Instructor Marshall Goldman works with his students during class. Goldman teaches several courses at DePaul focused on creative advertising.The
Public Relations and Advertising (PRAD) program is launching a new academic minor in
Advertising Creative, an exciting new option for undergraduate students that addresses a critical need in the industry.
Even though the advertising industry requires greater creative abilities for incoming professionals, few academic programs in the U.S. offer significant training in creative advertising, with a few notable exceptions, such as the Texas Creative program at the University of Texas, says Assistant Professor Juan Mundel. Given that there is a 32 percent projected increase in advertising and marketing communications jobs over the next ten years, faculty agree that the program needs to serve students' diverse career interests, including those who aspire to be creative directors.
The new Advertising Creative minor is part of a larger effort led by the Advertising Innovation Committee, composed of PRAD faculty members
Sydney Dillard,
Juan Mundel,
Nina Abnee and
Marshall Goldman. In addition to the new minor, the committee is also developing a creative program for industry professionals, a
Media Engagement Lab for market research, and a summer camp run in partnership with Facebook that aims to build a more diverse talent pipeline for the advertising industry. All these activities are generously funded by the university’s Academic Growth and Innovation Fund grants.
Britt Nolan kicks off the Creative Speaker Series
Facebook's Eric Schnabel (left) leads a Q&A with Britt Nolan at the Holtschneider Performance Center on October 1, 2019.
To launch the new academic offering in Advertising Creative, the college recently welcomed
Britt Nolan, former chief creative officer of Leo Burnett and incoming chief creative officer of DDB North America, for a guest lecture titled "The Beauty of Underthinking." Hosted in collaboration with Facebook and DePaul's student
Ad Society, this talk unraveled the future of creativity in a world of data-driven decisions. Following the presentation, Facebook Creative Shop’s Eric Schnabel joined the stage to host a Q&A with Britt Nolan. This event was the first installment of the Advertising Creative Speaker Series, which will feature perspectives from advertising professionals throughout the academic year.
In his inspiring lecture, Nolan reminded students and professionals in the audience that creativity is a skill anyone can use, regardless of experience or credentials. As he says at one point in his presentation, “I believe creativity is the most powerful force in business, and there is no formula for it.”
Watch Britt Nolan's full lecture:
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