COURSE NUMBER: MBA265.1

COURSE TITLE: Advertising Strategy

UNITS OF CREDIT: 3 units

INSTRUCTOR: Clayton Critcher

E-MAIL ADDRESS: ClaytonCritcher@haas.berkeley.edu

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://bspace.berkeley.edu

MEETING DAYS/TIME: Monday and Wednesday, 4:00-5:30PM

PREREQUISITES: MBA206

CLASS FORMAT: Lectures, cases, discussions, student presentations

REQUIRED READINGS: No text book will be required, but one will be recommended for those with an interest in pursuing the subject in more detail. Cases and supplemental readings will be required.

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: 20% class participation, 20% case presentations, 20% assignments, 40% final project

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

The difficulty with advertising is that it is deceptively simple. When we first see a television ad, hear a celebrity spokesperson endorse a brand, or try out a new branded app, we easily form opinions of what seems clever or awkward, cool or unfashionable, entertaining or dull, authentic or fake. But these intuitions often lead us astray, perhaps explaining why, as the famous adage goes, “Half of all advertising is wasted…” This saying concludes by noting that the trouble is people “don’t know which half.” Fortunately, advertising and branding agencies, market research firms, and consumer psychologists have made tremendous strides in learning what underlies effective advertising campaigns. This class is designed to teach this invaluable skill set in a style that will be helpful for those with extensive or no previous advertising experience.  

In this revamped course, students will learn about the components of effective marketing communications. The core of the course will be advertising strategy, with a focus on lessons for both traditional and new media. Learning will come from lectures, example advertisements, case and recent-media readings, and in-class exercises and activities. Furthermore, the class will partner with a major brand. Representatives from the company’s marketing team will visit the class early in the semester to present the current challenges the brand is facing. Students will develop their own integrated marketing communications plan and ultimately pitch it to brand representatives. 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: Clayton Critcher is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Haas. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from Cornell University. His research focuses on biases in consumer judgment and decision making, as well as political and commercial advertising. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Time, and many other outlets.