Advertising and Marketing

Two areas that expanded hugely during the years of the Celtic Tiger are Advertising and Marketing. Despite the current economic downturn, they are showing no signs of slowing down and graduates of both disciplines are still hugely in demand both in Ireland and further afield. A search on any Irish careers website will result in a long list of vacancies for advertising and marketing graduates.

Marketing is particularly popular for undergraduate and postgraduate students, and almost every major third level institution in the country offers courses that give students the skills needed to be successful in this dynamic sector. UCD’s Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School runs two separate postgraduate Marketing programmes.

‘We run an MBS and an MSc in Marketing here at the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. The difference between them is that the MBS is more marketing oriented, while the MSc offers more options outside the area of marketing like finance,’ says lecturer Carlos Souza. Both courses attract students from all over the globe and give students a grounding in the international marketing industry.

According to Mr. Souza: ‘It’s [the MSc programme] an international course, so it’s not just open to Irish students. In a class of 47 or 48 students, we would usually have students from 12 different nationalities. We want to attract international students, as it’s also good for the Irish students. It can be very rewarding, both personally and professionally to have contacts from other countries. A lot of applicants would have a BA in a business-related subject, not all students do, but most of them would have some sort of business degree.’

The MBS in Marketing also contains a combination of theory and valuable practical experience, vital for gaining a foothold in the fast-paced world of marketing: ‘The students complete 12 modules on average, some would be more project-based than others. In the past, we have had companies like Paddy Power and Unilever coming in to give the students a brief, like how best to launch a new brand. The students are divided into teams, and each team has to work on the brief and present their solution to the faculty. The best teams will get to present their ideas to the company. The course is not just about theory; it’s about getting practical experience. We also bring the students on trips abroad, last year we went to Venice to see companies there and attend a seminar.’

While graduates from many other disciplines are currently having difficulty finding employment, Mr Souza says this has generally not been the case for past students of the MBS and MSc in Marketing: ‘Most graduates get employment very quickly. A number of companies come to us throughout the year to interview students, including Sony, Microsoft, Diageo, Google, L’Oreal and Enterprise Ireland. Our students have never had any problems getting jobs.’

Another fast-growing sector that is becoming increasingly popular among students is advertising. DIT’s MSc in Advertising recognises that there are two distinct areas within the industry that require different sets of skills. ‘Our MSc in Advertising has both a creative and executive stream. We have a stringent selection process; students state their preferred stream and then we interview them. The interview panel includes experts in the advertising industry. For students who hope to go into the creative stream, we would have to look at their portfolio,’ says DIT Course Coordinator Rosie Hand.

While applicants from a variety of degrees are accepted into the course, there are certain requirements they must meet to be considered for a place. Ms Hand says: ‘Our applicants would have a huge range of primary degrees. Some would come from Business and Marketing, students in the creative stream will sometimes have done their primary degree in Visual Communications or something related to digital media. They would need to have achieved a 2.2 or above at undergraduate level to be considered for a place on the course. We also look at applicants’ personal and academic achievements and their interest and passion for advertising.’

The creative and executive streams are taught together in the first semester, where they study a number of core subjects. Ms Hand explains: ‘In the first semester, we teach students from the creative and executive streams together. This is beneficial to all of the students as the creative students get to understand the executive mindset and vice versa. The core subjects include art direction, copywriting and marketing. In the second semester, the two streams are divided into different modules like media planning, design and layout and radio and television. As part of their core subject, both streams begin to study for their group project. They also do a dissertation, which they begin early in the year.’

In addition to the core subjects, students gain important practical experience while working on their group project. ‘We divide the students into two agencies, where they have to choose and MD and a Creative Director, and so on. Both groups then work for six weeks on a real-life brief. In early June, they do a presentation and pitch their ideas. We also invite industry experts to the presentation. The course has a lot of practitioner input and support. It’s also supported, and under the auspices of the IAPI,’ says Ms Hand.

For students who wish to obtain a qualification in advertising and marketing, Dublin’s Fitzwilliam Institute offers a Postgraduate Diploma in Online Marketing and Advertising. As well as covering all the main areas of marketing and advertising, such as marketing management, media planning and campaign management, the course concentrates heavily on online marketing, and students also complete modules in public relations and E-commerce. There is also an arranged six-month work placement, which, for many students, has resulted in long-term employment. Graduates with a qualification in advertising or marketing have a number of exciting career avenues open to them. Some may go into sales or promotions, while others take up positions in advertising agencies. It is also possible to go into advertising and marketing-related areas such as market research or graphic design.