COMS 223: Promotional Copy, Design, and Content Creation
Prerequisite: COMS 173 or COMS 225, or permission of the instructor
Credit Hours: (3)
Instructional Method: Three hours lecture and laboratory
Introductory course that exposes advertising students to various copywriting styles using a combination of lecture and laboratory exercises.
Detailed Description of Content of Course
The creation of advertising is the ability to converge words and design into persuasive messaging. This course looks at the theories of creativity, design, and writing, and how they work together to form promotional messages across different forms of media. By studying the creative side of promotional messaging, students learn what happens within the creative departments of agencies and creative boutiques that drive the advertising industry. The course involves group work and peer critiques to help the student hone their creative skills. Students must know how to write across various forms of content media, whether that is paid (advertising), owned (websites, social media, etc.), and earned media (public relations, social media). Students will learn how to develop creative strategies for strategic communication campaigns. They will learn to formulate creative strategies to achieve communication objectives for client companies and brands by focusing messages on selected target audiences. Students will learn to write copy for all forms of paid, owned, and earned media. They will also learn how to integrate the written message with the visual message.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Students will work on creating message content for paid media advertising (newspapers, magazines, direct mail, out-of-home, radio, and television), owned media (websites, blogs, newsletters, case studies, emails, and podcasts), and earned media (social media). By developing the ability to write toward achieving communication objectives, identifying target audiences, and planning out content strategically, all while developing a creative message that attracts an audience’s attention, students will develop the skills needed to work within today’s creative industry. Students will also learn to plan copy that works with visual content and graphic design. Students will develop two complete advertising campaigns using multiple media. In addition, they will maintain an advertising example portfolio, which will include written critiques of the examples.
Student Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course students should be able to:
1. Develop creative concepts and execute them effectively.
2. Understand and effectively apply creative strategy to solve advertising problems.
3. Understand the use and importance of creative briefs within the advertising
industry.
4. Learn how to apply a strategic message across multiple types of media.
5. Gain experience in generating creative solutions to communication problems individually and as part of a team.
6. Present their ideas in a persuasive manner.
7. Understanding the relationship between copywriting and visual persuasion.
8. Understand and evaluate the specific design and layout principles
9. Develop content for paid, owned, and earned media.
10. Communicate to different and various types of audiences.
11. Evaluate their work constructively.
12. Gain the skills to brand themselves as a professional creative in advertising.
Assessment Measures
Each of the above goals will be assessed with writing and design assignments made in each of the areas as described above. Quizzes may also be used.
Review and Approval
DATE ACTION APPROVED BY
October, 2004
May, 2011
Revised June, 2023