Gaps in Advertising and Public Relations Education Are Due to New Roles in Social Media, Baylor Study Finds
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WACO, Texas (Nov. 30, 2015) – Blurred boundaries between advertising and public relations professions due to new roles in social media raise the question of whether educators can adequately prepare their students for a career in those growing fields, according to a Baylor study.
That topic is addressed in the article "Gaps in Advertising and Public Relations Education: Perspectives of Agency Leaders," published in the Journal of Advertising Education.
"Educators need to address the deficiencies identified in this study and find ways to build these skills and competencies in their courses," said Marlene S. Neill, Ph.D., assistant professor of journalism, public relations and new media in Baylor's College of Arts & Sciences. "In the study, we have provided some specific and practical recommendations on how to do so."
Recommendations include:
The researchers found that while traditional advertising and public relations skills, such as writing and presentation, remain foundational, other skills are now necessary for success in both fields. Areas of deficiency among recent graduates included math skills and business skills, including reading and interpreting financial documents; budgeting; applying business vocabulary; and understanding business challenges.
Some new services and roles being filled by recent graduates in today's workforce include social listening, online community management, native advertising, social media analytics, content amplification and programmatic buying.
"We concluded that as public relations executives begin pursuing more paid online media strategies, they may need additional training in media planning and buying, particularly in the areas of programmatic buying, search engine optimization and search engine marketing," Schauster said. "Likewise, as advertising executives assume online community management roles, they may need additional training in issues and crisis management."
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