Programs in advertising teach people how to create messages to promote and sell products, services, and brands. They teach students to create advertisements creatively and strategically. Students also learn to promote and advertise using a variety of media and techniques.
What would you do if you knew of a singer who you thought was simply fantastic, but no one had ever heard of her? Would you tell a few friends and maybe pass around a few CDs? Or would you be more aggressive and post flyers, develop a web site, send out some e-mails, maybe even set up a show and then put an ad in the local paper? The latter route is similar to what Phineas T. Barnum did in 1850. He brought a Swedish singer named "Jenny Lind" to America, and even though she was a complete unknown prior to her visit, 30,000 New Yorkers met her at the docks when she arrived. How did this happen? Barnum used advertising. He placed several newspaper ads and passed out handbills and fliers to everyone he could. Soon, interest in the "Swedish Nightingale" grew and she was famous before she even stepped foot on American soil.
Today, we're used to the presence of advertising. It's no secret that in order to promote or sell something, you must get the word out. However, successful advertising isn't always so easy to pull off. You have to know your target audience and what they like. Ads geared towards teenagers will look, sound, and feel very different from ads meant for middle-aged folks. For this reason, programs in advertising also teach you to gather and interpret data about the people you want to reach.
Advertising programs require you to complete course work in a variety of fields. You study marketing, business, and even psychology. This way, you understand how people identify products they need and want, and how they decide which one to buy. You study communication techniques and the history of advertising. You also learn design principles and how to use different media, including TV, radio, and the Internet. In addition, many programs require you to develop a portfolio of different ads you have designed. You may even develop ads for actual companies or organizations, and lead an entire advertising campaign.
Many colleges and universities offer programs in advertising. You can typically earn either a bachelor's or a master's degree in these fields. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study after high school, and a master's degree generally takes one to two years after that. Keep in mind that advertising is related to many fields, so programs may be housed in advertising departments or within journalism, communications, public relations, or marketing departments.
Some two-year colleges offer certificates and associate degrees in this program of study. However, these programs are intended to give you credits that you can transfer to a four-year college where you can earn a bachelor's degree.
In addition, it's also possible to earn a doctoral degree in advertising. However, you usually do so by enrolling in a journalism or mass communications doctoral degree program and then specializing in advertising. Typically, a doctoral degree takes a total of about four to five years of full-time study after earning a bachelor's degree.