IE School of Communication blog

After two intense terms, we have reached the last term of the MCC. The moment we have all been looking forward to has arrived: the final field project. In this project, each team has to solve a communication dilemma a company proposes.

This week we had the first meeting with our respective companies we are going to work for as consultants. During this meeting, the person from the company we met with gave us the background information about their target market, market research they have done so far, vision and values of the company, business model… This meeting is the first step for each group. From here we will build a project and a strategy for the company applying all we have been putting in to practice and learning during the MCC in the past two semesters. The first task we are working on is a positioning paper where we will have to state the problem statement and dilemma of the company, our objectives, and the methods we are going to use in order to solve the problem and reach our objectives.

After the first meeting, I can say this project is going to be a great experience. On one hand, it will be a lot of work but at the same time a lot of fun. Throughout the project, we will work as professional consultants. We will have more meetings with the company in order to attain more information and to show them our progress on the tasks we are developing for them. At the same time, we will have next to us our professors-coaches who will guide us during the whole process. I think this is a great and unique experience that the MCC offers since we, as students, will work in a professional environment but with the supervision of the academics thus, we have the opportunity to improve our skills in all the aspects as the project develops. We will have the good things from both the professional and didactic realms.

Representatives of the international media and tourism authorities gathered in Marsa Alam for the 2nd UNWTO International Conference on Tourism and the Media -Apr.26th-, organized by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

Participants were able to attend a round-table seminar that discussed the media responsibility beyond communicating political, financial and social changes in these particularly difficult times. The conference was broadcast live viastreaming, as well as featuring in social media under the tag #TourismMedia.

The way information is presented by the media can have a big impact on people’s perspectives of nations such as Egypt – whose case in not dissimilar to Spain’s in some aspects. For the last year Egypt has been firmly put on the map thanks to revolution which led to the removal of President Hosni Mubarak, and the subsequent tensions that have continued to exist. The reporting of these events caused a strong impact on tourism, and therefore, affected the national GDP of the country, as potential visitors were put off by the perceived unsafety.

When prospective travelers believe a country to be unsafe due to news reports they have read, watched, or listened to, they stop visiting. Sometimes perceptions and reality regarding safety and security are not accurate. For example; palm trees are perceived to be harmless, while sharks are feared by many and believed to be dangerous. In reality, falling coconuts cause an average of 150 human deaths every year, 30 times the number of deaths caused by shark attacks.

In his opening speech at the conference, Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour, Egypt’s tourism minister, said: “What drives tourism is the perception the traveler has of a destination. Fair reporting of both the negative and the positive will play a vital role in the recovery of Egyptian tourism.” Sources need to be honest, balancing both good and bad facts, instead of highlighting just one side. Journalists should be given access to complete information, since negative aspects won’t necessarily overshadow the stories, but will make them more credible.

Participants at the conference looked at how the media could support tourism in these difficult times and urged the press to focus on how the tourism industry contributes to development. Key facts to consider for example are that 1 in every 12 jobs in the world is connected to tourism, and one billion tourists will travel abroad in 2012. “Tourism has become a truly global socio-economic phenomenon which is not yet fully reflected in the media.” Said Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General. He added: “We believe that to maximize the potential of tourism as a true driver of development and wellbeing for all we need to bring tourism administrations, the private sector and the media closer together.”

Some of the key points to emerge from the conference were the need for tourism authorities and the media to communicate effectively in tough times. This includes graphical storytelling, planning the appropriate social media strategies, and establishing crisis communication protocols. In order for international media companies to give their audience a balanced view of events, they should reflect the local population’s stories and testimonies, and provide greater coverage of personal cases and day-to-day close ups.
Tourism – with special focus on sustainability and responsibility – is now one of the most promising and viable options for global and local development, the participants concluded. The media is responsible for raising awareness of the importance of this industry as a vital service sector, contributing to the economy and employment in developed and developing countries.

As an outcome, tourism authorities and the global media were encouraged to learn more about one another, and to work together more closely in the future.

By: Ana Fañanás Biescas

Four months have passed gone by so quickly. We just finished our second term and I am still coping with the fact that we only have two months left of the master: the field project. The second term has been intense, to say the least. We have completed 14 incredible yet exhausting courses.

Now during this break, it is time to create a balance and think about everything we have learned as students of the MCC. I want to thank all my classmates since they have made this truly an amazing experience. It has been a pleasure to work with them. This is not a goodbye yet, however these words come from a moment when you realize the importance of working and sharing with people who have very different experiences from your own. These experiences are the ones that shape us into a better person and make us realize what is important in life.

Speaker: Chiqui Esteban. News Narratives Director at lainformacion.com
Wednesday 09-May-2012 5 pm Local time Madrid
REGISTER

The field of communication is in a constant state of reinvention. This is why we believe it is essential to keep abreast of the latest developments by interacting with experts and peers.
We would like to invite you to take part in a series of conversations led by selected practitioners who will discuss relevant issues and events within the field of communication. 

ABOUT THE EVENT
How visualizing big databases can help to understand information through little, personal stories. From the big impersonal numbers to the intimate details hidden behind them in a guided visit to some of the most innovative examples of visual journalism.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Chiqui holds a Bachelor´s Degree in Audiovisual Communication by the University of Navarra. He is a News Narratives Director at lainformacion.com as well as editor of the blog Infographics News. Chiqui is also an infographics consultant at Innovation Media Consulting, where he has worked with training teams, developing print and iPad concepts for clients such as Eleftheros Typos (SND World Best Designed 2008), i (SND Best Designed 2011), Paris Match or International Herald Tribune. He is the recipient of more than 30 international infographics awards and has been the speaker in different summits in Paris (WAN-IFRA sports journalism summit), Oxford (Tablets Innovation conferences), Stockholm (CAP&Design), Pamplona (Malofiej International Infographics Summit) or Caracas (Information Design Summit), among others. Previous work experience includes La Voz de Galicia, Diario de Cádiz and Público

If you are unable to join this session but wish to be kept informed of future open sessions, or for any other enquire, please contact us via email at admissions.communication@ie.edu.
IE School of Communication

Kyle Fiore has been selected by Global Vision on behalf of the Government of Canada to attend the Y-20 Youth Summit in Puebla, Mexico from May 8- 12, 2012. He will accompany six other Canadian university students to the event organized by the Government of Mexico. He is currently enrolled in the Master of Corporate Communication at IE School of Communication – IE University.

Students will discuss: economic stabilization, financial inclusion, youth employment, international trade, food security, green growth, global governance, and the future of multilateralism and of the G20.

Delegates will work on a document with recommendations to be presented to the governments of participating countries prior to the G20 leaders’ summit in June.

Mr. Fiore said that he looks forward to representing Ontario at the summit. “I want to demonstrate the diverse perspectives Ontarians possess and ensure that Canadian interests are well represented” affirmed Fiore.

In order to attend, all delegates are required to raise $3500 CAD in sponsorships. Kyle Fiore has created a social media campaign called “Help Send Kyle to the G20″. He created a blog where individuals may stay up to date with his progress and provide financial assistance via a link provided on the blog.

Global Vision is a national non-profit organization founded in 1990 by Terry Clifford, CM. The organization provides Canadian youth, ages 16 – 25 with the skills, experience, and knowledge necessary to become global leaders. Since its inception, Junior Team Canada, the group’s flagship organization has led trade and development missions to over 20 countries.

Congratulations Kyle!

For more information, please contact Kyle Fiore at fiore.kyle@gmail.com

Link to the blog: http://kylefioreg20.blogspot.com.es/

Twitter: @fiorky

In two of our current classes, we have discussed the new 2012 Cartier campaign. The campaign is relevant because it is an example of the evolution of communication to the new digital age. In terms of visual production, advertisers can invest more in the production of a sophisticated advertisement rather than spending millions for a few seconds of exposure on television. Thanks to free online platforms such as YouTube.com or Vimeo.com, advertisers with an existing well-known brand prefer to invest their resources in the content. They put all their effort into building upon the personality, or expression of the brand.

L\’Odysse de Cartier

The Cartier campaign brings to mind another incredibly sophisticated brand that partnered with one of the most important motion pictures creator, David Lynch. This director of movies such as Eraserhead or Muholland Drive, created a 15-minute noir short film for Christian Dior. The short film features the well-reputed French actress Marion Cotillard (Inception, Midnight in Paris).

Lady Blue Shanghai by David Lynch

These examples show how companies take a step further to develop their brand. They differentiate themselves and give their brand character, creating more than a brand; creating something that stays in the mind of consumers… creating something that people aspire for. Taking this further step is a change from a simplistic narrative created for entertainment, to a more artistic, cultural narrative created to make an impact on viewers. These advertisers place their viewers at a higher regard, investing in something meaningful for them rather than the usual shallow work done by the more commercial advertisers.

We analyzed and discussed several campaigns like this throughout our MCC program. However, I urge those of you with a higher interest in such visually appealing campaigns to seek more information regarding IE’s new Master’s in Visual Communication which will launch next year.

It is incredible how quick time passes when you are completely absorbed by something that is very important to you, your passion. In this case, the MCC.

I still cannot believe that in three weeks we will finish just a few remaining courses, which means the end of the second term. Now, what I am really looking forward to, and the rest of the class as well, is the Final project. During the last two months we will be doing a consulting project for a real company. A few weeks ago, the companies of which we may chose to work with were presented to us. I must say it was very difficult to choose one since all the companies and projects are stunning.

The projects offered include: National Geographic Store, Grant Thornton, Hopee (online broker of BNP Paribas), Travel Club, Google, and Vente Privee.

On behalf of the MCC class, I would like to thank Professor Illia, Briz and Vicedo for obtaining such great and interesting companies. This is a unique opportunity and one of the strongest points of the program that differentiates it from others.

The International Journal of Communication (IJoC) is pleased to announce the publication of a new Special Section, Transnational Connections, edited by Magdalena Wojcieszak, Assistant Professor and Ademic Director, Masters in Political Communication, IE University.

We are reminded daily that the world is increasingly “globalized,” that communication is transnational where new media technologies transcend boundaries, and that problems in one region generate far-reaching effects. These trends give political communication scholars a unique opportunity and obligation to engage in dialogue and comparative research. What can be learned from thinking about media and political communication as transnational? What are the similarities and the differences in academic and professional approaches to political communication in various contexts? What are the challenges and the opportunities for international research in the field?

The IE University organized the symposium Transnational Connections, which took place in Segovia to address these questions. The Symposium consisted of a series of roundtables, and the four essays gathered in this Special Section reflect the ideas expressed by participants in these roundtables. The essays explore how new media technologies and increased transnationality affect political communication theory, research and practice. The essays touch on a range of issues including theoretical and conceptual trends in the field; differences and similarities between U.S.-based and non-U.S.-based political communication research; how to integrate theory and findings among various regions; and how to study political communication in an environment dominated by new information technologies.

Collectively, these papers provide important reflections on the present and the future of political communication as a theory, research and practice.

Read this new Special Section at http://ijoc.org.

Last week we had the pleasure to have here in Madrid Craig Carroll, our visiting professor in Research Methods at IE Master in Corporate Communication (MCC).

Our program is really demanding and brings students to be very busy in managing the numerous deadlines of their group works and individual assignments. Consequently, they find little time to share with professionals in Corporate Communication the knowledge they acquire here at IE.

This is why it was really fascinating to see how Craig Carroll was successful in bringing our students  to share their knowledge with others. Students were sharing their takeaways not only with class mates, but also with the larger community of professionals willing to learn about research methods in Corporate Communication.

Craig invited students to use the following tools to produce and share knowledge, beyond group work and presentation in class, in order to make their takeaways available to a large audience.

• Twitter: to share insights, observations
• Google Docs: to take notes collectively.
• Facebook: to post their questions on things they did not understand or general comments

The result is that I was able to follow to a certain extent the learning experience of our MCC’ers.  I could see their enthusiasm through their posts and tweets. Well done MCC’ers!

Craig, thanks for inviting us to open the door to a knowledge-production and sharing – wisdom in action collective learning!  From scholar to scholar: your next challenge is becoming an action research oriented scholar!

You can find our students’s conversations on research methods  in Twitter by searching #MCCRM.

Last week we had our first two media lab sessions in Segovia. These sessions were part of our Media Relations course. During the first part of this course, Juan Briz, our professor gave us the theoretical essentials about what a media relations officer does for a company. It was a very professional approach of the topic; in fact, we had several meetings with journalists, media officers and people from the professional media environment. At last, we reached the last two sessions, and the moment to stand up in from of a camera came. At first, this sounded terrifying, however, after having spent those two days in Segovia I can say that the experience was pretty amazing.

The first day of class in Segovia, and after a brief explanation, we started preparing our exercises for that day. Our mission was to prepare a short interview. The information of the interview was about a practical case that we had read in advance. After a quick preparation, we were divided into small groups of three or four so that each of us had the opportunity to play the role of the journalist, the spokesperson, and the media relations officer. All the interviews were recorded as if we were really on a financial television program.
At the end, we reviewed all the taped interviews in order to give feedback and comment with all the classmates. This is a moment reviewing the interviews the first day.

During the second day the dynamic of the work was the same. Using the information about the company from the practical case, our mission was to give a short speech in front of the camera as if we were either the CEO or the Chief corporate communications from that organization.

The experience we gained during these two days was great. Not only because exercise was very interesting, but also because the environment within the class was great. Our professor, the camera operators, everyone in the TV studio were very nice and made us feel very confortable. Besides, the IE University campus in Segovia is a unique place that it is simply worth visiting.

Since there are two days in a row of media training, I highly recommend spending the night in Segovia. The MCC did it this year and we had a great time, making it an extremely memorable trip. I must say, I am looking forward for the next media lab session.

Picture reviewing the interviews the first day