(This article first appeared in the August 1998 issue of Universitas.)
With the birth of broadcast media, manufacturers and marketers jumped at the opportunity to mesmerize thousands in a click. The drawback is that media and information technology have so flooded the world with information that it has become practically impossible to make anyone listen to you for 30 seconds.
Advertising is not enough. Mass communications is passé. It is time to hold a one-on-one dialogue with the consumer or carry out integrated marketing communications (IMC), as opposed to mass communications.
With this inevitable phenomenon, the Institute of Communication has decided to focus its master’s degree program on IMC. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) approved the University’s newest program in May 1998. It has also been recognized by the International Advertising Association (IAA) in August 1997, the only global partnership of advertisers, ad agencies, and media and marketing communication professionals. With the IAA accreditation, all students of the Institute will be receiving an IAA diploma in Marketing Communications, together with the UA&P diploma in IMC.
The Institute has a strong faculty line-up of industry practitioners: Mr. Jose Javier Calero, CEO and Chairman of J. Walter Thompson (JWT), and Mr. Antonio Mercado, Chairman of Publicis Philippines, have been teaching at the Institute for almost two years now. Mr. Mon Jimenez of Jimenez DMB&B and Ms. Emily Abrera of McCann-Erickson have also come in.
The Institute follows a theoretical and practical approach to learning. Students receive a first-hand feel of the industry and are provided with a holistic approach to learning.
This spells nothing less than a competitive edge. While other graduates might still be struggling to adjust to corporate life, the Institute’s alumni already have the proper preparation, exposure, and contacts to get around the industry. Some have been employed by their own professors. Most of the Institute’s alumni are now working at JWT, Publicis, and Basic Advertising.
“Going to work now is like going to school. That’s how good the training was. I didn’t go to school; I went to a mini ad agency. The results are rewarding,” affirms one student.
“The marketplace is changing and these changes are brought about by technology,” says Don Schultz of Northwestern University. To get ahead, the UA&P student has to be there as these changes happen.
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