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.