PG course in advertising & marketing from Futuristix Media Communication

The fast evolving media and advertising industries is creating a demand for trained professionals and not greenhorns, from educational institutes. Aimed at developing 'ready-made managers', The Northpoint Centre of Learning in Khandala (Pune), founded by Lintas Employees' Welfare Trusts, had recently introduced a full-time post graduate programme in Advertising Media Management. Now Futuristix Media Communication Center (FMCC) has jumped into the bandwagon.

The institute offers a one year post graduate programme in Advertising and Marketing Communication Management. The qualifying test is scheduled for last week of June 2004 or the first week of July. While the total cost of the course is Rs 1,45,400, of which Rs 5,000 is refundable (security deposit), students have the option of semester based installment plan. The course starts from July 15, 2004. Sajal Mukherjee, who has 25 years of experience in advertising and has been instrumental in building brands such as Nestle, Polo, ICI Paints and Oral-B, has set up FMCC with three more professionals from the industry. The campus is in Kalkaji, New Delhi.

In a place such as Delhi, where there is no dearth of academic institutions offering specialization in advertising and media, and of course, premium institutes such as the Indian Institute of Mass Communications (IIMC), Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and Mudra Institute Of Communications, Ahmedabad ( MICA), FMCC faces the huge challenge of attracting students to its new educational centre. Mukherjee, strongly believes the current method of delivering the course, ill equips the students to make themselves immediately useful to organizations. And this is where, Mukherjee claims, the institute scores over the others.

"The course architecture offered by FMCC, a blend of theory and practice, would give students a firm grounding in the realities of the society and provide a holistic perspective through exposure to performing arts such as theatre and music," he adds.

Another important aspect of the course is hands-on experience with industry databases on readership, advertising expenditure, and patterns of television viewing. "In most of the institutes, students do not have access to data from various survey companies. We have tied up with IRS, TAM and MRUC - so that students can have direct access to the data and learn how to use it intelligently."

Also to encourage a healthy competitive environment, organizations such as STAR TV, 24-hour news channel NDTV, TAM and Dainik Bhaskar have instituted awards for top performers at FMCC.

On the issue of placements, against which the actual worth of an institute is usually measured, Mukherjee assures, "Agencies are unable to conduct in-house training - a tradition most of the agencies followed till two years ago - because of time constraints. Since professionals from this industry decided to set up FMCC, the support of the industry is already there." © 2004 agencyfaqs!