Student’s Sharing
Fan Yuen
Man, Tobey (BA Digital TV &
Broadcasting)
The four-week summer school programme
organized by Department of Media and Communication at City University of Hong
Kong in conjunction with Department of Advertising at the University of
Illinois-Champaign (UIUC) has brought me a very fruitful learning experience.
It has raised my interest on working in the field of advertising after
graduation.
In the first three week, we were told to work as teams
to figure out ideas of a campaign for our client, Pacific Coffee, who would
like to introduce their first coffee shop in the campus of UIUC. During the programme, we were given help from the teaching team of
UIUC which composed of well-known scholars and industry practitioners in the
fields of advertising, public relations, and marketing.
By attending lectures and workshops, we have acquired
knowledge on marketing research, media planning, trends in new media,
advertising in global context, and strategic brand communication. Besides, we
have also got the chance to apply the theories from the lectures by completing
the hands-on exercises. For instance, visiting the local coffee shops and
interviewing some local students and customers to get the first-hand marketing
research. It was my very first time to conduct research in such method, which
is very close to those used by the professional advertising agencies, since we
seldom get the chance to step out of the classroom when studying in Hong Kong.
I really like and appreciate the teaching style of the
UIUC teaching team. During the workshops, the lecturers always try to deliver
their lectures in a very interactive way, such as preparing exercise for us and
giving us a lot of chances to share our ideas with other classmates. We were
given time to brainstorm ideas and draw a huge mind map on the board for our
creative brief.
Besides, the lecturers were being very helpful and
encouraging. They came down to each group and go through the project with us
carefully. We were given a high degree of independency to develop our idea, and
at the same time, we got help and useful suggestions from them. One of the most
important things I have learned from this programme
is that there is no exact answer to the questions. We should be more proactive
to express our opinion and never limit our creativity.
In the final lesson, we have to do the presentation
for our campaign. The mindset is very important because we no longer treat it
as a normal school project but a professional pitching. We tried our best to
make it fun and attention catching so as to pitch our clients.
I really appreciate this opportunity to study in a
different country of different teaching style. It has broaden my horizon and
brought me a treasurable learning experience. I treasure the friendship with
all of the other students, as well as the teaching staffs and students from
UIUC. It would be a very meaningful memory to all of us.