Structure of the Advertisement and Public Relations Company and Offices (20500)

Degree/study: Bachelor's Degree of Advertising and Public Relations.
Year: fourth.
Term: first
Number of ECTS credits: 5 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 125 hours
Teaching language or languages: catalan
Teaching Staff: Ignasi Murillo Fort

1. Presentation of the subject

The objective of the course is to study and analyze the models of advertising agencies, public relations agencies and in-house communication and public relations offices in companies and organizations.

The students' work must aim at achieving the capacity to understand the organizational, functional, remuneration and business management structures in the advertising and public relations professional practice; as well as the conditions where interrelationships between promoters and communication performers take place.

It is essential to comprehend the advertising and public relations structures from a close look at reality, thus understanding that it is a lively and dynamic fabric in a continuous process of adapting to a changing environment.

2. Competences to be attained

2.1. General competences

- Analysis and synthesis capacities.

- Documentation and information sources searching skills.

- Critical reasoning.

- Organization and planning.

- Capacity for putting knowledge into practice.

- Individual working capacity.

- Interpersonal skills for team working and discussing.

- Presentation techniques skills.

- Proactive attitude to know, assess and follow-up the advertising activities and trends taking place in the market.

- Proactive attitude to know and asses the market trends affecting the world of advertising companies.

2.2. Specific competences

- Capacity for assessing advertising and public relations as a communication process related to the business, economic and social activity.

- Identifying the subjects that intervene in the structure of the advertising and public relations system: their role and the interacting mechanisms.

- Acknowledging companies, institutions and non-profit organizations as message promotors, as well as their organization as an agency client. Assessment of the functions and organization of the in-house communication offices. Identifying the structural frameworks of every implied agent.

- Understanding the mechanisms of business operations in the agency: the in-house structures, their functional organization and their business management policies.

- Assessment of the remuneration systems in the agency.

- Getting acquainted with the casuistry of the client/ agency relationship in order to be able to handle it from both sides.

- Identifying the different agency and in-house offices typologies.

- Capacity for identifying and assessing other elements taking part in the advertising structures.

2.3. Competences for an excellence level

- Creative and lively use of the concepts and informations for the processes analysis, with the purpose of developing a project on setting up a company.

3. Contents

Block of contents 1

Structure and corporative base of the advertising and public relations activity

• The concept of company.

• Characteristics and creation of the agency as a company.

• The sector in the economic system context.

• Interdisciplinarity in the communication field.

• Current overview and future perspectives of the sector.

Block of contents 2

The promoter of the corporative activity in the advertising and public relations industry

• The company as an adviser: functions and organizations regarding the advertising agency.

• Company, institutions and non-profit organizations: public relations promoters.

• Communication outsourcing.

• The brand as a company's asset.

• The corporation as an entity to be communicated.

Block of contents 3

The advertising company

• The advertising agency as a service company; the sector's structure.

• Dimension and expansion: agencies groups, local vs international.

• Organizational models analysis.

• The advertising agency in the competitive context: the agent positioning.

• Changes in the sector: reinvention of the advertising company.

Block of contents 4

The public relations performers: agency and in-house offices

• Organizational models of the public relations performer: advantages and disadvantages of the different models.

• The in-house public relations and communication offices in the company, in the public administration and in non-profit organizations. Organization and functions.

• The public relations and communication agency in Spain. Entrepreneurial approach, in-house organization areas and business management.

Block of contents 5

Structure of the entrepreneurial relationship between client and agency

• The adviser's criteria when selecting an agency.

• Agency strategies to attract new business opportunities.

• The agency selection process: selection methods.

• The agency presentation.

• Advertising and public relations services provision contract.

• Remuneration systems in the agency.

• Service culture management: client's knowledge.

• Assessing the agency's work. How to measure effectiveness and efficiency.

Block of contents 6

Economic perspective of the advertising and public relations company

• The agency's income account.

• Concepts of invoices, incomes, expenses and result.

• Overall and per client profitability analysis.

• Work orders: profitability per project.

• Growth management and crisis management.

Block of contents 7

Agency models

• The full-service agency.

• Integration of comprehensive communication services vs. specialization.

• Advertising agencies models.

• Public relations agencies models.

• Specialized agencies models: online, relational marketing, promotional marketing, sponsoring, health, branding...

4. Assessment

4.1. General evaluation criteria

The course assessment is based mainly on the students' practical work in and outside the classroom. It aims at encouraging the competences acquisition through research, analysis and critical reasoning.

The practical work will be done in groups. The objective is that students obtain the capacity of managing their intervention in a team work in the same way it happens in the professional word. Anyway, the design of these projects will allow for an individual assessment of every student.

The theoretical base of the course will be completed with exercise to be done in the classroom, as well as with a reading list that will be delivered to students throughout the term and that they must prepare in order to attend the classes.

The assessment includes four aspects:

- Research project in teams about an advertising or public relations company. The project will be debated in class and the obtained results will be part of the exam contents.

- Project of creating a company in the advertising or public relations sector. To be done in teams.

- Exercises in the classroom and active participation during the master classes.

- Final exam, consisting of a written test about the course contents.

4.2. Weight of every method in the final grade

The practical approach of the course invites to give less importance to the exam grade and favor instead the students' assessment on the basis of their work throughout the term. Following the proposed activity structure, the weight that every method has in the final grade of the course is detailed below:

• Research project about a company in the advertising environment: 20%

• An advertising agency creation project: 35%

• Exercises in class and active participation: 10%

• Final exam: 35%

In order to get a final grade and pass the course, it is obligatory to have passed the exam with a minimum grade of 4 and to have handed in the team projects.

5. Bibliography and teaching resources

5.1. Basic bibliography

ADECEC: La Comunicación y las Relaciones Públicas en España. Radiografía de un sector. ADECEC. Barcelona. 2004.

• CASTELLBLANQUE, M.: Estructura de la actividad publicitaria. La industria publicitaria de la A a la Z. España: Un caso extrapolable. Barcelona: Paidós Papeles de Comunicación 33, 2001.

• CUTLIP, S.C. y CENTER, A.H.: Relaciones Públicas Efectivas. Barcelona: Gestión

2000, 2001.

• FERNÁNDEZ GÓMEZ, J.D.: Aproximación a la estructura de la publicidad. Sevilla: Comunicación Social, 2005

• FERRER, I.: Gestión de la Agencia de Publicidad. Barcelona: Ulzama Digital. 2007.

• GRUNIG, J.-HUNT, T.: Dirección de Relaciones Públicas. Barcelona: Gestión 2000,

2000.

• PÉREZ RUIZ, M. A.: Fundamentos de las Estructuras de la Publicidad. Madrid: Síntesis, 1996.

5.2. Complementary bibliography

BASKIN, O. y ARONOFF, C.E.: Public Relations. The Profession and the Practice.

Dubuque: WCB, 1988.

• BLACK, S.: El libro de oro de las Relaciones Públicas. Gestión 2000. Barcelona,

2004.

• BOIRY, P.A. Las Relaciones Públicas o la estrategia de la confianza. París: Gestión

2000, 1989.

• CASTELLBLANQUE, M.: Perfiles profesionales de publicidad y ámbitos afines.

Barcelona: UOC, 2006.

• HAMEROFF, E. J. The advertising agency business. Lincolnwood: NTC Business

Books, 1998.

• HOROVITZ, J.: Los siete secretos del servicio al cliente. Madrid: Prentice

Hall/Financial Times, 2000.

• GARDNER, H.S.: The advertising agency business: The complete manual for management and operation. Lincolnwood: NTC Business Books, 1996.

• MARIN, A.; TRELLES, I.; ZAMARRÓN, G.: "Mass Media y Universidad. El reto de la comunicaciónn en las Universidades". Univ. Granada, 2005.

• MCKENNA, Regis: Marketing de relaciones. Cómo crear y mantener un vínculo permanente entre la empresa y sus clientes, Paidós Empresa, Barcelona,

1995.

• SEITEL, F.P.: Teoría y Exercise de las Relaciones Públicas. 8ª ed. Prentice Hall.

Madrid, 2002.

• VICTORIA, J.S.: Reestructuras del Sistema Publicitario. Barcelona:Arie Comunicaciónn, 2005.

• WILCOX, D. L.: AULT, H.P.-AGEE, W.K. Relaciones Públicas. Estrategias y

Tácticas. 6ª ed. Madrid, Addisonwesley Longman Inc., 2000.

5.3. Teaching resources

National professional magazines: Anuncios, IPMark, El Publicista.

• International professional magazines: Advertising Age, Adweek.

• Asociación Española de Agencias de Publicidad: www.aeap.com

• European Association of Advertising Agencies (EAAA): www.eaca.be/

• American Association of Advertising Agencies: www.aaaa.org

• Asociación de Empresas Consultoras en Relaciones Públicas y Comunicación www.adecec.com

• International Public Relations Association: www.ipra.org

• Asociación de Directivos de Comunicación: www.dircom.org

• Asociación Española de Anunciantes: www.anunciantes.com

• Asociación para la Investigación de Medios de Comunicación: www.aimc.es

• Asociación de Autocontrol de la Publicidad: www.aap.es

• Asociación Española de Estudios de Mercado Marketing y Opinión: www.aedemo.es

• Advertising Research Foundation (ARF): www.thearf.org

• Inversión publicitaria: www.infoadex.es

• World Advertising Research Center: http://www.warc.com

5.4. Didactic resources

All the information and didactic resources of the course is managed through Aula Global:

• Class notes summaries.

• Support materials in master classes.

• Materials for the exercises.

• Additional readings.

• Continuous monitoring by professors through Aula Global.

6. Metodology

The course is structured in three levels of activity:

- Master classes: attendance to the master classes, for the reinforcement of the course theoretical framework. Exercises and practical activities to illustrate these sessions will be carried out.

- Research project in groups about a company in the field of advertising or public relations. Projects will be presented in the company analysis workshops, which will allow students to obtain a sector business map.

- Project of creating a company in the field of advertising or public relations. The project, to be done in groups, aims at presenting a feasibility model for the agency creation. The professor will select the most relevant project, of which a public presentation will be done in class as if it was an agency presentation.

7. Planning of activities

Program	Contents description	Session structure	Support material and activities
Session 1	Course objectives. Working methodology. Unit 1. Structure and corporative base of the advertising and public relations activity. The concept of company. Characteristics and creation of the agency as a company.	Course introduction and master class.	Course introduction Work distribution.
Session 2	The sector in the economic system context. Interdisciplinarity in the communication field. Current overview and future perspectives of the sector.	Master class: participation and exercise.	Reading (1) and debate. * Current situation of the sector.
Session 3	Unit 2 The promoter of the corporative activity in the advertising and public relations industry The company as an adviser: functions and organizations regarding the advertising agency. Communication outsourcing. The corporation and the brand as entities to be communicated.	Master class: participation and exercise.	Reading (2) and debate. * Adviser / promoter.
Session 4	Unit 3 The advertising company The advertising agency as a service company; the sector's structure. Dimension and expansion: agencies groups, local vs international. Organizational models analysis.	Master class: participation and exercise.	Deadline for the research project and agency creation project working groups configuration.
Session 5	The advertising agency in the competitive context: the agent positioning. Changes in the sector: reinvention of the advertising company.	Master class: participation and exercise.	Exercise: agent positioning.
Session 6	Unit 4. The public relations performers: agency and in-house offices Organizational models of the public relations performer: advantages and disadvantages of the different models. The in-house public relations and communication offices in the company, in the public administration and in non-profit organizations.	Master class: participation and exercise.	Reading (3) and debate. * PR organizational frameworks.
Session 7	The public relations and communication agency: entrepreneurial approach, in-house organization areas and business management.	Master class: participation and exercise.	Reading (4) and debate. * In-house communication offices.
Session 8	Unit 5 Structure of the entrepreneurial relationship between client and agency. The adviser's criteria when selecting an agency. Agency strategies to attract new business opportunities. The agency selection process: selection methods. The agency presentation. Advertising and public relations services provision contract.	Master class: participation and exercise.	Reading (5) * Agency selection processes. Reading (6) * Services provision contract.
Session 9	Remuneration systems in the agency. Service culture management: client's knowledge. Assessing the agency's work. How to measure effectiveness and efficiency.	Master class: participation and exercise.	Exercise: Creation of an agency assessment model.
Session 10	Working session: Preparing the agency creation project.	Seminar: agency creation.	Tutoring session: agency creation project. Groups from 1to 11.
Session 11	Working session: Preparing the agency creation project.	Seminar: agency creation.	Tutoring session: agency creation project. Groups from 1to 11.
Session 12	Unit 6. Economic perspective of the advertising and public relations company. The agency's income account. Concepts of invoices, incomes, expenses and result.	Master class: participation and exercise.	Exercise: An agency's financial analysis.
Session 13	Overall and per client profitability analysis. Work orders: profitability per project. Growth management and crisis management.	Master class: participation and exercise.	Exercise: Profitability per client analysis. Exercise: Work orders management.
Session 14	Unit 7. Agency models Advertising agencies models.	Analysis workshop: sector 1.	GROUPS A Advertising agencies in general. Presentation of GROUPS A1-A2-A3-A4.
Session 15	Advertising agencies models.	Analysis workshop: sector 2.	GROUPS B Advertising agencies in general. Presentation of GROUPS B1-B2-B3-B4.
Session 16	Agency models and in-house PR offices.	Analysis workshop: sector 3.	GROUPS A Agency and in-house PR offices models. Presentation of GROUPS A5-A6-A7-A8.
Session 17	Agency models and in-house PR offices.	Analysis workshop: sector 4.	GROUPS B Agency and in-house PR offices models. Presentation of GROUPS B5-B6-B7-B8.
Session 18	Specialized agency models.	Analysis workshop: sector 5	GROUPS B Specialized agencies. Presentation of GROUPS B9-B10-B11-B12. Deadline for handing in the creation agency project.
Session 19	Specialized agency models.	Analysis workshop: sector 6	GROUPS A Specialized agencies. Presentation of GROUPS A9-A10-A11-A12.
Session 20	Agency presentations. Closure of the course.	Presentation of the agency projects.	Presentation of the four selected groups.