Marketing Communications

Have you ever felt manipulated by a smooth-talking politician, a slick TV commercial, or a Girl Scout selling cookies? We will explore the strategies of persuasion and influence people use to manipulate our attitudes and behaviors, and discuss social scientific theories that explain when and why these strategies work. We will learn about the structure of arguments and the ways in which fallacies are used to manipulate opinion. We will also investigate how strategies of persuasion that have traditionally been used in interpersonal and mass communication (TV, radio, newspapers, etc.) are now employed in computers and digital media technologies.

Understanding consumer behavior and the environmental and personal factors that affect it is critical to building a successful marketing strategy, especially in the digital era, which is crowded in information and choices. In this course we will learn about the new consumer and the factors influencing his behavior. We will examine the consumer journey along the buying decision process through the implementation of theories and models in behavioral science (psychology, sociology and anthropology) and marketing on various examples and case studies. The course material is taught as a sequence of the buying phases. From the perspective of the individual consumer we will learn about need recognition, information search, attitude formation and evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision and post purchase behavior. At the same time, we will examine the marketers' perspective on issues such as consumer motivation, involvement, perception, information elaboration, learning and persuasion. In addition, we will study a number of general issues such as online consumer behavior and the impact of the sharing economy and crowdsourcing on consumers and companies.

The rise in the usage of different technological platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, enables businesses and organizations unprecedent access to diverse data about their target market. These data can foster deep understanding of the market. Alongside this understanding, these technological channels enable direct interaction with different audiences. This course is aimed at providing students with a thorough understanding of the different roles technological platforms plays in the marketing world, while paying special attention to aspects such as social contingent processes, and information flow. During this course the students will be exposed to diverse concepts, methods, and applications that utilizes the data available through the different technological platforms.

The 'Marketing Strategy' workshop is an active class meant to impart the students with the basic knowledge and working tools needed to become strategic marketers who can apply strategic thinking and a strategic approach in their roles. This workshop includes frontal lectures, case study analysis, personal assignments and a final paper/presentation. Course Goals: In this workshop students will acquire the ability and knowhow needed to create, lead and execute a strategic marketing plan.

An introductory workshop to the vast universe of digital marketing and advertising. Throughout the workshop we'll hold an overview of the various platforms and core terms that are the basis for online marketing. The workshop includes an integrative approach for the various platforms.

Course Goals: The course will provide tools for understanding the digital options for marketers. It will provide insights into the range of digital marketing management tools and platforms. Students will be able to use Google Analytics to measure digital activity, understand the essence of the digital media mix, understand the basic principles of Google search and know how to recommend basic actions for search engine optimization. In addition, they will receive tools for establishing an online campaign for brands.

A hands-on workshop designed to give students tools that are commonly used in marketing and advertising agencies. The workshop combines case-studies, videos and practical use of social media. The workshop will focus on the Facebook eco-system. Course goals: The workshop will teach students the tools of the trade in order to handle clients independently. The workshop will provide an understanding of the various ways to analyze and asses the marketing work.

The marketing and advertising world has gone and is going through dramatic changes due to advancements in media and technology. A successful campaign can no longer rely on the classic platforms of TV commercial, print, radio outdoor, etc. The rise of digital world, mobile phone & apps and overall technological capabilities have opened up a plethora of options and opportunities to reach resilient consumers and convey a message. In this workshop we will explore how to use these new tools to create new creative platforms as well as survey and analyze award winning concepts from around the world. Course Goals: 1. Develop innovative and critical thinking 2. Gain an in-depth understanding on how to dapt marketing and advertising messages to new and developing platforms.

Developing an eye and the acquisition of practical tools for conveying a concept through design. Graphic design is a key tool for “selling” an idea. The course will teach the basic principles of design and provide useful tools for translating an idea into a professional visual presentation. The course covers trends in the design world, and examines how we can "recruit" the relevant design styles to illustrate our idea. We will practice working with headlines and images for various purposes, as well as learn how to deliver a visual story-line in a presentation - a significant tool for a marekting career. Course Goals: The acquisition of practical tools for conveying a concept through graphic design. Ability to analyze visual language, including the use of trends and websites dedicated to the purposes of graphic materials, tools and enrichment. Learning the basics of design and art. Learning graphic software - Photoshop as exectution tool for translating messages into visual ideas.

eCommerce is as much a sociological phenomenon as it is a business and technological phenomenon. Since it began in 1995, eCommerce has created enormous change in business firms, markets and consumer behavior and is projected to continue growing at double-digit rates over the next five years, remaining the fastest growing form of commerce. eCommerce is a complex phenomenon that involves considerations of markets, firms, consumer behavior, and technology, among others. This course focuses on principles of e-commerce from a business perspective, providing an overview of business models, and marketing strategies. We will discuss the basic concepts of eCommerce, explain theoretical and practical issues of conducting business over the internet and present methods for evaluating consumer needs. Course Goals: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Understand the role and importance of eCommerce for business firms 2. Define the unique business model of eCommerce 3. Give examples of e-tailing products and services

The seminar will focus on the different ways in which influencers design their public image and rhetoric style. We will examine the concept of "charisma", learn about useful rhetorical devices, and discuss influencers' ability to construct social and political perceptions. We will analyze the public image of branded politicians, like Obama and Trudeau, and discuss the phenomenon of celebrity politics. Can Beyoncé offer new feminist rhetoric? Can Taylor Swift influence the voting patterns of her fans? How can celebrities raise awareness to social dilemmas and maybe even change the world? Finally, we will study influencers' use of social media, understand how they construct parasocial interactions with their followers, and wonder if we can differentiate between the mediated persona and the real person behind it.

The question which content is more likely to gain virality on online social networks has become a major issue in various fields, including marketing studies and even political studies. Studies aim to examine, for example, whether logic-based content gain more engagement than emption-based content etc. to understand political manipulation. The seminar course will review the leading theories of virality and aim to encourage student to test some of these theories using applied research. As some of the classes will be conducted via the Zoom platform, we will host several guest lecturers Course Goals: The course aims to give students tools to conduct empirical analyses, specifically using applied research methods. The analyses are examining the students' own projects as well as other real-life cases to examine virality of various content on the main social media platforms.

Despite its euphoric image which suffused in the western world with a sense of rejuvenating freedom and soaring optimism, the Sixties remained an ideological battleground upon there is no agreement at all in the current public discourses. The purpose of this course would be to study some historical, psychological and cultural aspects of the 1960's, through the special field of the Sixties popular music. The Seminar course will examine the rise of the youth culture and the Counter-Culture, the sexual revolution, and the drugs revolution. This course would concentrate on the impact of post-Freudians approaches, a long side the influence of Carl Gustav Jung, and Abraham Maslow and Humanistic psychology on the Sixties culture. The course will be an introduction to the matrix of history, psychology, popular music and cultural studies.

The research seminar aims to endow students with knowledge about the concept of place branding – specifically city and nation branding. Based on this knowledge, students are expected to write a research seminar examining a major theoretical aspect of contemporary issues in place branding. As some of the classes will be conducted via the Zoom platform, we will host several guest lecturers via the Zoom platform. In addition, the presentations at the end of the course might take place via Zoom if needed. …. Course Goals: n the last few decades nation-states moved from classic public diplomacy into branding. This is true for cities as well. The seminar will aim at integrating nation and city branding theories using Israel and/or Tel-Aviv to create a real theorybased campaign. The applied theory seminar takes place in cooperation with the Tel-Aviv city municipality as well as the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

This seminar will discuss digital marketing and propaganda in the social networks, with reference to relevant theories. We will examine how propaganda in social media acts, in order to understand it thoroughly and develop critical thinking towards its overt and covert messages. We will analyze case studies of social networks propaganda, while relating to cultural, social, political and technological aspects. In addition, in the seminar we will use a variety of methods, both quantitative and qualitative, in order to analyze social media propaganda, focusing on texts that appear on Facebook, Twitter etc'.