of students from all class years and backgrounds is the goal
Materials/Lab Fee: approximately $30 for books

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