The share of online advertising in China still lags far behind the US or European market, an important issue for everybody involved in the Internet in China. I had hoped that the financial crisis would speed up the transition from traditional to digital marketing (because it’s much easier to measure), but I am actually seeing the opposite effect. Last year’s IAB China initiative has taken more time than expected to get off the ground, but I think eventually IAB will also play an important role in China’s online industry. In the meantime I applaud and try to support every initiative to increase awareness and opportunities in digital marketing. Today I was therefore pleasantly surprised to see that Omnicom and Fudan University launched a program to help marketeers and agencies better understand the world of digital marketing.
The course consists of 3 times 3 days of classes (Fri-Sun), with speakers from Internet companies (such as Tencent), PR and advertising agencies and professors from Fudan University. The class will be mainly taught in Chinese and will have simultaneous translation. The course will be a combination of lectures and case studies, so just like on the Web it is not just one-way communication but bi-directional!
Themes that will be covered are among others:
– The development of the Web in China
– Who is online in China
– How to use online to reach marketing objectives
– How to use the different tools (from advertising to UGC video, and from games to widgets)
– Crisis management (they should invite CIC’s Sam Flemming for this topic!)
– How the Internet is changing the advertising and other businesses
I am glad Omnicom came up with this initiative, because a course like this does not exist yet in China (as far as I know) and is very much needed. Many agencies sadly still lack basic knowledge about what the Internet can do for their clients, and this course can make a change. I hope it will become a big success!
More information: http://www.digitalworkschina.com/
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