Foundations in Marketing – Week 1 Lecture & Course Orientation

Program Streams & Upcoming Changes

• The Business stream in Advertising will be phased-out; only the Creative stream will be offered going forward.

  • Future students who dislike creative work (e.g., the teacher’s jokey example: “If I do one more thumbnail I’m gonna punch someone in the throat”) will have to transfer to one of the college’s more business-focused programs.

  • Current cohort is grand-fathered: you still choose between Business or Creative for Year 2.

• Your cohort is very small; you will merge with the September-start group next year and may feel isolated briefly but should acclimate quickly.

Course Structure & Timeline

• Foundations in Marketing is normally a $13$–$14$-week course; this offering is condensed into $6$ weeks.

  • Same total in-class hours as the full-semester version.

  • Advertising courses traditionally have no final exams, so the usual “exam week” hours have been built into regular sessions.

• You carry only four courses this term:

  • $2$ with the current instructor.

  • $1$ with Janice.

  • $1$ Research & Reporting course with another faculty member.

• Slide deck for today’s lecture has $64$ slides—large number but the instructor assures it will move quickly.

Order of Today’s Class

1. Jump straight into the lecture (PowerPoint already open).

2. After content delivery, pull up Canvas to review:

   • Learning Plan

   • Assessment descriptions & rubrics

   • Grading breakdown

Resources & Textbooks

• No textbook purchase required for this version.

  • Instructor curates material from multiple texts + personal research.

  • Saves students money and eliminates publisher-supplied “boring” PowerPoints.

• If friends in Accounting, HR, or regular Marketing offer to sell old marketing texts, you do not need them.

Deadlines, Working Ahead & Collaboration

• Condensed schedule ⇒ shorter deadlines, yet workload is balanced by having fewer concurrent courses.

• Do NOT work ahead on assessments unless the instructor explicitly authorizes it.

  • Full course content is already posted (all weeks visible) so you may read ahead, but wait to produce graded work.

  • Rushing without in-class context often leads to lower marks.

• A separate “Workshops” course demands synchronous, collaborative attendance; it is intentionally not an independent-study format.

Online-Class Etiquette & Professionalism

• Expectation: webcams on throughout live sessions.

  • Mirrors real-world meeting norms; the instructor would see your face in a physical classroom.

  • If camera problems, late arrival, child drop-off, etc. occur, email beforehand (models industry courtesy).

• Class size: $9$ registered, $6$ present today.

• Employer reality check: faculty are often asked for off-résumé insights—attendance, engagement, camera use, punctuality, and communication habits matter for future references.

• Example: Student “Zachary” had delivery-related webcam issue, properly communicated it—good professional practice.

Technology & Platform Notes

• Transition from Zoom to MS Teams (MST) created set-up snafus; MS Teams chat not yet fully functional for this class—avoid chat until further notice.

• Instructor previously taught from dining room during early COVID; personal anecdote underscored informality vs. professionalism balance.

Why Take Marketing? (Lecture Foundation)

• Advertising is one component of the broader Marketing process.

  • Marketing involves defining target markets, uncovering consumer insights, analyzing marketplace changes, determining profitability, and building customer relationships.

• Program-naming strategy illustrates marketing principles:

  • Official title: Advertising and Marketing Communications Management.

  • "Management" signals a $3$-year diploma in college terminology.

  • Keeping the word Advertising serves three strategic purposes:

  1. Alphabetical advantage—listed under A on program webpages ⇒ higher visibility.

  2. Greater public familiarity—high-school students recognize “advertising” more readily than “marketing communications.”

  3. Captures undecided or returning students pressured to pick something; familiar term nudges them into program.

• Comparison with Marketing streams:

  • Business faculty offer $2$-year, $3$-year, and $3$-year co-op Marketing diplomas.

  • Those cohorts take foundational marketing (with exams & textbooks). Advertising students take this adapted, exam-free version.

Practical / Philosophical Take-aways

• Even classroom logistics (naming a program, alphabetical placement) rely on marketing strategy—real-world relevance.

• Professional behaviors in class double as training for workplace etiquette.

• Understanding marketing fundamentals enriches advertising practice and may align with future roles as clients/marketers rather than agency staff.

Numerical & Structural Summary (for quick recall)

• Program change: Business stream disappearing; Creative only.

• Condensed timeline: $6$ weeks ≈ $13$–$14$-week content.

• Class numbers: $9$ enrolled → $6$ attending live.

• Courses this term: $4$ total (Instructor $2$, Janice $1$, R&R $1$).

• Slide deck: $64$ slides.

• Marketing program variants: $2$-year, $3$-year, $3$-year co-op.