Olivet School of Media and Communication (OSMC) launched a brand-new course "Media Sales" last quarter and evaluations are showing that students were highly satisfied with the course content. Results showed that it has helped them understand the business aspect of the media industry and primed them for entrepreneurship.

The 10-week course provided a comprehensive study of media sales with topics including the digital advertising ecosystem, fundamentals of programmatic, digital ads formats and platforms, ad technology and media math, digital media law and compliance, as well as selling and managing ad campaigns.

At the end of the course, students demonstrated digital media sales competency and more importantly - committed to upholding the standards of ethical and professional practice in the industry. The course is modeled after the training by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), which sets the industry standard for digital advertising sales.

As newsrooms across the nation struggle to thrive in the competitive digital content-based economy, a basic understanding of media business would enable aspiring content creators to pioneer sustainable models.

Hyojung Kim, who currently serves in the media ministry, found the course very practical. He said, "the course offers a walkthrough of the entire process from media sales to campaign management so that I could understand the full picture of my work. It improves my capability in ad sales to match with the professional industry standard."

Zike Zhang, who interns as an information technology analyst this quarter, remarked the course has brought him to a new level in his profession.

"I was new and knew almost nothing about media sales before. During my internship this quarter, I have an opportunity to work on AdOps, which I am happy to learn about. This course helps to flatten my learning curve by introducing the industry terminologies, technology tools and standard workflow. I am now confident to communicate with my colleagues and clients professionally, and to deliver excellent business services. I highly recommend all media students to take this course. Thank God! God is so faithful that He provides exactly what I need at the right time," Zike shared.

OSMC plans to offer the course again in the coming quarters with additional course content that can enhance the student's transition into the sales field.