Creative Advertising

Creativity meets careers

Advertisers use persuasive storytelling to sell products and ideas. In the creative advertising concentration, you’ll learn to craft compelling messages, design eye-catching visuals, and bring big ideas to life across digital, print, and social platforms, and to assess their impact and return on investment.

This program equips you with the skill set needed to create compelling advertising messages and the theoretical foundation necessary to adapt in this ever-changing industry. You’ll leave with a mix of time-tested theoretical knowledge and cutting-edge skills, prepared to find your niche in the advertising world where you can specialize in creative media within advertising, whether your passion lies in copywriting or art direction.

What you’ll learn

master the art of storytelling in advertising, from concept to execution
build a standout portfolio that showcases your creative thinking and strategic insight
learn how to represent real clients, aligning your work with their goals in integrated marketing communication campaigns
gain production experience, creating media content that drives engagement and delivers results.

Curriculum

This program emphasizes the principles of creating effective advertising messages and campaigns, as well as the role of advertising in marketing, promoting ideas and selling products.

Student work

Students in MSCH-A451 Portfolio II course developed a campaign that highlights the dangers of harmful chemicals in store-bought eggs and promotes healthier pasture-raised alternatives through a visually compelling multi-channel strategy. The campaign was selected to be featured in the prestigious Communication Arts Advertising Annual in the student category out of more than 1,200 entries.

Mockup of a social media ad displayed on a smartphone.

Faculty

Your professors will be seasoned creative and strategic experts from the advertising industry — with experience working for brands including BMW, GE, McDonalds, Coca Cola, Comcast, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Exxon, Holiday Inn, P&G, Gillette, Bayer, CVS, Charles Schwab, Fortune, SC Johnson, Aetna, CitiBank, Benjamin Moore, USAA, United Airlines, and at major agencies including BBDO, Ogilvy, Y&R, FCB, TBWA/Chiat Day, Saatchi & Saatchi, Fallon, Weiden & Kennedy, and Publicis.

Additionally, our faculty includes internationally ranked researchers who examine effects and effectiveness of advertising messages.

Meet Media School faculty

Extracurricular opportunities

Group of people wearing conference credentials stand in front of a photo backdrop.

The Ad Club provides IU students pursuing careers in advertising a place to grow, network, and expand their knowledge outside of the classroom.

Join the Ad Club at IU

Careers

Use the expertise developed through the media advertising concentration to launch a career as an account executive, copywriter, graphic/web designer, media planner, promotions specialist, research analyst, sales representative or social media coordinator. Whether you land at an advertising agency, in corporate marketing or at a research firm, you’ll have the foundation and skills it takes to succeed in this dynamic industry.

Explore advertising careers

I chose The Media School as a nervous freshman with very little idea what I wanted from my career after college. My coursework let me explore the possibilities, pursue my interests, and hone my skills.
Abby Carmichael, BA’23, writer at Young & Laramore