Course Description
COMMLD 522: The Future of Marketing
(
Salkowitz
)
- 2025-2026 | Autumn 2025
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 9/30 – 12/9, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 126
Classes
Classes are designed to challenge your thinking and develop your professional skills. You’ll leave each class with a unique set of tools to approach new communications challenges.
Tailor your experience to your career goals by focusing on one of eight areas of specialization. Use the search widget below to sort classes by quarter, specialization, instructor and degree track for each quarter. Get a comprehensive view of the full academic year in our Course Guide.
View the University of Washington Academic Calendar for important dates, including quarter start and end dates, registration dates and deadlines, and campus holidays.
Registration numbers (SLNs) are located on the Time Schedule. Please read the Department’s statement on internet resource requirements for access to courses.
COMMLD 570 C: Professional Visibility and Personal Branding for Communications Professionals
(
Sampaco
)
- 2021-2022 | Autumn 2021
Track Neutral | 1 Credit
Wednesdays 9/29, 10/13, 10/27, 11/10, 12/1, 6:00PM – 7:50PM | CMU 326
Registration SLN: 23780
Course Description:
Career success is not just about what you know or who you know. It’s about who knows you. If you want others in your industry to know who you are and to recognize your value, you must be intentional about how you show up, how you communicate about yourself, and how you make others feel. Taught by a TV news anchor with more than 10 years of on-camera experience, this course is for ambitious professionals who want to set themselves up for success by growing their professional visibility and advocating for themselves at work. Career strategy, personal branding, and public speaking are core elements of this course. You’ll learn how to improve your on-camera speaking skills (ex. Zoom meetings), how to articulate your value to a prospective employer or client, how to talk about your accomplishments, and how to grow your professional credibility using social media. You will practice speaking in front of audiences (in person or virtually) and receive feedback on how to improve your verbal and non-verbal communication skills, culminating in your final assignment, an “About Me” video (geared towards prospective employers or clients) that you can attach to your LinkedIn profile. Guest speakers will also share strategies for growing their professional visibility and how they approach self-advocacy in the workplace. Women, students of color, and international students are strongly encouraged to register for this course.
COMMLD 521: Digital Media Marketing and Branding
(
Mottola
)
- 2022-2023 | Winter 2023
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 1/4 – 3/8, 6:00PM – 9:50PM | Online
Registration SLN: 12778
Course Description:
This course is designed for students that will be utilizing their MCDM education and experience in the marketing arenas in businesses and organizations (including non-profits) or in leadership functions where an understanding of marketing is an important skill. The focus on the course will be on how to best utilize digital media vehicles along with more traditional forms of communications and advertising (and other marketing or Research and Development functions). Because of the ever changing nature of the advertising world with the advances and acceptances of digital media platforms, we will showcase industry “heavy hitters” from local marketing and advertising agencies to discuss the trends and issues the industry faces, using real life situations to explore alternatives and solutions. We will also explore how new media can be used with traditional channels of distribution (clicks and bricks), as well as in the R & D functions by encouraging and mining information from current and potential customers. Students that have not had a basic marketing class will be assigned pre-course supplemental readings and we will do a quick review at our first session so that everyone has a common understanding of the subject before we move into the more cutting edge concepts.
COMMLD 523: Foundations of Branding: Social Media Communications and Strategy
(
Tang
)
- 2022-2023 | Spring 2023
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Saturdays 4/8, 4/22, 5/6, 5/20, 6/3, 9:00AM – 5:00PM | Online
SLN: 12555
Course Description
Communication on digital platforms and networks will be the forever norm of our society and human experience. In this course, we will learn, practice and investigate the fundamental principles of communication through digital platforms such as social media. We’ll identify strategies used by social media platforms to maximize their key metrics and apply them to business metrics that brands and organizations use to fulfill their objectives and goals. At the end of this course, you’ll be able to identify areas of opportunity on social media platforms to create interesting campaigns, analyze emerging social trends to stay ahead of the curve, and use the tools and best practices of the world’s most powerful brands to engage audiences.
COMMLD 521: Digital Media Branding and Marketing
(
Mottola
)
- 2022-2023 | Summer 2023
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 6/21 – 8/16, 6:00PM – 9:50PM | Online
Registration SLN: 10833
Course Description
This course is designed for students that will be utilizing their MCDM education and experience in the marketing arenas in businesses and organizations (including non-profits) or in leadership functions where an understanding of marketing is an important skill. The focus of the course will be on how to build a brand online or extend a legacy offline brand into a relevant online brand by examining how the most interesting and dynamic brands operate today. We will explore how they utilize digital media marketing channels to reach target customers and address issues that may arise as the brands mature or uncontrollable events arise.
While digital has offered us many more opportunities and “shiny objects” to reach and communicate with customers, the fundamental marketing skills and theories don’t change much or quickly. Learning to be strategic about how to apply these fundamentals will allow students to remain flexible and relevant with change in the future.
COMMLD 523: Foundations of Branding: Social Media Communications and Strategy
(
Tang
)
- 2023-2024 | Spring 2024
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Saturdays 4/6, 4/20, 5/4, 5/18, 6/1, 9:00am – 5:00pm | Online
Registration SLN: 12557
Course Description
Communication on digital platforms and networks will be the forever norm of our society and human experience. In this course, we will learn, practice and investigate the fundamental principles of communication through digital platforms such as social media. We’ll identify strategies used by social media platforms to maximize their key metrics and apply them to business metrics that brands and organizations use to fulfill their objectives and goals. At the end of this course, you’ll be able to identify areas of opportunity on social media platforms to create interesting campaigns, analyze emerging social trends to stay ahead of the curve, and use the tools and best practices of the world’s most powerful brands to engage audiences.
COMMLD 521: Digital Media Branding and Marketing
(
Mottola
)
- 2024-2025 | Winter 2025
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 1/8 – 3/12, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Online
Registration SLN: 12710
Course Description
This course is designed for students who will be utilizing their education and experience in the marketing career tracks or in leadership functions where an understanding of marketing is critical. The focus of the course will be on how to build a brand online or extend a legacy brand digitally by applying marketing fundamentals and examining how the most interesting and dynamic brands operate today. We will simulate brand management and building campaigns for real-world brands and explore how they reach target customers to meet objectives and participate in online culture. While online platforms have offered us many more opportunities and “shiny objects” to reach and communicate with customers, the fundamental marketing skills and theories don’t change much or quickly. Learning to be strategic about how to apply these fundamentals will allow students to remain flexible and relevant.
This class is a good match for students who:
• want to learn to create a portfolio-level brand plan
• want to build expansive, omni-channel marketing strategies and tactics for brand building
• want to develop a CMO view of brand management and building marketing capabilities
COMMLD 523: Foundations of Social Media Communications & Strategy
(
Tang
)
- 2025-2026 | Autumn 2025
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Saturdays 10/4, 10/18, 11/01, 11/15, 12/06, 9:00am – 5:00pm | Online
Course Description
COMMLD 580: Leadership in Emergent Technologies and Trends
(
Hosein
)
- 2021-2022 | Autumn 2021
Track Neutral | 2 Credits
Tuesdays 10/05-12/07, 5:30PM – 7:20PM PDT | CMU 126
Registration SLN: 23071
Course Description:
In this course, you’ll gain a solid understanding of emerging technologies in the context of social change. We’ll develop a set of questions and conceptual tools that will help you critically assess technologies in early periods of development and adoption. We’ll also explore strategies that you can use to help companies and organizations better plan for, adapt to and advocate for more equitable solutions.
What You’ll Learn
- How to critically examine narratives used to explain new technologies and their development
- The fundamentals of key emergent technologies, including artificial intelligence, smart devices and automation, and their potential human impact
- How to advocate for technology that solves a problem without amplifying existing inequity
COMMLD 535: Foundations of Audio Storytelling
(
Partnow
)
- 2022-2023 | Autumn 2022
Track Neutral | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 10/04-12/06, 6:00PM – 9:50PM | CMU 322
Registration SLN: 13021
Course Description:
Whether gathered around a radio in a living room or walking plugged in with headphones, the medium of audio storytelling has always offered the opportunity to build a mindset-shifting community around content. This course traces the evolution of audio storytelling from radio to podcasting that links to communities for various purposes: to educate, to entertain, and to inspire action — and the new golden age of podcasting that we find ourselves in means that audio storytelling has the potential for broad reach and powerful impact. Consideration is given to the core characteristics of strong storytelling, observed through an auditory filter. Class materials are twinned with a selection of cross-sector guest speakers who bring their own craft perspective. Students will experiment with designing their own short audio pieces.
COMMLD 559: Law, Data, and Privacy
(
Baker
)
- 2021-2022 | Spring 2022
MCDM Elective | Meets Law & Ethics Requirement | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 3/29 – 5/31 6:00PM – 9:50PM | CMU 302 | In Person
Registration SLN: 21579
Course Description
“Big Data,” “The Internet of Things,” “Behavioral Advertising,” “Analytics” — all buzzwords capturing the explosion of data and the promise of what we can do with data. Collecting, using, organizing, and sharing data and information also evokes legal issues and individual and collective uncertainty over who owns this data, what rights does one own, how does the data usage implicate privacy issues, how is and how should data use be regulated by the government, by private entities, for advertising, etc. This course will explore the legal issues associated with data usage, data collection, sharing of user information, and licensing. This course will pay particular attention to privacy laws in the United States, how the FTC and other regulators are approaching advertisers’ use of personal information, how organizations attempt to keep data secure, and how intellectual property rights protect (and do not protect) data and databases.
COMMLD 522: The Future of Marketing
(
Salkowitz
)
- 2022-2023 | Winter 2023
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 1/3 – 3/7, 6:00PM – 9:50PM | CMU 126
Registration SLN: 12779
Course Description:
Rapid evolution of digital media and technology continues to disrupt the business of marketing, making it essential for professionals in the field to keep abreast of trends in a number of areas. This class focuses on the technologies shaping marketing, advertising, media, public relations and communications in the 2-4 year horizon and explores strategies of successful marketing organizations, both digital and traditional.
COMMLD 525: Brand Values & Creativity
(
Howard
)
- 2022-2023 | Spring 2023
Track Neutral | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 3/28 – 5/30, 6:00PM – 9:50PM | DEN 113
SLN: 12556
Course Description:
This course will take a close up look at corporate brand values in marketing communications today. Brand values should be timeless and unchanging, but in a constantly fluctuating business environment, is this goal even possible? While high volume video advertising and A/B testing is exploding, paradoxically, messaging of corporate brand values is oftentimes minimized. Marketing today is composed of ever-changing algorithms, transactional communications, and confusing narratives.Should creativity play a bigger role in storytelling in today’s marketplace? Do customers even know what the companies they make purchases from actually stand for values-wise? Does it matter? How can companies still connect emotionally with consumers? Students will ideate a marketing film for a company or nonprofit of their choice. All the while, they’ll be considering deeply how emotion, story, and marketing message function in a project that resonates with the consumer while also reinforcing an organization’s belief system.
COMMLD 525: Brand Values and Creativity
(
Howard
)
- 2023-2024 | Spring 2024
Track Neutral | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 3/26 – 5/28, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 126
Registration SLN: 12558
Course Description:
This course will take a close up look at corporate brand values in marketing communications today. Brand values should be timeless and unchanging, but in a constantly fluctuating business environment, is this goal even possible? While high volume video advertising and A/B testing is exploding, paradoxically, messaging of corporate brand values is oftentimes minimized. Marketing today is composed of ever-changing algorithms, transactional communications, and confusing narratives. Should creativity play a bigger role in storytelling in today’s marketplace? Do customers even know what the companies they make purchases from actually stand for values-wise? Does it matter? How can companies still connect emotionally with consumers? Students will ideate a marketing film for a company or nonprofit of their choice. All the while, they’ll be considering deeply how emotion, story, and marketing message function in a project that resonates with the consumer while also reinforcing an organization’s belief system.
COMMLD 525: Brand Values & Creativity
(
Howard
)
- 2024-2025 | Autumn 2024
Track Neutral | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 9/25 – 12/4, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | DEN 213
Registration SLN: 13057
Course Description:
This course will take a close up look at corporate brand values in marketing communications today. Brand values should be timeless and unchanging, but in a constantly fluctuating business environment, is this goal even possible? While high volume video advertising and A/B testing is exploding, paradoxically, messaging of corporate brand values is oftentimes minimized. Marketing today is composed of ever-changing algorithms, transactional communications, and confusing narratives. Should creativity play a bigger role in storytelling in today’s marketplace? Do customers even know what the companies they make purchases from actually stand for values-wise? Does it matter? How can companies still connect emotionally with consumers? Students will ideate a marketing film for a company or nonprofit of their choice. All the while, they’ll be considering deeply how emotion, story, and marketing message function in a project that resonates with the consumer while also reinforcing an organization’s belief system.
COMMLD 520 B: Advanced Marketing
(
Marr
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
Track Neutral | 5 Credits
Mondays 3/31 – 6/2, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 126
Application Required
Course Description
This advanced course explores the evolving challenges and opportunities in marketing management, equipping students with the tools and strategies to excel in today’s dynamic marketplace. Through a combination of case studies, group projects, and industry experts, students will delve into topics such as AI in marketing, customer insights, digital transformation, omni-channel strategies, and new revenue models. Designed for graduate-level students, Advanced Marketing emphasizes practical application of marketing strategy and execution.
By the end of this class, students will be able to:
• Analyze the challenges and opportunities marketing leaders face in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
• Apply advanced marketing strategies, including AI, personalization, and omni-channel integration, to real-world scenarios.
• Develop and present a comprehensive marketing plan, incorporating insights from customer data.
• Evaluate and implement customer-centric approaches to improve customer experience and drive business growth.
*Asynchronous work will be added to make up for Memorial Day.
**Since this class takes foundational concepts to the next level, students who register must have already taken any of the following courses:
COMMLD 520: Principles of Marketing
COMMLD 520: Strategic Communications
COMMLD 521: Digital Marketing
COMMLD 522: Future of Marketing
Or have equivalent Marketing experience.
Please fill out the form below to the best of your ability. If your form is approved, you will receive an add code to register for the course. (Note: applications will be time stamped, and qualified applicants will be added to remaining class spots on an equitable basis determined by time of application and remaining time in the program.)
The application will go live on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 6:30 AM here: https://forms.office.com/r/MZT7VgETXc
Here are the questions to the form to help you prepare before it goes live:
Full Name
UW Email
Have you taken or are currently taking any of the following courses:
COMMLD 520: Principles of Marketing (Meyer)
COMMLD 520: Strategic Communications (Keyes/Ramos)
COMMLD 521: Digital Marketing (Mottola)
COMMLD 522: Future of Marketing (Salkowitz)
(If you have not taken any prerequisite) You have stated that you have not taken the prerequisites for this course. You may still be qualified if you have previous experience. Please describe your marketing experience.
University of Washington
Department of Communication