Practical training in advertising strategy: the University Effectiveness Awards

Abstract

The current media landscape has profoundly transformed advertising strategies, requiring advertisers to engage in continuous adaptation. In response to this challenge, universities bear the responsibility of preparing their students to compete effectively in the professional arena, equipping them with distinctive competencies that provide a competitive advantage over graduates from other institutions. To this end, a Teaching Innovation Project (PID) has been developed, aimed at fostering the acquisition of essential knowledge, procedures, and attitudes for professional practice in advertising agencies, with a particular focus on strategic planning and advertising effectiveness. The project is structured around two compulsory courses: Advertising Strategic Planning and Advertising Effectiveness Research, implemented in two complementary phases. The first takes place in the classroom, where students work on a real briefing. The second bridges the academic and professional domains through participation in the University Effectiveness Awards, a competition that recognizes the best strategic proposals produced by student teams. In this context, students, under faculty supervision, design and present a professional campaign to a real client. Evaluation considers both the academic work submitted in the courses and the teams’ performance in the competition, assessing the quality of proposals and the outcomes achieved. Overall, the PID seeks to enrich students’ training in commercial communication, strengthening their understanding of advertising effectiveness models and enhancing their professional projection.