Professor: Dr.
Kathy Winsted
Office: Goldstein
Academic Center in Pleasantville Rm. 121
Phone Numbers: Goldstein office: 914/773-3905 (FAX
914/773-3908)
Home office: 914/962-3029 (FAX same number)
email address: kwinsted@pace.edu
Web page: http://webpage.pace.edu/kwinsted
Course page: http://blackboard.pace.edu
Office Hours: Monday: 12:15-2:15, Wednesday: 10:00-11:00,
12:15-2:15, 5:30-6:00
Class Session: Wednesday: 6:00 - 8:40
Reading:
Each graded component of the course will be evaluated on a 100 point scale, with each weighted as follows to determine a final grade. Overall grades will be assigned as follows: A(93-100), A- (90-92), B+(87-89), B(83-86), B-(80-82), C+(77-79), C(73-76), C-(70-72), D+(67-69), D(60-66), F(0 - 59).
EXAM - 15%Course Description:
CLASS AND GROUP PARTICIPATION - 30%
PLANS BOOK CONTRIBUTION - 30%
PRESENTATION CONTRIBUTION - 25%
This course is a hands-on learning experience where all students in the class will function as part of an ad agency. Our client is assigned by the national American Advertising Federation. We will be creating an advertising and promotion campaign and "plans book" for presentation to the client and the judges at the National Student Advertising Competition sponsored by the American Advertising Federation. We will refine a strategy, complete the campaign and plans book, and compete in the district competition in New York. If we win there, we will then compete in the national finals in June. Like an ad agency, the class will divide into functional teams to perform the various tasks needed and will meet around a boardroom table, rather than in a classroom.Course Objectives:
American Advertising Federation:
- To simulate a real advertising agency experience to give students a hands-on understanding of how advertising is created.
- To provide students with nationally recognized advertising experience that they can include on their resumes.
- To enhance students' understanding of advertising concepts and processes through readings as well as experience.
- To help all students develop and improve critical thinking, teamwork, creativity, and written and oral communication skills
- To help students become proficient in current graphic design software and to understand commercial design concepts and techniques and apply these to a commercial design challenge.
The National Student Advertising Competition in which we are competing is sponsored by the American Advertising Federation (AAF). All students participating are required to join the AAF (If you already joined in the fall semester, you are covered). Dues are $20 per person for the year. (Don't forget to include membership on your resume).Exam:
Most of the course will focus on development and production of the advertising campaign and plans book. However, there will be an initial exam to ensure that all students are very familiar with the case, the format and content of a typical plans book, and some basic concepts important to mounting an advertising campaign. The exam will be given early in the semester and will include questions about the case, rules for the NSAC competition, contents of the sample plans books distributed in class, and reading from Advertising Campaign Strategy (pp. 144-189).Class and Group Participation:
Each student will be assigned a role on one of five teams that will perform the work needed. Initial teams will be: Account Management, Creative, IMC, Media Planning and Art/Production. After the plans book is written, new teams will be formed to prepare for the presentation. Each student will be assigned a specific role or "job title" within each team. Each team will each have assigned output and will report to the professor and to the class as a whole every week. Each student's participation in his or her team will be graded by the professor using peer input from the entire class. Participation in class discussions, presentations, the course discussion board, critiquing and brainstorming will also be graded by the professor. In all cases, both quality and quantity of contribution will be considered, along with attendance at team meetings and class sessions.Plans Book/Presentation Contribution:
Each student will also be assigned a grade based on quality and comprehensiveness of that individual's input and the team's input to the plans book (including timeliness and quality of all drafts and designs), and on quality of input for the presentation at the district competition. Previous winning plans books will be available to guide students in preparing portions of the plans book, and each individual and team assignment will be made clear.Meeting Format:
The class will meet every Wednesday night. The first meeting will be part organizational and informational and watching relevant videos, and part brainstorming about the case. At the next meeting, we will have exams, brainstorm more and break up into team planning meetings. For the rest of the semester, our format will be fairly consistent. After a brief organizing meeting, each team will meet for the first hour of class to review and discuss accomplishments of each team member over the previous week and to make any decisions needed. The professor will circulate among the teams, meeting for at least 10 minutes with each. For the second hour, each team will present a 10 minute progress report and ideas to the whole class, followed by general discussion, suggestions, and voting if needed. Teams will then meet again for a half hour, if time allows, at the end of class to discuss any new tasks or directions that may have developed from the overall class discussion.District Competition:
A five member presentation team will be selected by the professor to represent the overall team at the district competition. Even though only five people can officially represent the team at the competition, all members of the team are expected to attend the two-day competition to lend support to our presenters and to attend the other presentations. An overnight stay Friday night is optional.Course Page:
A page on the web has been set up specifically for this course. It can be access at http://blackboard.pace.edu . This page includes all information related to the course and should be checked daily for announcements and group communication. Each team will have its own chat room and page for posting information and sharing files. There is also an overall discussion board and file exchange for the entire class. This will be an important form of communication for the team, especially as we near our deadlines. Since we only have eight class sessions before the plans book is due (!), communication outside of class is crucial. Active participation in the discussion board is a required component of the course.Contacting the Professor:
If the office hours listed at the top of the syllabus are inconvenient for you, feel free to call me at any reasonable time of day or night with questions or concerns. Email is also a good way to reach me. I usually check and respond to messages several times a day. If you need to get information to me, it can be faxed, emailed, or dropped in the digital box on Blackboard. My cell phone number is also included on this syllabus (and on the discussion board roster) if you need to reach me immediately and I am not available through other means. You can check for information on the syllabus, assignments, office hours or course schedules on my web page or the course page if your printed versions are not easily accessible. The addresses are included at the top of this syllabus (add them to your bookmarks or favorites).Click here for course schedule.