Marketing Students Visit FP7 and UM Beirut
“Promotion Management and Marketing Communication” course.
Within the context of the ” Promotion Management and Marketing Communication” course, Mrs. Nadia Azzam organized on April 11 a field trip to the premises of one of the top advertising agencies in Lebanon and the Middle East, Middle East Communications Network’s FP7 and UM Beirut.
“The purpose of the field visit is to give ‘my Marketing and Advertising Managers’ an opportunity to experience a direct application of the concepts and theories covered in class as well as to open doors for them to meet, ask questions and network with successful people in the field”, Mrs. Azzam explained.
Key people at FP7 and UM provided a thorough explanation of the various services and activities implemented by the agency. They explained in detail all the steps involved from the time a client comes with a product and a budget until the agency provides him with a comprehensive advertising campaign. Students were impressed by the numerous small details, tasks and responsibilities involved. Experienced and highly qualified managers and executives provided a complete analysis and interpretation of some award winning ads.
Students were also exposed to the challenges, obstacles and difficulties facing the advertising market in Lebanon and the MENA region.
The visit ended by a guided tour of the various departments and sections at FP7 and UM. Students understood the critical issue of coordination between the different sections. They were impressed by how efficiency of work was combined with a very friendly and casual atmosphere. Mrs. Azzam was happily surprised to see some of her previous students working at FP7 and UM.
The visit was very successful and informative, as evidenced by the students’ feedback: “It takes so much to come out with an advertisement. Definitely, an ad is not created overnight” one student commented.
It was interesting for students to see how the work is divided among the different departments and how at the end the outcome is combined piece-by-piece to create an ad.
As part of their career development, our students get the chance, through these field visits, to learn more about the internal environment of companies. “The visit helped me shape my career path as I know now where I want to go”, added one of the students.
Students were happily surprised to learn that private companies in Lebanon are socially responsible. “In spite of the high costs of producing ads, I was surprised to watch ads FP7 has prepared for free, mainly those related to patriotism and promoting social responsibility”, they commented.
“I am planning other field visits in the future as our students need to witness real-life business situations and meet successful market leaders” Mrs. Azzam added. “As they are studying theories mainly from American books, they should be also exposed to how business activities are dealt with in Lebanon”.
