The December Edcom Members’ Meeting, hosted at WPP in Brussels on December 10, 2024, was a day filled with meaningful discussions and forward-thinking collaboration. We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who joined and shared their valuable insights, contributing to the success of this pivotal event.
Updates from the Secretariat
The membership report reflected the diverse strength of the network, now spanning 37 institutions across 16 countries. Recent additions from the UK, Romania, and Austria further highlight the network’s expanding reach. However, efforts to bridge regional gaps, especially in Northern, Eastern, and Southern Europe, remain a priority. We encourage members to support this growth by inviting institutional partners to join the network, aiming for one new partner per existing member.
Inspiring Presentations
The meeting featured two compelling presentations:
- Dr. Hyunsun Yoon discussed the significance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in advertising, drawing on real-world case studies from brands like H&M, Jo Malone, and Dolce & Gabbana. She explored how cultural context and accountability shape creative work, emphasizing the importance of polysemy in advertising — how content can have multiple interpretations based on different cultural and social lenses.
- David Grunewald, founder of Pluginto.ai, delivered a keynote on the transformative impact of AI in marketing. He illustrated AI’s potential to revolutionize creativity and strategy, citing examples such as Vodafone’s AI-generated ad. Dr. Grunewald urged attendees to view AI as a collaborator, not a replacement, and to embrace its potential for enhancing productivity and preparing students for an AI-driven future.
Innovating Together: Key Outcomes from Edcom’s Sprint Sessions
The recent Sprint Sessions sparked dynamic conversations across seven key themes: Education, Industry, Research, Alumni, and Ad Net Zero, with sub-themes explored within each. These sessions were designed to foster innovation and cross-collaboration among Edcom members.
- Education: Focused on strengthening connections between member universities, exploring ideas such as collaborative guest lectures, online participation, and city branding projects. New initiatives like the AI Hackathon and Issue Management projects were introduced to foster cross-border collaboration and enhance communication within the network.
- Industry: Discussions centered on building stronger ties with the industry. Key suggestions included better defining sponsorship opportunities to offer value to both brands and universities, linking student research to brand-driven projects through the Edcom Insights Factory, and creating an Annual Edcom Skills Report to better align academic training with industry needs.
- Alumni: A proposal to launch a LinkedIn alumni group was discussed to boost professional connections and alumni engagement. Additionally, appointing student representatives from each program was suggested to improve communication and participation.
- Research: Conversations centered around Gen Z engagement, persuasion strategies, and the evolving communications labor market. The creation of an Edcom Vodcast was proposed to help bridge the gap between academia and industry, with an emphasis on integrating student insights into research initiatives.
- Ad Net Zero: Initiatives within this cluster explored sustainability in advertising. Proposals included developing educational videos on Ad Net Zero’s framework, integrating sustainability into the AdVenture Competition, and offering students access to AdNetZero showcase sessions for practical learning.
These Sprint Sessions provided an invaluable opportunity to refine strategies, build stronger relationships, and develop concrete actions that will drive Edcom’s continued impact.
Want to learn more about the meeting? Click here and access the full report of the meeting.
