Individual artists and entrepreneurs, colleges and universities, nonprofits, churches and big business all have recognized the need to be both technology and strategy-savvy. Not knowing the ins and outs of contemporary marketing in the age of electronic communication and information overflow can make you lose dollars, attention or an entire constituent base.

Advertising class can be a formal pursuit that you chase through traditional means at a local college or university or it can be an informal course.

Formal advertising design classes generally focus on traditional marketing concepts that teach you about public relations, branding, market share, and target marketing and consumer behaviors. Some of the traditional routes for learning advertising tactics have integrated internet strategies, but the heavier content is on the highly developed rules of engagement that will always apply to promotion and buying.

Many informal courses are online advertising classes. These classes teach the person or agency seeking to expand its reach the basics of setting up marketing strategies on the internet. Participants who attend an online advertising class learn about search engine optimization, the importance of blogs, newsgroups and forums, article directories, e-campaigns conducted through contact marketing, podcasts, social networking, how-to hubs, e-commerce and how to establish yourself as a subject matter expert online.

The need for educating everyone about online advertising has increased exponentially as we have moved from being a letter-writing, phone talking society to become an electronic culture whose human communication transactions are brief, abbreviated and less personal.

Ogilvy on Advertising A candid and indispensable primer on all aspects of advertising from the man Time has called “the most sought after wizard in the business”. 223 photos.	Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective Belch/Belch 9th edition continues its Advertising focus with an emphasis on IMC. It includes very comprehensive coverage of Agency issues and creative work and how it is related to the IMC mix. The authors understand that marketers must look beyond traditional media in order to achieve success….	The Advertising Concept Book How do you write a great ad? Pete Barry, who worked at Ogilvy London and now teaches in New York, goes straight to the basics: work out what you want to say, who you are saying it to, and how you want to say it. No amount of glossy presentation will make a successful ad if the idea behind it is…
Contemporary Advertising Contemporary Advertising, 12/e is one of the best-selling advertising texts in this field. Known as the “coffee table book” for Advertising, it is known for its current examples, the author’s ability to pull from real-world experiences, and the clear writing style. Taking a comprehensive view of…	Advertising (9th Edition) APPROACH: An accessible and well-written approach to advertising. Advertising tracks the changes in today’s dynamic world of media and marketing communicationu2013as well as the implications of these changes to traditional practiceu2013and presents them to readers through an accessible,…	Integrated Advertising, Promotion and Marketing Communications (4th Edition) Clow and Baack examine advertising and promotions through the lens of integrated marketing communications. Integrated Marketing Communications; Corporate Image and Brand Management; Buyer Behaviors; Promotions Opportunity Analysis; Advertising Management; Advertising Design: Theoretical…

In a climate where personalization is a foreign concept, advertising, by necessity, becomes a matter of making a huge information or product impact in the smallest amount of time imaginable. Most surfers or email recipients may only give you 10 seconds, at most, to enter their worlds an wield influence. Advertising classes teach you how best to use such a brief encounter and to find ways that are not intrusive, rude or spam-like to introduce yourself and your product or service to an email recipient or Internet surfer.

Advertising classes are not limited to the marketing aspects of advertising only. Accredited programs offer courses in copywriting, market research, marketing metrics, portfolio development and art direction, among other courses. You are usually guided through the steps to create an entire advertising campaign from start to finish and asked to adapt it for print media, television and radio, new media, and the web.

In most cases, students are paired with an established mentor who has earned credibility in the field. The mentorship aims not only to give students hands-on access to the actual work they will be performing, but it also gives them a more realistic, but relaxed environment to ask the tough questions they have about maintaining a career. Successful mentoring partnerships foster learning by both the mentor and the mentee.

There has been a common misconception about the need for owners and workers in small businesses to enroll in advertising classes: many believe they simple do not need it. Word-of-mouth, many believe will carry the weight of their businesses. This is a brush-off that could ultimately be costly.

Even if only one person in a company attends advertising classes, the eventual return on investment is significant. Knowing how to compete with big business through newer advertising models – especially those online – keeps you a step ahead of the game. Choosing not to employ all of the principles does not ever excuse the ignorance of not knowing them. It is always best to know the rules, and then, armed with your knowledge, break them.

Here are some frequently asked questions about advertising design classes and programs:

What type of person becomes an advertising designer?

Most people who become advertising designers are creative and artistic, but also enjoy the competitive edge of working in a business environment. Most will have an outgoing and ambitious attitude, the ability to work under pressure, the skills to work with well others, and the understanding of what drives people to buy. They also usually will have successfully completed some type of ad design program.

What type of advertising design classes are required?

A person usually enters into a program specific for advertising design and will have many different courses to take. Introduction classes will be required such as Introduction to Advertising, English composition, and Photoshop/Design/Illustrator Basics. Once many of the introductory classes are finished, the student would move on to more advanced and in depth classes covering topics such as color psychology, various computer graphic classes, project planning, copywriting, brand communication, and advertising media. Heavy loads of courses are usually not recommended because of all the pre-requisites that are required to enter into the next class.

How long are advertising design programs?

Programs range in length depending on what type of degree one is seeking. The range is between 9 months for a certificate program to 6 years for a master’s in advertising design. The most popular choice is the 4 year degree, which would provide someone with a Bachelor’s in Advertising Design. This is the type of degree many larger advertising companies have come to expect, although with a strong portfolio and freelance experience one can get a good job with only a certificate. Many choose to work for small local companies on contract positions to gain experience and help them get a better job upon completion of their degree.

What types of jobs are available for Advertising Designers?

An ad designer can expect to land a job in an advertising agency or media company as someone who develops packaging, book, and/or magazine design and layouts. Advertising agencies also need project coordinators to develop and launch ad campaigns. The companies who hire range in size and location from the bigger and better known agencies to the smaller and more localized agencies. A person entering the advertising design field will often start at more assistant-type level and after showing drive and capabilities can climb the ladder to more senior-type positions.

How much does an Advertising Designer make?

Wages will be dependent on the size and location of the agency, but the demand is high enough for designers that the median income is between $80,000 and $120,000 for those who have a 4 year degree and have taken all of the advertising design classes necessary.

Becoming an advertising designer can be a solid career choice. If one is debating whether this could be the right path for them, then taking 1 or 2 intro to advertising design classes may be the answer. This could give a foundation for other ad courses while also giving a person a background in other possible design programs as well.