Introduction and Aims of the course

The competitive dynamics force companies and their co-workers (advertising agencies) to evolve and adapt to the context in which they act. The consumers change behaviour. Competitiveness improves, develops and modernizes the production, the communication and the relation with the customers. All of these create the need to revise the tools and the activities to adapt them to the current situation.

The success of business communication lies in the combination of the strategic vision of the marketing of the companies, and the regular concern of the advertising agencies to know, understand and adapt to the tendencies of the consumers in order to dominate the creativity of the concepts, put them into intelligible messages and, at the same time, control the new media.

This is why the planner has to be aware of the business activity and the activity at the advertising agency. We think that without the background knowledge on business it is difficult to give solutions to the communication demands to satisfy their consumers and be ahead of their competitors.

The course aims to give a specialised education on this new profession –the planner, the communication strategist- from the point of view of the advertising agency and the companies.

We want to start a new way of working that combines method, rigour, and objectivity in communication. A way that favours the development of highly effective integral communication campaigns to achieve the aims set by the company, the brand or the product.

Profile

- Bachelors of Advertising and Public Relations. Studies related to business and/or marketing
- Bachelors in Business Administration, in research and market techniques.
- Bachelors in psychology.
- Advertising professionals, as well as marketing professionals, direct marketing professionals and professional from other business communication disciplines willing to specialise in the areas of account management and creativity of the advertising or communication agency.
- Advertisers that would like to expand their knowledge on the communication planning activity and improve their relations with their collaborators at the agencies.

Syllabus

The syllabus consists of two thematic modules taught by different specialised teachers to be able to expand the knowledge of each subject and facilitate its application.
In addition to the lessons, the students will do exercises in class, and they will write an applied paper having as a staring point the position of the planner at an advertising agency.

Teaching Staff

Ester Almenar, marketing manager of DiR Fitness
Iolanda Casalà, account manager of Grey-Trace
Miquel Campmany, manager of Grey-Trace Barcelona
Vanesa Castro, senior technician in market research, Millward Brown
Josep Maria Closas, strategy advisor
Neus Comellas, Media Planning España
Rosa Colldeforns, manager of Trade Marketing Henkel
Juan M. Chamorro, Ulled Comunicación
María Mar Deus, consultant
Xavier Duran, consultant
Joseph M. Ferrer Trenzano, president of FT Consulting Group
Jordi Iglesias, account manager of J. Walter Thompson
Raquel Lasmarias, senior technician in market research, Millward Brown
Eduardo Liria, manager of Strategic Vision
Marçal Moliné, advertisement creative
Antonio Monerris, strategic planner of Vinizius Young & Rubicam
Antonio Nater, general director of Mezenia
Ramón Oller, Grey Trace
Òscar Puig, marketing manager - Grupo Panrico
Ángel Rodríguez, expert in market research
Joan A. Seijó, responsible of the area brand & media service, TNS–Worldpanel
Gemma Solano, account manager at Comunica Alternativas de Marketing
Jordi Torrents, manager of Added Value Planners
Eva Vila, marketing manager at IRI, Spain