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Instructors: Dr. phil. Martin R. Herbers
Event type:
Seminar
Org-unit: Communication & Cultural Management
Displayed in timetable as:
Strategic Communiat.
Hours per week:
3
Credits:
12,0
Location:
Campus der Zeppelin Universität
Language of instruction:
Englisch
Min. | Max. participants:
5 | 18
Priority scheme: Standard-Priorisierung
Course content:
An NGO asks TV viewers for donations to save the rainforest via commercials. A politician addresses potential voters with a poster and recommends himself for office. A company provides information about its new green roof and advertises its corporate social responsibility in the local newspaper. And in a TikTok-video, an influencer explains to her followers how they can easily adopt a vegan lifestyle with the help of the dietary supplements she distributes: Large numbers of institutions, organizations, companies, as well as individuals are reaching out to audiences with their issues and seek to convince them to act in their interests.
This gives rise to at least two problem areas: On the one hand, the communicators must identify and reach their audience. On the other hand, the audience must find the messages and be receptive to them, but also has to take them as a basis for subsequent action. These problem areas are exacerbated by the large number of possible communication channels - from a personal conversation to a commercial on television to an Instagram story - through which the messages can be spread. So how can communicators find an audience and convince them to take the sent messages as a basis for follow-up actions and, for example, donate money?
For this purpose, communicators must take strategic, i.e., persuasion-oriented, communicative action. One way to achieve this is a communication campaign that is geared towards this goal yet is restricted in time and content. The communicative measures, their planning, implementation, and control of success are then subordinate to this goal.
The seminar conveys the central approaches of campaign communications in the field of politics, business, and non-governmental organizations through practical research. In three research teams, the students create a communication campaign from one of the three areas based on a case announced in the seminar. In this way, general theoretical principles are conveyed and further specified by the respective application. Comparing the similarities and differences between the three campaigns also provides a comprehensive view of this special form of strategic communication.
Educational objective:
After completing the course, the students are able to plan, implement and evaluate a campaign at all levels on the basis of central theories and empirical findings. They will learn to use the most important tools and methods in this research area, and thus gain scientific insights into this professional field.
Further information about the exams:
The exam consists of two parts: On the one hand, a term paper of up to 30 pages. This is created jointly by the respective project group, with each member being responsible for a sub-area. This part is used to evaluate the performance of the individual group members.
On the other hand, the students document the work on their own campaign in a comprehensible manner during the seminar, and in combination with scientific literature create the homework on this basis.
Mandatory literature:
A list of basic literature on strategic communication will be announced in the seminar and is continuously expanded by the students in the course of their own work.
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