AD STARS Launches the Global MAD Academy: Learn from World-Leading Creatives

AD STARS is launching the Global MAD Academy, a training platform that’s designed to upskill  advertising and marketing professionals by exploring the latest trends in Marketing, Advertising  and Digital technology. The program is made up of a series of video lectures hosted by world leading industry professionals from AKQA, TikTok, M&C Saatchi, Droga5, McCann Worldgroup  and PUSH Japan, with more to come. 

“The Global MAD Academy is designed for anyone who wishes to work in a MAD industry. It is open to Marketing, Advertising and Digital professionals, as well as marketers and brand  managers, university students and graduates,” explains Hwanjin Choi, chairperson of AD STARS. 

“After graduating, students will gain access to global employment information based on their job matching qualifications. Top graduates will receive a free admission ticket to AD STARS 2022 and access to job networking opportunities.” 

The Global MAD Academy is run by AD STARS, an international festival that combines creativity with cutting-edge technology, and celebrates creative solutions that promote positive change in the world.  

The Global MAD Academy Program 

AD STARS has enlisted six leading creative professionals to instruct the first cohort of MAD students, with more yet-to-be announced. The first instructors are: 

• Mariana Reis, art director, AKQA, who is presenting ‘Advertising: Concept to Content’ 
• HyunSeo Yoo, senior creative at TikTok and Jason Velasquez Burayag, associate creative director at M&C Saatchi UAE, who are presenting a study on award winning  know-how and creativity 
• Aste Gutierrez, creative director at Droga5, whose session will explore creative brand  solutions 
• Alfred Wee, group creative director at McCann Worldgroup, who will share insights into ‘Storytelling & Creative’ 
• Mike Sunda, managing director and strategy director at PUSH Japan, who will provide a deep dive into Strategic Planning Theory. 

Key dates and benefits 

The tuition fee for the Global MAD Academy is US$1 – a discount price offered to the Academy’s first-ever graduates in exchange for feedback on the curriculum. (Full fees will be introduced in 2022). The application deadline is Tuesday August 31st, 2021.  

The Academy will run from September 15th, 2021 until December 1st, 2021. Each lesson is designed to be short – 20 minutes long – and the program will roll out in two halves. 

To graduate, students must complete 80% or more of all online classes, and submit all assignments. Top graduates will be invited to join networking events at AD STARS 2022 in  Busan, South Korea.  

Who should apply? 

• Advertisers (marketers, marketing-related staff, brand/promotion managers, digital strategists, market research analysts, social media managers) 
• Advertising companies (account planners, creatives, strategists, content specialists, media account directors) 
• University students and graduates. 

The Global MAD Academy will open after this year’s AD STARS 2021 Online Festival, which will run from August 25th-27th, concluding with the AD STARS 2021 online awards ceremony. 

To enrol, visit here.