Students at La Universidad Panamericana in Guadalajara, Mexico had the opportunity to attend classes taught by professors from the Texas Tech University College of Media & Communication with a new program that launched in Summer 2015.

David Perlmutter, the dean of CoMC, was the main instructor of the course “Personal, Political and Institutional Brand,” which looked at how the concept of a “brand” has become a universal in strategic persuasive communication, cutting across marketing, advertising, promotions and public relations.

Perlmutter said that the course was just the beginning of a study abroad program he hopes to develop at Texas Tech through partnering with other universities. He explained that the branding course helps students by looking at what makes a brand both successful and sustainable and by teaching them how commercial and political brands originate and are improved or undermined both by communication or PR campaigns and by natural evolution.

“We are in an era where everyone has to think of their personal brand,” Perlmutter said. “That is, what do people think of you in terms of your ability to be a leader, to take on a particular career, and to take on projects?”

Perlmutter said that when teaching the class, he worked to adapt it to an international perspective, talking about how different institutions brand themselves, along with cultural similarities and differences between Mexico and the United States.

“One of the top five job skills, career skills, life skills, citizenship skills every single one of our students should develop is global competence, which relates to the university’s QEP,” Perlmutter said. “Global communication is not just learning another language. You can learn Spanish, but know nothing about the culture. So I think immersive experiences where you get to spend some time in another culture are good for everybody.”

Three other CoMC professors joined Perlmutter as guest lecturers during the Summer 2015 session. He explained that he wants other faculty members involved with the process of developing the individual programs because they are going to be the ones taking the lead in long-term development.

Lisa Low, an assistant professor of practice in public relations, lectured on the topic of “Branding in the Digital Age.” She said that it is important for students to understand, because consumers are largely disconnected from traditional marketing and public relations tactics.

“I think students have so much to offer in terms of how we understand new media and how we access the new technology,” Low said. “I am discussing content marketing and social and digital media through all the implications in terms of how the Internet has changed the way we have to do business and communicate with our various customers.”

Rebecca Ortiz, former assistant professor of advertising, lectured on “Developing and Maintaining Your Professional and Personal Brand Online Using Relevant Data Analytics” during her time in Mexico last year.

“It was a wonderful experience because it gave me the chance to network with faculty and students at the university to build future collaborations in research and teaching,” Ortiz said. “I think it is so important to connect with other universities, especially outside of the U.S., so that we can leverage each other’s strengths and learn from each other. These kinds of collaborations are what will provide us the opportunities to teach our students how to truly communicate in a global society.”

Eric Rasmussen, assistant professor of public relations, lectured on “Doing Well, Doing Good in Corporate Branding.” He said that his lecture highlighted how both organizations and individuals can be more successful when they put some of their time and resources into giving back and helping others in a meaningful way.

“I want students to understand that money is not the end all, be all,” Rasmussen said. “In our careers we have so much more to offer than what we learn in school — we can offer who we are, both to our employer and to the communities in which we live.”

Both Perlmutter and Rasmussen agreed that the students at La Universidad Panamericana have a lot in common with students at Texas Tech.

“I think our students could go there and fit right in, and I think their students could come here and fit right in,” Rasmussen said, describing UP students as bright, engaged and wanting to make a difference.

Perlmutter described this connection as a “global millennial culture,” which connects students from different geographic cultures. And he said that while CoMC currently offers two to three study abroad programs each year, he hopes to have six to seven programs in three years.

CoMC professors Low and Michael Zahn taught a course on social media and branding at the university in Summer 2016. Zahn, assistant professor of practice in advertising, said he was excited to teach the course with Low and enjoyed meeting and working with the students, faculty and staff of La Universidad Panamericana.

“The course examined the difference and similarities between branding and positioning of products and services, and by extension, the impact on strategy and tactics of social media marketing by brands marketed cross-culturally within and between both Mexico and the United States,” Zahn said.

Low said she was excited to return to Guadalajara, and she enjoyed teaching an advanced social media course with Zahn.

“It was wonderful to have two weeks to become more familiar with the students and the university,” Low said. “This is the natural next step in establishing a permanent study abroad that will provide opportunities for Texas Tech students to collaborate with UP students to gain exposure to the intricacies of Hispanic and American public relations and strategic communication.”

(Rachel Blevins is a junior journalism major from Mineral Wells, Texas.)