Integrating Big Data Analytics into Advertising Curriculum

Abstract

With the assistance of new computing technologies and consumer data collection methods, advertising professionals are capable of generating better targeted advertising campaigns. Big Data analytics are particularly worth noticing and have presented ample opportunities for advertising researchers and practitioners around the world. Although Big Data analytic courses have been offered at major universities, existing advertising curricula have yet to address the opportunities and challenges offered by Big Data. This chapter collects curricular data from major universities around the world to examine what Big Data has posed challenges and opportunities to existing advertising curricula in an international context. Curricula of 186 universities around the world are reviewed to describe the status of integrating these developments into better preparing advertising students for these changes. Findings show that only selected advertising programs in the U.S. have begun to explore the potential of the data analytics tools and techniques. Practical and educational implications are discussed.