Shaping the Future of Advertising

The Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign—the first advertising program in the country—is bringing together advertising agencies, tech firms, and educators to collaborate on envisioning the future of advertising education and research.

In its 60^th year, Advertising at Illinois educates the industry’s next generation of leaders to be prepared for, and to innovate with, a rapidly changing media ecosystem. Amidst such change and disruption, it’s time to invite all stakeholders to a broader discussion imagining what the future of advertising will look like, and what criteria is necessary for developing advertising talent.

Day 1: Sandage Summit
Thursday, February 27, 2020
The Metropolitan, 66th floor of Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Dr., Chicago
Advertising faculty will conduct conversations with leaders from tech companies and ad agencies. Stakeholders will discuss “The Future of Advertising Education and a Market-Based Curriculum” and “The Future of Advertising Talent Development and Career Advancement.” A whitepaper will be generated afterward.

Day 2: Sandage Colloquium 
Friday, February 28, 2020
The Metropolitan, 66th floor of Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Dr., Chicago
This public event, with registration to come, will include a keynote speaker, panel discussions hosted by advertising faculty, and a student research showcase. Panels will address:

The Future of Advertising Ethics, Regulation, & Policy
The Future of Audience in a Technology-Driven Media Ecosystem
The Future of Non-Traditional Advertising Career Paths in Tech & Media
The Future of Advertising Research & Graduate Study
The Future of Creativity: Brand Strategy & Issues in Traditional Advertising

The Sandage Symposium is sponsored by The Trade Desk and Siebel Center for Design.

More details will be announced soon.

Dr. Charles H. Sandage is the founder of the Department of Advertising, and the man deemed by scholars, educators, and professionals as the “father of advertising education.” Advertising education began in 1946 at the University of Illinois. Sandage developed the first graduate degree in advertising in 1947, established a major in advertising in 1949, was instrumental in moving the School of Journalism to the College of Communications (changed to the College of Media in 2008), established the Department of Advertising in 1959 (the first such department in the country), and remained the head of that department until 1966. 

Sandage also influenced advertising scholarship. He worked with the Academy of Advertising, one of the first scholarly organizations, to develop a prototype for an academic journal. Because of Sandage’s intellectual creativity that brought theory, research, and professional practice more closely together, the Academy undertook the task of funding a journal, and the Journal of Advertising first appeared in 1972 with Sandage as the honorary editor. Today, the Journal is the official publication of the American Academy of Advertising, and considered the premiere advertising journal. It provided a stimulus to scholarship and has made significant contributions to the body of knowledge.