Topic: Course introduction: Advertising and IMC, the consumer, roles of creativity, Marcom, advertising agency structure overview. Description: Lecture 1: Introducing basic terms, relationship between marketing and advertising. The expectations and your interests will be discussed. Reading: Study the pdf lecture ● Assignments/deadlines: For week 2 - Prepare a short PPT introduction of yourself and your relevant expertise for the next class - Graded as part of the class activity and engagement grade. Questions what to focus on will be provided.

Topic: Practice the creative process The class starts with Review questions from week 1 lecture - Prepare to gain activity points! Description: Lecture: The roles of an art direction and copywriting + Creative methods – creativity in practice. In-class short presentations: Student introductions as per the homework from class 1. In-class exercise – Improve your skills of the art direction and copywriting, brainstorming, practice teamwork. Understand the roles of visuals and copy in advertising (text). Reading: The provided pdf lectures to be used in the homework practical exercise. Assignments/deadlines: ● For week 3 - Assignment 1 – Graded as part of the class activity and engagement grade. Select the members of your team to work together on the team parts throughout the course – a team should consist of various members with useful expertise to enhance your cooperation. Up to the maximum of 5 team members per team – DUE by week 3 to NEO + to be discussed in class.

Topic: What makes a good ad? What makes a great ad? The Role of Creativity, Creative pyramid + Practical In-class Project – Bring your laptop: Ethical and social issues, correctness, gender ads – potential manipulation of advertising. The class starts with Review questions from week 2 lecture - Prepare to gain activity points! Description: Lecture: We will discuss why some ads are mediocre and why it is important to make advertising communication creative to deliver a message. Social aspects and potential communication controversies in advertising will be analyzed. + a Discussion of the newly formed teams. Reading: Pdf lecture Assignments/deadlines: ● Assignment 1 from week 2, DUE to NEO ● For week 4 - Assignment 2, individual work – 5% Study potential controversies in advertising, analyze 3 categories in writing – Short written analysis DUE by week 4 to NEO.

Topic: Introduction to the practical portion of course – Project “AAU VAS brand promotion”. The class starts with Review questions from week 3 lecture - Prepare to gain activity points! Breaking up students within their teams into ad agencies – students form teams with specific roles. Lecture: Review of an agency structure, suppliers, production, local, regional and national advertisers. Reading: Students get familiar with the provided project materials by week 5. Assignments/deadlines: ● Assignment 2, 5% DUE to NEO ● For week 5 – Practical Long-term team project, part 1, 10% - Each team / agency prepares a short, 10 minutes long PPT presentation (pdf to NEO): Create your ad agency identity + an in-class team presentation. ● The team presentations of the partial project development for the real communication campaign equal in total to 50% (3 team and 2 individual parts spread over the duration of this course graded by 10% each). Each team member places pdf of the PPT presentation to NEO drop box for every team part.

Topic: Secondary and Primary Research Analysis This class starts with the Review questions of the lecture from week 4 - Prepare to gain activity points! In-class: Part 1 Agencies team presentations, 10% - Present your team, the agency logo, and the mission statement. Description: The lecture will explain the importance of research in getting to know more about the previous brand communication, the potential customer, the competitors. Practical part in class - Bring your laptops: Students will learn to understand the research objectives, will work on an analysis of a survey and interview questions/answers. The teams will conduct the research analysis and present their findings in week 7. Guest speaker - Marketing manager of AAU Reading: Relevant textbook chapter/s to the current lecture topics. Assignments/deadlines: Reading: Read the chapter 7 - Research, in the prescribed textbook for the Review questions in week 6. ● For week 7 – Midterm presentations, Practical Long-term team project, Part 2, 10%, Team assignment - Secondary research summary + Primary research analysis. Submit to NEO. ● The team effort for this part will be graded by additional 5% based on the team evaluation form submitted along with the midterm presentation.

The class starts with Review questions from week 5 lecture - Prepare to gain activity points in a new format of a short knowledge test! Topic: Practical class – Bring your laptops: Students work together in their teams to share the secondary and primary research analysis and results to complement their background understanding of the selected project. They may add the findings of the other members to their overall understanding. From that, they will try to develop an area of most interest in terms of media channels which they would like to work on for the final project. Team consultations with the lecturer. Reading: Relevant textbook chapter/s to the current lecture topics. Assignments/deadlines: ● For week 7, Midterm team presentations Prepare a PPT presentation, Part 2, 10%,+5% team effort - Time limit of 30 minutes for each agency’s presentation: Present to class the team secondary and primary research objectives, the methods of research, the results analysis, and the communication objectives, and the media selection to focus on with rational support. ● Self-assessment form (5%) to evaluate the team cooperation of the first two team parts will be distributed and MUST be submitted by each student by week 7!

Topic: Midterm - Part 2 team presentations, 10%+ 5% team effort The Self-Evaluation form must be submitted before the Midterm! Description: In-class: Practical project Part 2 - Agencies team presentations, time limit of 20 minutes for each agency presentation. Assignments/deadlines: ● For week 8 - Work continually on improving: Teams/Agencies work on further development from the past research and presentations – Feedback provided to be incorporated to the future team presentations: Improve the visual presentation of slides, research analysis, clear research and communication objectives, strong insights.

Consumer segmentation, Maslow pyramid of needs, Targeting, Relationship marketing. Description: This lecture will present the importance of segmenting the customers into smaller groups with similar interests for more effective targeting and the reach. Reading: Each team selects relevant chapter/s to support their proposals for their written document team submission (+ academic style of citing, in-text references, and bibliography as part of the joined document). Assignments/deadlines: Practical Long-term team project, Part 3, 10% – Individual work, Define the target groups, DUE to NEO week 9 - Identify the target audience for the selected project. Create a story/portrait of a typical customer. Make a visual mood board.

Topic: The Creative Brief. The class starts with Review questions from week 8 lecture - Prepare to gain activity points! Part 3 DUE to NEO Description: Lecture - The Advertising objectives, communication strategy, the Big creative idea as the goal of the creative brief. We will discuss the categories of Creative brief by Robert Graup. Practice the topic in-class with the teacher by providing examples of how to fill the creative brief categories. Reading: Pdf lecture + relevant textbook chapters reading Assignments/deadlines: For week 10 - Practical Long-term team project, Part 4, 10% Each student selects individually relevant chapter/s to support their written creative brief document (+ Add proper academic reference to your formal support). It is important to write the brief without the assistance of the ChatGPT AI, especially in the category of the Useful idea. If AI is used, it must comply with the AAU rules (see the syllabus!).

Topic: Brand Building, Brand activation The class starts with Review questions from week 9 lecture - Prepare to gain activity points! Description: This lecture will introduce the brand wheel, the importance of IMC to Advertising, and the Marketing mix. We will focus on “What is brand activation”? – Sample case studies. Reading: Each student selects individually relevant chapter/s to support their research of brand activation (in writing – academic style of writing is required). Assignments/deadlines: For week 11 – Written Assignment 3, 5%: Research Project Brand activation Individual research of great brand activation ideas examples (Research selected ad agencies for such examples). A short, individually written paper: Research strong brand communication + activation ideas created by selected ad agencies. Submit to NEO.

Topic: Media channels + Communication ideas development The class starts with Review questions from week 10 lecture - Prepare to gain activity points! Lecture: Media channels, Part 1 Description: Case studies of proper use of media channels. Pros and Cons of various media channels, discussions with the teams over their choices of media to execute their targeted communication of the selected project. Hand-out of the Task description for the Practical project, Part 5, 10% – Developing the Communication creative ideas, team presentations due week 13. Reading: Pdf lecture + Each team selects relevant chapter/s to support their PPT presentations for next class presentation – in week 13 (in writing + Add proper academic reference to your formal support) Assignments/deadlines: Prepare for week 13 (in two weeks!) - Practical Long-term team project, Part 5, 10% PPT Team presentations. The team effort for the last two parts of the long-term project will be graded by additional 5% based on the team evaluation form submitted in week 14. Each team/agency prepares 30 minutes long PPT presentation. Submit to NEO.

Topic: The business of an Advertising agency, class field trip – VCCP ad agency, meeting in the courtyard at 11:25 am! Description: Tour of one of the top advertising agency in Prague. We will discuss the client-agency relationships, and an advertising agency business. Prepare relevant questions, investigate, be active. Graded as part of the class activity and engagement grade.

Topic: Media channels The class starts with Review questions from week 11 lecture - Prepare to gain activity points! + Workshop for the final presentations – tips for the best structure. Practical project agency team presentations, Part 5, 10% - The First Creative ideas, key visuals. Reading: Pdf lecture + Relevant textbook chapters Assignments/deadlines: ● For week 14: Final presentations of the second round of the creative ideas + media channels executions, 15%. Time limit of 30 minutes for each agency. ● Self-assessment form to evaluate the team cooperation from week 7 - 14 will be distributed and MUST be submitted by week 14. Reading: Each team selects relevant chapter/s to support their PPT presentations for next class presentation (in writing + Add proper academic reference to your formal support)

Topic: Final agency / team presentations DUE, Submit to NEO, 15% The team effort for the last two parts of the long-term project will be graded by additional 5% based on the team evaluation form submitted in week 14. Assignments/deadlines: ● Practical project, each student submits the Final team presentation to NEO ● Filled Self-assessment form due! ● Course wrap up.