International Advertising

In today’s fast moving international landscape, brands must communicate across cultural boundaries, media ecosystems, and rapidly changing consumer expectations. Advertising is no longer about producing content alone. It requires understanding how brands create meaning, build long term relationships, and influence behaviour in global markets. 

Modern advertising requires far more than creativity. It demands the ability to interpret research, understand brand identity, apply psychological principles, craft concepts that resonate across cultures, and persuade stakeholders with clarity and confidence. Students develop the capability to translate brand essence into coherent global communication strategies. 

Throughout the programme, students engage in theory, practical workshops, creative ideation, cultural analysis, concept development, and portfolio building. Real world assignments and client collaborations help students apply their knowledge directly in practice.

The programme spans a full semester (30 ECTS, 840 hours study load).Key components include:

• Lectures & Workshops covering theoretical concepts, practical applications, creative development, and hands-on workshops.
• Assignments and Challenges designed to build evidence of mastery across all learning outcomes.
• Group Projects in which students collaborate in diverse teams to design and present brand communication strategies and advertising campaigns.
• Individual Assignments to assess understanding and application of course content.
• Practical Fieldwork engaging in real-life business cases.
• Portfolio Development as a continuous process to demonstrate the learning journey 

The minor programme is based on 'learning by doing', consisting of exercises, challenges and assignments, where knowledge and skills training are offered according to ‘just in time’ principle. This means no separate courses, exams or other summative tests, but programmatic assessment for 30 ECTS. This requires a high level of independence and personal responsibility from you with regard to self-starting skills and self-discipline.

You are expected to manage your own learning process, continuously and actively collecting feedback, feed forward and feed up. Attendance at work sessions is not mandatory, but highly recommended; The pace is very high and the risk of lagging behind and/or missing the connection to content or group is therefore high.

Please note that the programme reflects a (logical) bundle of work-sessions and subjects that should be followed as such. It is not possible to combine (two or more) programmes in one single period.

The minor spans a full semester and is offered both in the fall and spring semesters. Total study load: 840 hours:

• Contact time: approximately 150–160 hours
• Workshops and coaching: approximately 40 hours
• Self-study and portfolio development: approximately 630 hours
• Assessment activities: approximately 12 hours 

The Brand Strategy course focuses on the key principles of strategic brand management, and on creating and sustaining brand equity. Students gain insights into advanced concepts such as Customer Based Brand Equity (Keller) Brand Architecture (Kapferer, Aaker), Brand Personalities (Jung, Aaker), and Evidence-Based Marketing (Sharp).

In the Creative Research course, students learn what makes an advertising campaign effective and how to identify areas for improvement by understanding the company's objectives, target audience, and competition. They will translate this knowledge into actionable advice for creating impactful, distinctive campaigns with a WOW factor.

The course Psychology of Marketing Communication explores how media and advertising influence our perception, memory, and actions, focusing on the psychological processes behind brand development and campaign effectiveness. Students will examine how we process and respond to media messages in different situations.

The course Cultural Values and Communication in an International Perspective examines the role of culture in shaping international marketing and advertising strategies. Students learn how cultural differences influence consumer behaviour, product design, branding, and communication. Through cultural research, they will develop strategies to adapt or standardize marketing approaches for new markets, ensuring successful product launches and cohesive global branding.

A crucial part of the minor program is the Final Creative Assignment. This assignment is both comprehensive and complementary to the other courses within the minor and serves as a master test in which students apply the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the minor by creating a campaign for a real client. Creative workshops are offered to teach students the necessary skills that they can use in designing their campaign and ultimately pitching it to the client.

Please note that the minor programme reflects a (logical) bundle of courses and should be followed as such. It is not possible to combine (two or more) programmes in one single period. By choosing this package you will have to participate in ALL the courses included.

To enter this programme, a foundation of introductory course(s) in Marketing Management.

At the end of the minor, students are able to:

• Develop and justify a coherent brand and communication strategy aligned with insights, audience needs, and brand identity in an international context.
• Apply research and analytical skills to generate actionable insights that inform advertising decisions.
• Create original imaginative and strategically aligned creative concepts using divergent thinking, iteration, and storytelling. 
• Apply psychological and persuasive communication principles ethically to increase advertising effectiveness.
• Adapt communication strategies for diverse cultural contexts, ensuring cultural relevance and brand consistency.
• Communicate ideas persuasively and collaborate professionally within multidisciplinary and international teams 

During the entire minor you will put together an individual portfolio consisting of completed assignments and challenges, and feedback from peers, experts and teachers, in which you demonstrate that you have acquired the necessary competences, knowledge and skills. This individual portfolio serves to determine whether you have met the desired learning outcomes. As such, there is no decision moment based on a single assessment; the decision is made based on rich information on your entire learning process.

All material used will be provided.

Travel costs for excursions and field work: maximum € 100.