Overview

Google, IBM & Meta Certificates – 40% Off

One plan covers every Professional Certificate on Coursera.

Learn how digital advertising connects business objectives, audiences, creative formats, media buying, and performance measurement across the marketing funnel. You will examine display, search, social, video, native, mobile, and programmatic advertising; distinguish the roles of agencies and advertising-technology partners; and use common campaign metrics and spreadsheet calculations to evaluate results. The course emphasizes practical decision-making: selecting formats and placements, interpreting evidence, weighing privacy and targeting tradeoffs, and identifying opportunities to improve creative, budgets, and measurement. Examples of platforms and industry organizations are presented as dated illustrations of broader capabilities, so the concepts remain useful as tools and policies change. By the end, you will be able to explain how digital campaigns work, connect objectives to key performance indicators, and make more defensible advertising recommendations.

Syllabus

Welcome to the Course!

Just a couple of things to know before you get started.

Video Lectures: What is Digital Advertising?

In this series of lectures, students will explore the evolution of digital advertising, its impact on the marketing industry, and the various payment models used in ad campaigns. The lectures will delve into the role of data and analytics in optimizing ad performance, targeting specific audiences, and maximizing return on investment. Students will also learn about the challenges and limitations of different advertising models, such as cost per impression (CPM), cost per click (CPC), and cost per action (CPA). Additionally, the lectures will demonstrate how to analyze advertising data using Excel and discuss the importance of creative elements in native advertising.

Video Lectures: Intro to Programmatic Advertising

This lecture series provides an in-depth understanding of programmatic advertising, its history, and its impact on the advertising industry. Students will explore the roles of key players in the ad tech ecosystem, such as DSPs, SSPs, ad exchanges, and ad networks, as well as the importance of bidding, pacing, and various ad types. The lectures also delve into the ethical implications of data usage, data privacy laws, and the future of ad targeting. Additionally, students will gain insights into optimizing their advertising campaigns and explore potential job opportunities within the ad tech industry.

Readings: Display Advertising

This series of lectures provides an in-depth understanding of digital advertising, its importance, and how it works. It covers the basics of advertising, the various formats of digital advertising, and the trends in ad spending. The lectures also discuss the unique aspects of digital advertising, such as its trackability, interactivity, personalization, and cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, the lectures delve into the advertising funnel, the FCB Grid, and various advertising metrics, including impressions, gross rating points, cost per thousand (CPM), click-through rates (CTR), cost per action (CPA), and return on ad spending (ROAS).

Readings: Mobile Advertising

This reading series provides an overview of mobile advertising, discussing its history, advantages, and disadvantages. It highlights the various formats of mobile ads, such as SMS, banner ads, and videos, and explains how they can be targeted based on user data. The lectures also emphasize the importance of location-based advertising and the integration of new technologies like AR and VR. However, concerns about privacy and data misuse are also addressed. To make the most of mobile advertising, businesses should establish clear campaign goals, target audiences, and utilize analytics to track performance.