Advertising and Marketing Communications

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Courses - January 2026

Level 1

Course details

Advertising Creative Studio 1
ADVT1190

Description: In this course students are introduced to the creative design side of advertising, which enhances the impact of promotional materials and brand identity. Students will use industry standard software to select, format, and process images and graphics for print and online mediums. Building off of essential design layout techniques, students will also use colour, balance, flow, and typography take design elements from concept to completion. The course also covers the creation of AODA compliant documents.
  • Hours: 56
  • Credits: 4
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

College Reading & Writing Skills
COMM1085

Description: This course introduces students to the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills needed for academic and workplace success. Students will analyse a variety of texts and apply the steps of planning, writing, and revising to produce writing that meets the expectations of selected audiences and purposes. The course prepares students for college-level writing tasks, research, and documentation by asking them to produce clear, informed, and purposeful documents relevant to both academic and professional contexts.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Writing for Promotions / Copywriting
COMM1315

Description: Creative, engaging, and accurate copywriting is a cornerstone of any advertising and marketing campaign. In this course, students develop their writing and research skills as they write and edit copy for use in online, print, audio, and video formats. Through a combination of lectures and assignments student will learn how to make every word count, and speak directly to an audience in a variety of promotional styles and formats.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Conestoga 101
CON0101

Description: This self-directed course focuses on introducing new students to the supports, services, and opportunities available at Conestoga College. By the end of this course, students will understand the academic expectations of the Conestoga learning environment, as well as the supports available to ensure their academic success. Students will also be able to identify on-campus services that support their health and wellness, and explore ways to get actively involved in the Conestoga community through co-curricular learning opportunities.
  • Hours: 1
  • Credits: 0
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Social Media Platforms
DMED1570

Description: Social media platforms are an invaluable tool for marketers and advertisers alike. In this course students will be introduced to a variety of social media platforms that offer a connection to consumers. By evaluating the interfaces, requirements and reach, as well as the ethical and legal terms of use of each one, students will gain an understanding of which platforms are best suited to meet a client's needs and to maximize consumer engagement.
  • Hours: 56
  • Credits: 4
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Introduction to Marketing and Research
MKT1560

Description: This course introduces students to an overview of the tools and applied practices used in the advertising and marketing industry. The course covers the roles of agencies and clients, examines consumer behaviour and reviews market segmentation using various analytical methods available to advertisers and marketers when developing strategic plans. This includes quantitative and qualitative research methods and how they can be applied to a client's campaign.
  • Hours: 56
  • Credits: 4
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
Electives: General Education
Student must pass 1 Course(s), selected in the Student Portal from available course options

Level 2

Course details

Advertising Creative Studio 2
ADVT1200

Description: Visual communication transcends language and culture barriers to connect with people on emotional levels. While building off of their prior knowledge of design, students review the process of developing effective creative and marketing collateral. They will also study the technical requirements of today’s advertising mediums and understand how and when to apply them. Leading industry techniques used by global ad firms will be explained and practiced utilizing design software. Students complete a number of advertising and marketing assignments, using their creative idea generation, a step-by-step process and collaborative critiques to form a strong bond between imagery and language. Common lecture topics and projects include: Advertising principles and techniques, the creation of interactive and multi-page documents and the development of creative campaigns.
  • Hours: 56
  • Credits: 4
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Brand Engagement & Creative
ADVT1210

Description: Before designing a logo, website or an app interface, there must be an identity to frame and influence the medium. Branding as a discipline not only requires the ability to design logos, but to think strategically about a company's ethos and mission. This course will demonstrate the emotional appeal of branding and the experience created to convey brand. Students will learn the importance of colour association, typography as it relates to brand development and the importance of identity systems. Using a problem-solving approach, students will discover what makes brands effective, how societies identify with brands and how brands communicate in various mediums to promote engagement. Creation of identity guidelines, brand touchpoints and marketing material, as well as a tour of a regional ad firm make up the content of this course.
  • Hours: 56
  • Credits: 4
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Advertising Strategy and Sales
ADVT1220

Description: The advertising goals, challenges and budgets of individual clients are unique, and sales strategies must be tailored to serve each customer differently. This course introduces students to the theory and application of sales strategy for both business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) advertising needs. The course covers a variety of sales approaches and techniques used in the sales cycle including; tips to network and generate leads, ways to anticipate buyer and seller concerns, closing the sale, and maintaining customer relationships.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Web Basics
DMED1580

Description: Beginning with the basic principles of website creation, application, and development, students will learn the fundamentals of effective web design, W3C standards and compliance, design layout, and structure based on HTML coding and CSS. Applying web techniques and understanding responsive framework will have students constructing basic websites, as well as understanding Content Management Systems (CMS) and how to customize them. Common lecture topics include: File types and application, layout mapping, and effective navigation.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Social Media Marketing
MKT1570

Description: Within this course students go beyond their personal experience using Social Media and delve deeply into the power of Social Media as a marketing tool. They learn how to engage directly with consumers to establish, monitor and grow a brand in real time. Building on the knowledge of Social Media platforms covered in level 1, this course focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of successful online campaigns. It covers social media trends, online advertising, the impact of influencers, on-line content creation, and strategic social media planning that pulls all of these elements together into a cohesive campaign.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Public Relations
PRLN1015

Description: This course provides a theoretical and experiential base of public relations from the skills needed for an advertising professional. Students are introduced to the following topics: public relations process, learning the scope and nature of public relations management roles, specialized functions with an emphasis on media relations and publicity activities and the integration between advertising and public relations. Lectures and hands-on exercises deal with such areas as news values and characteristics, the evolving relationship between public relations practitioners and advertisers and public relations tactics used in supporting advertising goals.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
Electives: General Education
Student must pass 1 Course(s), selected in the Student Portal from available course options

Level 3

Course details

User Interface/User Experience
ADVT2155

Description: See, swipe, and click your way through an educational experience as you form an understanding of human interaction with products, and how to ensure a great user experience on a mobile platform. Comprehensive design practice and iteration assist in building a user journey through the knowledge of solutions-based research, storytelling, persona development and design thinking. Final projects will be constructed through a series of wireframing exercises and prototyping of mobile applications using industry standard software. Common lecture topics include: Humanizing design, design thinking and solutions-based design.
  • Hours: 56
  • Credits: 4
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Pitches and Presentations
ADVT2170

Description: Memorable, informative, and engaging presentations are a central part of telling a brand's story and selling your services. This course covers the preparation, delivery, and critique of effective product pitches and presentations, offering techniques that help you communicate a story to small and large audiences, in both formal and informal environments.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Portfolio Development and Career Launch
CDEV2230

Description: The Advertising & Marketing Communication’s Portfolio Development and Career Launch course provides a tailored approach to the different career goals of students. Traditional job search methods are combined with the brand development and marketing techniques learned in this program to develop an individual job search campaign. Industry standard software and mediums are utilized for showcasing the individual skillsets of each student in their portfolio. As well, students explore the opportunities and challenges of self-employment and consider the finance and tax requirements associated with freelancing or setting up a business.
  • Hours: 42
  • Credits: 3
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Media Production
MDIA2010

Description: Modern marketing and advertising professionals rely on a broad technical skillset, allowing them to create and share their messaging through various mediums. This course focuses on audio and video production and editing for web and mobile applications, enabling students to maximize the use, and re-use of original content. It will also cover copyright laws, industry standards regarding the use of performers, and the use of emerging technologies to produce new and exciting content.
  • Hours: 56
  • Credits: 4
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Integrated Marketing Communications Campaigns
MKT2370

Description: An Integrated Marketing Communications campaign strategically blends various advertising tools, activities, and platforms together to create a consistent brand experience for all customers. In the first 7 weeks of this course, students will be introduced to the structure of an Integrated Marketing Communications campaign and how various components such as advertising research, creative marketing collateral, sales strategy, brand focus, marketing across multiple platforms, and public relations are strategically considered to develop a plan that meets client goals. Working individually and collaboratively through the last 7 weeks of the course, students will draw upon knowledge gained from many of their previous courses to produce and present a custom plan.
  • Hours: 56
  • Credits: 4
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:

Safety in the Workplace
OHS1320

Description: This course focuses on developing awareness and skills for the student to safely manage and conduct him or herself within a variety of employment settings. Through the units of the course, participants will have the opportunity to enhance their understanding and knowledge of general Health and Safety guidelines, including WHMIS, Fire Safety and Workplace Violence. The unit on Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act will instruct the student on the requirements for Accessible Customer Service and Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulations. General information on Safe Driving, Privacy of Information and Hand Washing will be addressed as well. The course also provides participants with critical information regarding their insurance coverage (WSIB or other) while employed. As well as guidelines to follow in the event of an injury. Participants will receive a printable Record of Completion upon successful conclusion of this course, in order to demonstrate awareness of safe working practices to their employers.
  • Hours: 14
  • Credits: 1
  • Pre-Requisites:
  • CoRequisites:
Electives: General Education
Student must pass 1 Course(s), selected in the Student Portal from available course options

Level 4

Course details

Capstone - Advertising and Marketing Communications
ADVT2180

Description: Utilizing the research, strategy and design skills obtained throughout the program, students will hone their professional abilities through a capstone project. Students will interview and interact with real clients over a 7-week period to build a fully integrated marketing and communications plan based on client needs. Students will then present their pitches, with full creative, to the client and program faculty. This experiential approach not only prepares students for real-world scenarios, it strengthens their connections with regional businesses.
  • Hours: 140
  • Credits: 9
  • Pre-Requisites: ADVT1200 AND ADVT1210 AND ADVT1220 AND MKT2370
  • CoRequisites:

Field Placement (Advertising and Marketing Communications)
FPLT2420

Description:

This course facilitates a placement experience with a company/agency which has been approved by the program. Students will take an active role in securing a placement by practising employability skills learned through preparatory courses. Engaging in the work environment of a professionally relevant company/agency will allow students to apply their education and skills contributing to their mutual benefit. Appropriate workplace behaviour and etiquette is expected as students use this opportunity to expand their network of industry contacts and effectively market their personal brand. Through this experience, students can cultivate confidence, escalate awareness of industry practices, add to their resume & portfolio, and contribute to their own career success.

  • Hours: 210
  • Credits: 7
  • Pre-Requisites: ADVT1200 AND ADVT1210 AND ADVT1220 AND CDEV2230 AND MKT2370 AND OHS1320
  • CoRequisites:

Program outcomes

  1. Identify and respond to clients’ advertising and marketing communications objectives by applying principles of marketing and communications.
  2. Perform a market segmentation analysis, identify the organization’s target market/audience and define the consumer behaviour of each segment.
  3. Develop an advertising plan and present and defend it persuasively.
  4. Contribute to evaluating the effectiveness of advertising and marketing communications initiatives.
  5. Collaborate in the development of advertising and marketing communications material, in compliance with current Canadian legislation, industry standards and business practices.
  6. Participate in the development of creative solutions to address advertising and marketing communications challenges.
  7. Contribute to planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating projects by applying the principles of project management.
  8. Complete all work in a professional, ethical and timely manner.
  9. Conceptualize and develop design solutions using principles of design to create visual communications that meet the needs of the project.
  10. Employ graphic design, audio and video elements, with editing and web development software to create visually compelling assets for various mediums including Social Media.
  11. Apply business and entrepreneurial skills to meet industry requirements.
  12. Utilize various Social Media platforms and presentation modes to meet predetermined marketing and advertising goals.