Tag: EACA

EACA celebrates 8th successful edition of the EACA International Advertising Summer School

Posted on by edcom Team

During the week of 3th July 2017,  nearly 70 advertising and commercial communications students and young professionals from 16 countries took part in the 8th edition of the EACA International Advertising Summer School at the University of Creative Communication in Prague, Czech Republic. 

The attendees represented a mix of students in the field of commercial communications and young professionals working in media, creative and digital agencies. They were challenged to create a campaign in international, multidisciplinary teams for this year’s client McDonald’s, one of the world’s leading fast food companies. During the week, they also received workshops from leading advertising practitioners in mixed groups to gain an understanding of the advertising industry.

The client, in co-operation with creative agency DDB Prague, was looking for a campaign to turn McDonald’s restaurants into cool, trendy places for young people to be and eat at, therefore resulting in making the target audience share their experiences with their friends and online communities. The jury was also looking for a campaign that could capture a good sense of matching the price with emotional value to their products.

This year’s edition included two relevant changes compared to previous editions. Instead of having one group of Foundation students and Advanced students, participants were mixed and split into two groups. As a result, each team was composed of 4 to 5 young professionals and 1 to 2 students; creating an invaluable learning experience for students. Young professionals commented that they appreciated the sense of creativity and fresh wind the students brought into the teams. The second addition was a networking activity in which 6 participants had been asked to share a recent professional success that could be a meaningful and valuable experience to other participants to learn from.

At the end of the week, the 12 teams presented their ideas and campaigns to their peers and the jury, which consisted of Marek Hlavica (Asociace Komunikacnich Agentur (AKA), Jan Suda (McCann-Erickson Prague), Elena Chadzieva (McDonald’s), Ladislav Dolezal, (McDonald’s), Micky Denehy (EACA International Academy) and Dominic Lyle (EACA).

The winning team, Penguins, represented by Mirella Bektasevic (Switzerland), Tuur Goormans (Belgium), Tessa Gerwen (Netherlands), Sarah Dennehy (Ireland) and Michal Paulik (Czech Republic) impressed the jury with their campaign “The choice is yours”. Making a distinction between younger generations, team Penguins identified their target audience as centenials, namely boys and girls currently aged 15-18. Their idea was to fight bullying among teenagers in cooperation with Linka bezpečí, a local organisation which provides support for victims of bullying. By stepping inside a McDonald’s restaurant, consumers could make an active choice to help fight bullying among teenagers. Penguins presented a great insight, and delivered an inspiring campaign proposal based on the idea that young people have what it takes to make the right choice in their behaviour.

The jury also presented a second award to the team with the best presentation. Kasia Gluszak (Poland), Laura Berlingiere (Belgium), Jordan  Brudenell (UK), Nikola Bochová (Czeck Republic) and Torsten Grünert (Germany) from team Mc5 surprised the jury with an original presentation that demonstrated dedication and hard word as well as a contagious positivism and a great team spirit by presenting their ideas on a set of hand drawn boards, leaving an impression and a smile on the jurors’ faces.

All teams impressed the judging panel with their creative ideas, their vitality when delivering the pitches and their passion for the advertising industry in general.

The next EACA International Summer School will take place at the beginning of July 2018.

– ends –

For further information, please contact:

Pauline De Pelsmacker
Education and Training Manager
EACA
+32 2 740 07 18
pauline.depelsmacker@eaca.eu

European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA), brings together the advertising, media and sales promotions agencies across Europe, enabling international experience and issues to be shared and dealt with on a pan-European basis. It provides an important link between agencies, advertisers and the advertising media in Europe and around the world and participates closely in the setting of standards in many aspects of the business across Europe.

NHTV University of Applied Sciences receives EACA Accreditation in Commercial Communications Education

Posted on by edcom Team

NHTV University of Applied Sciences in Breda, Netherlands, has become the first European higher education institution to be accredited in Commercial Communications Education by the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA). The Accreditation for the International Media & Entertainment Management course (IMEM course) will be valid for 3 years from June 2017.

The EACA Accreditation in Commercial Communications Education endorses specialist Bachelor and Master programmes that prepare students for a career in commercial communications. The accreditation is restricted to members of the European Institute for Commercial Communications Education (edcom) and is endorsed by EACA, which brings together the advertising, media and sales promotion agencies across Europe, promoting responsible advertising and high professional standards.

Depending on the scope of their curriculum, applicants can be accredited either for the complete framework curriculum in Commercial Communications or for a specific sub-course or discipline. Applicants are assessed by a Board comprising leading international professionals and educators and through a personal inspection visit.

The EACA Accreditation process is based on the fundamental principle that courses should offer students a balanced mix of theoretical and practical subjects in commercial communications. After a rigorous process of self-assessment, a school visit and a review by the Board, NHTV University of Applied Sciences was given a positive report and received the EACA Accreditation with an outstanding result.  According to Anne Castermans, Board representative and schools inspector, the small-scale university offers a valuable combination of management, marketing and digital courses and is open to internationalisation with a high rate of foreign students (30%).

The IMEM course prepares students for a career in the media and entertainment industry. The course aims to train students to become managers in creative concept development, production techniques and marketing strategies in a variety of industries within media and entertainment.

Arnoud Versluis, Lecturer Marketing and Co-ordinator of the IMEM course, commented:

“Being accredited with an outstanding result is a big achievement for our international programme. It proves our qualitative approach within courses, lecturer teams and cooperation with our students coming from all over Europe. It challenges us to keep on focusing and putting the bar on a high level. This accreditation increases the value of our program towards the industry and hopefully creates many more new job opportunities for our students across Europe.”

The EACA Accreditation will also be awarded to students who have passed their final examinations and have earned a diploma or certificate from a nationally accredited edcom member school. The accreditation will thus complement, not replace, their school qualification. The EACA Accreditation in Commercial Communications Education therefore offers benefits for edcom students, academics and schools, who will jointly form the nucleus of experienced forward-looking specialists, helping to advance the standards of commercial communications and marketing proficiency for the ultimate benefit of consumers.

ABOUT EACA

The European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA) represents more than 2,500 communications agencies and agency associations from 30 European countries that employ more than 120,000 people. EACA members include advertising, media, digital, branding and PR agencies. EACA promotes honest, effective advertising, high professional standards and awareness of the contribution of advertising in a free market economy. We encourage close co-operation between agencies, advertisers and media in European advertising bodies. EACA works closely with EU institutions to ensure freedom to advertise responsibly and creatively. We are here to share and address international experience and issues on a pan- European basis and provide an important link between agencies, advertisers and the advertising media in Europe and around the world.

ABOUT EDCOM

edcom – the European Institute for Commercial Communications Education – was launched by EACA to promote excellence in commercial communications education and research and to encourage exchanges between the European commercial communications sector and academic partners. Click here for more information.

For more information, please contact:

 

Pauline De Pelsmacker
Training & Education Manager
Pauline.depelsmacker@eaca.eu
+32 (0) 2 740 07 18

Tamara Daltroff
Director of European Affairs
Tamara.daltroff@eaca.eu
+32 (0) 2 740 07 15

Sixth generation of European Advertising Certificate graduates honoured

Posted on by edcom Team

250 young professionals in the European advertising industry have completed the 2017 European Advertising Certificate (EAC) exam with 93% achieving passes, continuing the success of previous years. 27 papers (12%) were awarded distinctions, which is 2% up on the percentage for last year.

After following a 30 hour online course, the 250 learners took a 3-hour written exam on 26 April 2017, organised in 20 countries across Europe. They answered 5 out of 10 questions in essay style in English about the following seven modules: Advertising and Communication in Context; Understanding Client Business; The Strategic Planner’s Toolkit; Client, Creative and Media Briefs; Understanding Media Channels; Creativity and Creative Development; and Effectiveness.

The Certificate provides students with a broad understanding of the advertising industry, offering them a comprehensive overview of industry practices and brand communication processes. It is the first pan-European qualification that builds on professional experiences while focusing on future careers. The programme was designed with a European audience in mind with help from the European Union Leonardo programme and is based on the proven IPA Foundation Certificate.

Participants taking the EAC exam in Brussels (2017)

The European Advertising Certificate is the first remote learning program produced by the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA) which aims to enhance the knowledge of young professionals, with at least two years of experience, so that they can perform their roles with confidence and expertise. The programme is available to EACA members for a fee of €250 per delegate. Non-members are also encouraged to participate.

According to EACA Director General, Dominic Lyle, the results of the 2017 edition of the EAC were extremely positive. “The EAC allows young professionals to take a deep dive into the world of advertising. Whether they are in media, planning, creative or client-facing roles, the EAC helps understand them understand each of those roles and how they interact. It teaches them about the tools they need to succeed in an ever-changing industry. We are delighted with the 2017 edition results, which have shown an exceptional ability on the part of young professionals across Europe to understand the evolution of the advertising industry.”

Registrations for the next generation of EAC young professionals opens early next year, and the exam will take place in April 2018.

For more information, please visit www.edcom.eu