What is it?

Advertising helps people decide how to satisfy their needs and wants. What products and services are available? What benefits do they offer? Where can they be purchased? How much do they cost? Organizations use Advertising to inform, persuade, and remind people about the desirability of their offerings, which may be goods, services, or ideas. Advertising is one type of Marketing Promotion; other types include personal selling, sales promotion, and certain aspects of public relations. Marketers are involved in the creation, planning, usage, and integration of all aspects of Marketing Promotion including Advertising.

Majors

Students interested in a career in Advertising have three distinct choices for a major at SFA:

• Marketing, with emphasis in Marketing Promotion, administered by the Department of Management, Marketing, & International Business (MMIB). This includes Advertising and many related subjects.
• Communication, with emphasis in Journalism and sub-emphasis in Advertising, administered by the Department of Communication.
• Studio Art, for those specifically interested in creating the artwork associated with Advertising, administered by the Department of Art.

Students interested in Advertising in any of these majors would usually be encouraged to take extra courses in the other two subjects, except that Art is necessary only for those who specifically plan to create the art for advertisements.

What is the difference between these majors?

All of the majors provide a broad general education at the bachelor’s degree level, including exposure to English (including composition), history, government, sciences, math, etc. Marketing is distinct in that it is a business major. Students completing the Marketing major study the fundamentals of business, including accounting, finance, management, computer science, etc. in addition to their major. They are, therefore, especially well prepared to move up from a job strictly in Advertising into higher management. They are also well prepared to pursue higher level education in business, such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. The Communications major includes thorough coverage of journalism, including newspapers, radio, TV, and other forms of media. Studio Art, of course, focuses on the skills necessary to create graphics and other artwork.

What else should a student interested in Advertising do?

Students interested in Advertising should join the American Marketing Association student group (applications available from the MMIB Department). The best professional preparation is obtained by participating in the annual Houston Advertising Federation and national American Marketing Association Advertising competitions. SFA student groups have often won awards in those competitions, including finishing second or third in the national American Marketing Association Advertising competition for the last three years in a row!

Prepared by MMIB Department 8/2/2004

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Last Updated 05/11/05