Embrace change with advertising
ADVERTISING has evolved rapidly over the last decade.
Accessibility to the Internet via smartphone technology makes sharing media content a lot easier. It is also much easier to ensure that an advert reaches the targeted audience.
With search engines such as Google and Yahoo gathering user data on age, location, interests and browsing habits, advertisers can now do more targeted advertising.
Social media platforms are also slowly taking over the traditional advertising medium, making advertising content much more diverse than befire.
For more than 40 years, IACT College has prepared students for the advertising and creative communication industry through its well known diploma and degree programmes.
How does a creative communication specialist college such as IACT College make sure that the training provided to its students stay relevant in this ever-evolving industry?
What makes both teaching and learning creative communication at IACT College different from the rest?
“What’s unique is the way we deliver our material. We use Project-Based Learning (PBL) as a method for our students to master what they study,” said Lawrence Chan, chief operating officer and senior lecturer in advertising at IACT College.
“Students are assigned real-life projects, many of which come from our industry partners.
“Be it a marketing or brand development project, an integrated advertising/marketing communications campaign or publicity relations campaign, a video production, journalism feature or market study of a current issue, they are all real-life projects.”
This opens a window to what is going on in the industry and helps students build better industry connections, even as they are still studying.
Students are trained to excel not only in their area of study, but also in dealings with their future employers and customers.
“All in all, these real-life projects more than prepare our students for the real world of advertising,” said Chan, who has more than 25 years of industry experience in advertising.
Besides PBL, IACT College prides itself on training sharp and creative minds.
With its tagline “Creativity Begins Here”, the college values creativity and encourages students to think out of the box and push themselves further in generating ideas for the marketing, advertising and communications industry.
Founded by the advertising industry in the 1970s, IACT College has an unbreakable bond with the creative industry.
Besides having guest lectures from the industry, practitioners are also invited to assess the subjects offered every now and then to maintain industry relevance.
“This practice is another thing that sets us apart. We cannot afford to teach our students one thing when what is going on out there in the real world is something very different,” said Chan.
“Guided by their lecturers and industry mentors, our students gain valuable in-depth knowledge and practical experience of their subject, while learning the value of teamwork and collective problem solving.”
IACT College offers degree, diploma and foundation programmes in mass communication, film, broadcasting, advertising, marketing, graphic design and media studies.
Students interested to learn more about the programme can drop by IACT College’s campus in Petaling Jaya during its Open Days on April 7 and 8, from 9am to 5pm, or on weekdays from 9am to 6pm.