Communicating with Consumers: The Basics of Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations
Level: Open to students entering grades 11 or 12 or freshman year of college in fall 2010.
Session: II, July 20-August 6, 2010
Days & Time: Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM, 2:30 PM–4:30 PM
Instructor(s): Vladimir Pashkevich and Deborah Tropp
Related Courses: Students interested in this course might also be interested in Introduction to Business Finance and Economics, offered in Session I.
"I was surprised by how in-depth we went into the subject. I learned so much."
–Katie Au, 2009
Course Description
Have you ever wondered how companies make commercials, how many thousands of ads you see in a single day, why Procter & Gamble sells 12 brands of detergent, or why you buy what you buy?
This course answers these questions and many more as students explore the various strategies used by companies to communicate with the consumer. Through selected readings including marketing texts, case studies, and current news articles, students acquire a general background in marketing, advertising, and public relations.
Participants gather in the morning sessions for lecture and discussion while devoting the afternoon sessions to hands-on and group work. Students are required to create a new product and marketing plan to present to the class as their final projects.
Instructor
Faculty
Vladimir Pashkevich
Vladimir Pashkevich is a marketing and communications professor at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. He received his Ph.D. in marketing at the University of Cincinnati . He also has an M.S.B.A. from University of Cincinnati and an undergraduate degree from Belarus State University. Dr. Pashkevich has taught at the Montana State University and the University of Cincinnati and is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. His work “The Role of Culture-level Factors in Shaping On-line Purchase Intentions: A Cross-Country Comparison” won the best paper award at the Sixth International Business and Economy Conference in 2007. His recent publication appears in the Journal of International Business and Economy. Dr. Pashkevich is a member of the American Marketing Association, the Association for Consumer Research, and the Society for Consumer Psychology.
Faculty
Deborah Tropp
Deborah Tropp is co-founder of Audience Theory, a brand strategy consultancy whose clients include HBO, Viacom, PBS, Reader’s Digest, Pfizer, Campbell’s, Avon, Jergens and Biore, as well as venture capital firms and entrepreneurs. Tropp has over ten years of experience in public relations, marketing, interactive, and consumer research and brand strategy. She received her M.S. in strategic communications from Columbia University and an undergraduate degree in liberal arts from the New School for Social Research. Tropp’s expertise is bridging audience insight with creative brand ideas and her talent is recognized by numerous publications, including Communication Arts and The New York Times Company. She lectures on consumer relevancy at universities around the country, and is teaching a course, Communicating with Consumers, at Columbia University in 2009. Tropp is a founding advisory board member of the Columbia University, M.S. in Communications Practice program and also serves on the board of the Columbia University Alumni Association of Southern California. Prior to becoming a founding partner of Audience Theory, Tropp oversaw brand planning and promotion in the non-profit, publishing and entertainment industries.
Specific course information, such as hours and instructors, are subject to change at the discretion of the University.
