Personal+Reflection

=__Personal Reflection__=

 The acronym “WWW” stands for so much more than the World Wide Web. It stands for information, knowledge, stories, communities, relationships, business; it’s a part of life and a way of life for the average person. Using the Internet has become an important tool for everyday living and has expanded they ways in which we work, learn, communicate and discover. For the marketing industry, the online medium has presented endless opportunities to be creative and innovative in order to expand target demographics and become profitable.

 This course, Online Advertising and Marketing, has taught me that marketing is not only about presenting a message, but also about discussing a message. Marketing is about conversations. It is meant to elicit conversations between viewers to influence in interesting ways rather than directly telling audiences to “BUY.” Thus, building relationships with audiences through speaking to them, rather than telling them.

 I learned that online advertising does not get enough credit. The amount of time and energy it requires to build a campaign and successfully reach target audiences on a medium, which is so dense, is immense. This course has allowed me to appreciate online advertising as an art and a labor of success rather than focus on their annoyances. In regards to Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization, I have truly been informed about their potential as a profession and corresponding monetary successes. Thus, I am extremely intrigued by the magnitude of monetary success that can be achieved though online advertising and marketing.

 The final project done in CCT356 demonstrated that learning through real life experiences is far greater than learning through developing hypothetical scenarios. Thus, in using an established business to build a marketing campaign allowed the class to develop a realistic campaign since we were using real numbers and actual challenges faced by the companies we represented.  It was challenging to develop online ad campaigns that were innovative, creative and effective, while not being ignored. In doing the final project, developing an ad campaign, which was esthetically pleasing as well as incorporating aspects that achieved the client’s needs, was difficult. Additionally, it was inspirational to work with an established business, to discover their challenges and obstacles. To work as a potential Advertising and, or Marketing Associate inspired me to seek similar occupations after graduation.