Prof. Henry Brimmer, faculty member in Michigan State University’s Department of Advertising and Public Relations has developed an exciting program that brings students from around the world to collaboratively tackle an advertising issue generated by a business wishing to expand its reach to younger audiences.

Students from China, India, Mexico, Spain, and Germany have participated in past challenges, and have generated solutions for the companies involved.   Prof. Brimmer would like to expand student involvement to Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and other parts of the world. 

Students work on creative problem solving in teams of 8-10, with translators available to smooth language diversity.  The intensive process focuses on finding a solution for the client company (or other entity), but has the intentional side-effects of developing the raft of soft skills related to teaming, cultural context and understanding, and fueled innovation via the energy of youth.  

A Minds Wide Open team in action!

If your university, business, or with-in country contacts have interest in Minds Wide Open, please see the information sheet featured below and watch the following brief videos that describe the program and share the joy of youth working on meaningful and challenging problems: 

http://35.8.12.127/mindswideopen/

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B4Lquq-1j7DLUXptbDhwdlROS1U

The global economy and increasingly internationalization of all issues related to development needs young adults who have had relationship-building experiences within the context of meaningful problem solving.  Prof. Brimmer’s dynamic approach to teaching advertising in real-world contexts with mentored experiences from CEO’s of some of the world’s top advertising agencies in the world provides such experiences.    

Prof. Brimmer’s email is [email protected].