M•School

M-School was born from the need to transform the way our students learn about and are immersed in the new world of advertising and branding. In doing so, we answered the call to action from the advertising and branding community—specifically our close partner thinkLA.

FUTURE-PROOF AND REAL-WORLD READY

The M-School curriculum focuses on what we call the 4Cs—Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Communication—to equip our students with the skills to be future proof and real-world ready. Course content is always current, courses are co-taught by industry professionals, and we’ve thrown out the proverbial marketing textbook.

EMBEDDED IN A THRIVING COMMUNITY

LMU’s close proximity to Playa Vista and the thriving Silicon Beach creative and tech community (with over 300 agencies and brands all within a 10-mile radius of LMU) enables us to stay current and develop doers, thinkers, makers, and future leaders by exposing our students to the best in industry.

INNOVATIVE CURRICULUM

We’ve custom crafted a five-course curriculum along with supplemental one-credit electives to deliver an intensive and immersive marketing education and experience that cultivates creative and passionate students and prepares them to hit the ground running in nearly any marketing, branding, advertising, or start-up role they pursue.

The New World of Branding & Advertising (CORE COURSE)
Think about your favorite companies and their brands. What is it about them that makes them connect with you? That’s what this course is all about—learning about the brand planning and strategy process. This course offers a comprehensive look at where strategic planning takes place within the overall advertising process. In doing so, it focuses on the 4Cs of strategic planning: the Company, Competition, Consumers, and (product or service) Category. It also explores ways to develop effective campaign strategy, including knowing the product inside and out, knowing your brand’s DNA, understanding your target audience, and generating insights. In addition, the course covers important branding and consumer behavior fundamentals central to the success of account strategy.

Instructors: Andy Rohm & Matt Stefl

Brand Planning & Campaign Strategy (CORE COURSE)
Think about your favorite companies and their brands. What is it about them that makes them connect with you? That’s what this course is all about—learning about the brand planning and strategy process. This course offers a comprehensive look at where strategic planning takes place within the overall advertising process. In doing so, it focuses on the 4Cs of strategic planning: the Company, Competition, Consumers, and (product or service) Category. It also explores ways to develop effective campaign strategy, including knowing the product inside and out, knowing your brand’s DNA, understanding your target audience, and generating insights. In addition, the course covers important branding and consumer behavior fundamentals central to the success of account strategy.

Instructor: Matt Stefl

Cross-Platform Content Creation (CORE COURSE)
Cross-platform content creation is the process by which marketing content is created to tell a brand’s story (branded content) across myriad digital, social, and traditional media. That’s what this course is all about—immersing students in content creation and the distribution of that content across multiple forms of media (branded websites, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, branded mobile apps, television, pop-up stores, virtual reality, and more). This course offers a comprehensive look at 360° cross-platform content creation and how it fits within brand strategy. We focus on the foundations of content-based narratives and storytelling and examine ways to develop effective marketing and branded content through the lens of storytelling. The semester project involves the creation of content across different media platforms (cross-platform content) to more effectively tell a specific organization’s story.

Instructors: Andy Rohm & Lori Schwartz

Adaptive Media and Analytics (CORE COURSE)
Because of the rapid growth and influence of advertising technology and online / social media, to remain relevant, brands must create, monitor, and adjust their message and media not by the month but by the day, by the hour, even the fraction of a second. To effectively reach and engage individuals, brands need to be agile and adapt in real time to how consumers react and respond to advertising content. This course provides students the perspectives and tools to develop paid search (search engine optimization, or SEO) and paid social strategies that are effective, cost efficient, adaptive, and measurable. Through this course, students will learn how analytics (monitoring, measuring, and interpreting online and social data) helps companies, brands, and organizations to better evaluate advertising and marketing performance.

Instructors: Andy Rohm & Shana Pereira

Creative Brand Management (CORE COURSE)
Creative brand management lies at the intersection of three things: 1) creative and innovative problem solving, 2) deep insights with respect to culture, trends, and technology, and 3) developing and managing brands that have deep conviction (e.g., BMW), confidence (e.g., Uber), and great founder DNA that are purpose-driven (e.g., TOMS). In this course, you’ll develop the ability to thrive in the face of ambiguity, learn to survive and thrive in times of change, learn to leverage timeless approaches to creatively managing brands and solving problems, develop foundational tools to build and grow relevant, purpose-driven brands, and cultivate your own personal brand.

Instructors: Andy Rohm & Scott Leonard

Account Management (SPARK 1-CREDIT ELECTIVE SERIES)
This course is designed to provide students a better understanding of what to expect, and what is expected of them in account management. You’ll learn what it means to be a professional and how to survive and thrive during your first year as an account manager.

Instructors: Mike Peditto & Andrew DuBois

Personal Brand Management (SPARK 1-CREDIT ELECTIVE SERIES)
Who are you? And how to you bring you, the best you, to the job market? How will you standout from the herd of a thousand “me too” resumes and job candidates all telling the same “me too” stories and making the same “me too” mistakes? This fast-paced, intimate and illuminating workshop isn’t for the faint of heart. It will require an open mind, courage and creativity. Aside from a getting a better sense of who you (really) are, you will also leave with a collection of cohesive, well-packaged and engaging Brand You materials that will help you to show the world what makes you different – and better. Be prepared to work hard; the outputs of the workshop will include a personal brand brief, style guide, website, case studies, resume, interview practice and more..

Instructor: Matt Stefl