Of course, Hilde Voorveld, lecturer/research and coordinator of the module, knows that developing media strategies is business as usual for media agencies and holds few secrets for them. 'Still, agencies find it interesting to work with our students – they have been doing so since 2016. Naturally, they find it important to contribute to the education of possible future colleagues, but the students also actually manage to contribute in terms of content, by providing a good academic foundation to their advice – something media agencies themselves often simply do not have the time for.'

Directly applicable academic knowledge

Indeed, besides theoretical knowledge about media strategies and media planning, the module focuses on learning about the media industry and its practical and theoretical issues. 'For example, we have guest lectures on research on reach, generative AI and a brainstorming session on creativity. Students can immediately apply the academic knowledge gained to the practical case they are working on.'

Dutch citizens and their streaming services

The examples of media strategies devised by students are numerous, including a government campaign targeting young people and mental health, a campaign for H&M's summer collection and a campaign targeting adults to recommend the streaming service Disney+. 'At each briefing, students are first instructed to delve a little deeper by looking at consumer needs, market trends, the competition and media consumption of the target group. That kind of information is essential for creating an effective media strategy.'

Happy with a real assignment

Towards the end of the module, after about 7 weeks, the media agencies select the 10 best ideas, which the students then get to pitch at the final meeting. Each time, the clients are pleasantly surprised by the pitches and by the students' presentation skills. We often hear back from students that they are happy to be given a "real" assignment – however overwhelming it may be at first. At first, they are often uncertain, wondering what they can contribute. They sometimes really miss that practical side of things while studying. During this module, students really grow into their advisory role, and their advice and ideas prove very useful.'

Actually pitching the idea to the client

Occasionally, media agencies even ask students to pitch their idea to the agency's client as well. 'That is absolutely a huge compliment, of course.'