As the first advertising education program in the country, the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising continues to pioneer innovative learning experiences in the classroom.
This academic year, students not only worked on research-based ad campaigns for real brands, but they also learned resources and tools from Amazon Ads, gaining professional certification in addition to course credit.
In Fall 2021, the Sandage Department of Advertising developed a new course, ADV 392: Industry Immersion Experiential Learning, in a collaborative relationship with Amazon Ads Education Alliance, Global Overview, and real-world clients. In the course taught by Steve Hall, senior lecturer in advertising, students learned ecommerce and Amazon advertising solutions and then put that into practice through integrated campaigns that were funded by Global Overview, which also provided the brand clients.
Throughout the process, students had access to Amazon Ads and Global Overview professionals, including account executives, account managers, campaign managers, creative managers, strategists, advertising managers, and operations officers. Students learned about their advertising responsibilities and got to ask questions at networking events. At the semester’s end, student teams pitched their presentations to their clients. The class has directly led to interviews and full-time employment at both companies.
The course will be offered again in Fall 2022, called ADV 392: Advertising Immersion—Amazon Advertising Certification and Global Overview Campaign Course.
“Our collaboration with the Amazon Ads Education Alliance has helped our students develop and strengthen valuable practical knowledge and skills in an experiential learning environment,” said Professor Mike Yao, head of the Sandage Department of Advertising. “We greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with Amazon Ads to discover talents and future leaders, and we look forward to expanding the relationship and future collaborations.”
Ayesha Baweja, a sophomore in computer science + advertising, said it was exciting to work on a real campaign for a large skincare company.
“Working directly in the industry is an experience that people in other majors may not get to have in the classroom,” Baweja said.
“It’s crazy to think that, as a student, [I] was working with a real budget,” said Ethan Fazio, a junior in advertising. “Being able to execute that and put it into numerics and show the client back the return that they were getting on their ad spend—it really showed me how valuable it is to be working with a client.”
Due to the success of the pilot class, student interest, and the department’s ability to respond quickly as media evolves, two new courses have been created for Fall 2022—ADV 400: Amazon Advertising Experience, and ADV 490: Advanced Ecommerce Advertising.
In ADV 400: Amazon Advertising Experience, students will work with a local Amazon e-tailer to grow its business. Working in teams and supervised by a faculty member, students will gain hands-on experience in designing, planning, and executing advertising campaigns for an ecommerce enterprise.
In ADV 490: Advanced Ecommerce Advertising, students will explore conceptual and practical issues in ecommerce advertising and marketing. The course will analyze topics such as online shopping behavior, interface and consumer experience design, brand development and management for e-tailers, marketing and business analytics, and ecommerce advertising strategies.
The collaboration between the Sandage Department of Advertising and Amazon Ads Education Alliance was facilitated by the Hub for Brand Innovation and Advertising Technology.
Learn more about the new courses at https://brandhub.illinois.edu/amazon-ads-experience/.
—Holly Rushakoff
