In a few weeks I start teaching again at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). Last year marked the debut of my class, The Future of Advertising. You know what they say, "If you want to learn something, teach." Since I don't know what the future of advertising is, I put together the class to figure it out. It was a great experience (amusingly chronicled via video recap here).

Now the Advertising degree track, wonderfully directed by the great Nancy Rice, is under the BS Visualization Program. And I've got a revised curriculum. Like last year, I'm curious what you think.

The individual class descriptions are deliberately abbreviated. And I haven't detailed all of the in-class assignments or specific presentation sources and materials. But I hope there's enough information here for you to react to. Any and all comments are very much welcome. Oh, and if you live in the Twin Cities and want to be a guest speaker on a specific topic, please let me know.

Thanks.

Course Description:

Advertising is still very much about the primacy and supremacy of ideas. But the industry and its craft are rapidly evolving. Technology, media and the consumer are dramatically effecting financial, strategic, creative and production decisions. Think of this class as preparation for a trip abroad. What’s absolutely critical to know in order to survive? What do you need to be fluent in? Where and who should you visit? What’s your place in the grand scheme? The Future of Advertising is as much about you—the future advertising practitioners, clients and consumers—as it is about cutting edge techniques and practices. This semester-long course will arm advertising students for a career in the era of digital as well as elicit their thoughts and opinions about the trip we’re all taking together. We’ll study and develop online ads and campaign websites. We’ll participate and see how social media (blogs, microblogging, widgets, MySpace, Facebook, etc.) can play an effective role in new marketing. We’ll delve into the inescapable role of metrics and analysis. And content strategy. We’ll immerse ourselves in gaming and mobile. We’ll talk about how public relations, customer service and HR are becoming marketing. We’ll hear from and meet the new advertising leaders to learn what they think your portfolio should say, be and do. Above all, we’ll focus on the power of ideas in a digital age.

Objectives:

This course should practically and philosophically prepare students for the realities of advertising as it evolves from traditional to digital. Portfolios will be enhanced and broadened with integrated ideas that include online ads, campaign sites and other digital tactics. We’ll encourage empathy and passion for these newer forms, as well as provide direct experience with cutting-edge examples and personal experience.

Course Outline:

This outline represents the general content of The Future of Advertising. Specific topics, guest speakers, trips to agencies and assignments are subject to change at any time. Please check the course blog for last minute updates.

Mon., Jan. 26

Class #1—“Ideas first” in the Age of Inter-Action

Topics: Let’s introduce ourselves first—a little bit about me, a lot about you and our experiences with and hopes for advertising, now and in the future. ¶ Discuss how this class will function. ¶ Redefining advertising for the future—an overview of all the new terminology, technology, venues and opportunities. ¶ Understanding two primary forces: Inter-Action and Relevant Data. How they transform storytelling, communications and the business of marketing and advertising. ¶ Comparing traditional mediums with interactive mediums: Bully Pulpits vs. Conversation; Marketer Control vs. User Generated ¶ A debate: Why is digital the future? Is it the only future for advertising?

NEXT CLASS: Bring in your current portfolio (whatever shape it’s in) to present to the class.

Mon., Feb. 2

Class #2—Getting practical: Building your portfolio for the future

Topics: Let’s review your current portfolios. Almost every assignment in class will affect and hopefully enhance your portfolio. ¶ Review options for online portfolio development and display. ¶ Discuss the current marketplace for writers, art directors and designers. What’s expected of you? How are people leveraging digital tools to promote themselves? What does it take to get hired? ¶ Return to last week’s topic and watch a video of Rory Sutherland (Ogilvy UK Creative Director).

In-class assignments: Identify and discuss two campaigns in your current portfolio that you think would benefit from greater digital thinking. ¶ Explore and trial various online portfolio and self-promotion options.

Mon., February 9

Class #3—Evolution of advertising and the people in the ad agency

Topics: From “Mad Men” to Google. From one-way marketing to conversation. From three mediums to unlimited mediums. From global to hyper-local. From all-encompassing service to specialization. Let’s discuss how advertising agencies have mutated in the past five to ten years, focusing on the kinds of work being done and the people doing the work. ¶ Examine how the primary forces of inter-action and relevant data have impacted strategy, creative, production services, hiring, budgeting and agency morale. ¶ Posit the future of the agency and examine different current models of operation.

Guest speaker: Alan Wolk, Toad Stool Consultancy, NYC: (http://tangerinetoad.blogspot.com).

Evening event: Conversations About The Future Of Advertising (CATFOA)

ASSIGNMENT #1: Re-think your current portfolio and present it entirely online. Specifics to be provided in class. Due February 23.

Mon., February 16

Class #4—Building blocks: Paid Search and Online Ads

Topics: Advertising is about acquiring customers. Meet the modern tools. ¶ History, examples and basic Internet Advertising Bureau formats. ¶ Paid Search process: Strategy, Measurement, Analytics, Copywriting, Optimization. ¶ Online ads process: Strategy, Creative, Media, Production, Metrics/Analysis/Optimization. ¶ Examples from One Show Interactive, Cannes, etc. ¶ In-class guest speakers and assignments. ¶ Review status of your work on the assignment due next week.

Mon., February 23

Class #5—Building blocks: Websites

Topics: (ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE: Present your entire portfolio online, in class.) Marketing Campaign sites vs. Corporate vs. Product sites—review the role of strategy, budgeting and business analysis for each. ¶ Discuss how websites are only part of a marketing and advertising ecosystem. How do we balance usability, design, content strategy and technology? ¶ Website process: Research, Strategy, User Experience (Info Architecture, Wireframes, etc), Creative, Production, Metrics & Analysis. ¶ In-class guest speakers.

Mon., March 2

Class #6—Social Media: The Conversation Economy

Topics: (The new building blocks?) Meet the Conversation Economy—blogs, microblogs, podcasting, lifecasting, communities and sharing. ¶ Discuss history, strategy, creative, production process and metrics/analysis for blogging and pod/vidcasting. Role of blogging and podcasting within the advertising/marketing mix. ¶ Examine the idea of Marketing as Utility: Creating useful materials versus simple messaging campaigns. ¶ In-class guest speakers.

ASSIGNMENT #2: Start a blog or microblog for your personal brand. Specifics to be provided in class. Due March 9.

Mon., March 9

Class #7—Content Strategy

Topics: (ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE: Start a blog or microblog, review in class.) If one word could summarize what advertising is evolving towards, it would be Content. Let’s discuss how marketers and agencies understand and strategize, staff for and budget for, create and produce in the Content Age. ¶ Examine the evolution of brands as media—content generation, web and mobile utility and gaming. ¶ What is Copywriting? ¶ Discuss value of being “always in beta.”

Guest speaker: Kristina Halvorson, President, Brain Traffic (http://www.braintraffic.com)

Evening event: CATFOA

Mon., March 16

Class #8—Utility: Widgets, Gadgets, Bubbles and Badges, Oh my!

Topics: Getting much deeper into the techniques of Marketing as Utility. ¶ Discuss and review huge variety of technology effecting digital advertising ideas and techniques. Discuss ideas of portability, data ownership, user control, etc. ¶ Review examples, strategy, creative, production process and metrics of various widgets, gadgets and badges campaigns. ¶ In-class assignments and guest speakers.

Mon., March 23

Class #9—Relevant Data: Getting to know (and predict) you

Topics: Everything you click can be measured. But what does all this data mean? How can we leverage all of the cookies, click-paths, and other forms of transactional insights to help us tell better marketing stories? ¶ We live in an age of growing tribalism, of niche communities, and specialization. How can data provide better strategy that leads to more effective advertising? ¶ We’ll dig deep into targeting, analytics, measurement and optimization—see how understanding digital behavior and building dynamic creative is changing business and the business of advertising. ¶ In-class assignments and guest speakers.

ASSIGNMENT #3: Use an existing campaign in your portfolio to create an entirely new digital marketing effort. Specifics to be provided in class. Due April 13.

Mon., March 30

NO CLASSES, Spring Break

Mon., April 6

Class #10—Client Perspective

Topics: How do make strategic, creative, media and budgeting decisions now, in this chaotic, global system? Let’s hear from the people on the other side of the table, and get their perspectives on all manner of topics, from Utility to Conversation, Consumer Empowerment to Social Media. What works? Why? ¶ Discuss the advertising landscape—what kinds of options exist for marketers now that didn’t or haven’t before, and how can these opportunities benefit entry-level creative talent? ¶ We’ll also review status on your assignment due next week.

Guest speaker: Bob Thacker, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Advertising, OfficeMax: (http://elfyourself.com)

Evening event: CATFOA

Mon., April 13

Class #11—Portfolio review: How to get hired in 2009

Topics: (ASSIGNMENT #3 DUE: Present new digital campaign.) ¶ Meet agency recruiters to better understand their needs and expectations for hiring creatives in the digital age. ¶ Evaluate core competencies for designers, copywriters and art directors—historic versus today. ¶ Review status of your online portfolios and social media efforts. ¶ In-class guest speakers.

Mon., April 20

Class #12—Meet the agencies of the future

Topics: Let’s take a tour outside MCAD and meet local examples of new, digital-focused, future-oriented advertising/marketing agencies. ¶ Canvas gaming-focused vs. mobile-focused vs. social media-focused specialty shops. Discuss how the same tools that enable new forms of advertising are also enabling new forms of ad agencies. ¶ Review business models and philosophy of shops like Crayon, Anomaly, Mechanica, Zeus Jones, Persuasion Arts & Sciences, Hello Viking, etc.

Mon., April 27

Class #13—Empowering the User

Topics: “User Experience” has grown from a description of mere wireframes to a holistic method of planning, designing and developing all manner of business experiences. It’s effected how advertising is produced and by whom. ¶ Overview of history of consumers’ role in advertising. ¶ Review strategy, production process, examples and effects of UGC on advertising and marketing. Examples. ¶ ReviewCurrent.tv Viewer Created Advertising Messages program. ¶ In-class assignment.

Guest speaker: David Armano, VP Experience Design, Critical Mass: (http://criticalmass.com) and blogger at: http://darmano.typepad.com

Evening event: CATFOA

ASSIGNMENT #4: Use another, different existing campaign in your portfolio to create an entirely new digital marketing effort. Specifics to be provided in class. Due May 11.

Mon., May 4

Class #14—Mobility and gaming

Topics: Thank you, Steve Jobs and Shigeru Miyamoto. The iPhone and the Wii have, perhaps, tipped the worlds of mobile communications and console gaming into more viable platforms for marketing. ¶ Overview of these evolving advertising venue/opportunities as they compare to “traditional” digital avenues and print, TV, etc. ¶ Review role, strategy, implementation and measurement of in-game advertising opportunities. Examples. ¶ Review role, strategy, implementation, measurement and examples of mobile advertising. Examples. ¶ Guitar Hero 3 Tournament. (Just kidding.) ¶ Potential guest speaker(s).

Mon., May 11

Class #15—“Ideas first,” redux

Topics: (ASSIGNMENT #4 DUE: Present new digital campaign.) ¶ Recap our understanding of the two primary forces: Inter-Action and Relevant Data. How they transform storytelling, communications and the business of marketing and advertising. ¶ Continue discussion on the value of being “always in beta,” the evolution of brands as media, empowered consumers, Marketing as Utility, etc. ¶ Focus on the core of advertising now and in the future: Ideas first.

Guest speaker: Michael Lebowitz, Founder & CEO at Big Spaceship: (http://bigspaceship.com)

Evening event: CATFOA

The end.