SG
Shelby Gibson
  • Communication
  • West Granby, CT

Eastern Student Shelby Gibson of West Granby Studies in London and Paris

2014 Dec 22

This past May, Shelby Gibson '15 of West Granby, along with other students from Eastern Connecticut State University, took a two-week global field course in London and Paris. The course, International Advertising and Public Relations (COM 370), focused on advertising strategies for international consumers within the context of the global market. Gibson's major is Communication.

The course supplemented the communication and advertising theory classwork that was completed on campus during the spring semester. "No textbook can possibly teach the experience of traveling to two countries in two weeks," said Professor Olugbenga Ayeni, communication professor and trip supervisor. "This trip also aligns with Eastern's mission of providing applied practice and exposure with formal education."

Students took tours of well-known companies and leaders in international advertising, such the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the McCann Erickson Advertising Agency and Clearcast Advertising.

During their visit to the ASA, which is essentially the United Kingdom's version of the Federal Trade Commission, students drew parallels in advertising regulations between the two governing bodies. At the BBC, students received an interactive tour where they were actually allowed to use broadcasting equipment.

The students also toured a number of cultural sites while they were on their trip.