Teaching Advertising for the Public Good.

Abstract

Evidence that citizens and consumers demand meaningful changes from brands and organisations in addressing urgent social and environmental challenges grows by the day. Brands and organisations – and the agencies charged with ensuring their continued relevance and viability – need employees able to respond creatively and effectively to these challenges. This article outlines how these issues informed the redesign of an MA Advertising programme to address three important trends: the demand by consumers that brands and organisations address our world’s urgent social and environmental challenges; the demand by brands and agencies for graduates able to design strategies and materials that respond creatively and effectively to these challenges; and the demand by university applicants that programmes prepare them for careers in which they can ‘make a difference’. We explain how the redesign prepares student practitioners to meet industry needs and pursue a personally fulfilling career engaging with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.