28 October 2026
A Bridge from the University to the Industry: IGU Students Visit Soner Digital Advertising Agency
Students in the Advertising, Public Relations, and Marketing, as well as New Media and Communication programs, had the opportunity to gain firsthand insight into how the digital communications sector operates. Dr. İpek Işılay, Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising at Istanbul Gelişim University, visited Soneo Digital Advertising Agency with students from the Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing, and New Media and Communication departments. Combining university education with industry experience, the visit stood out as a significant learning experience that enabled students to connect the theoretical knowledge they gained in class with professional work life and to evaluate current practices in the field of digital advertising more closely.
An opportunity to observe the inner workings of digital advertising firsthand
With the rise of digitalization, the fields of advertising and communication have come to encompass numerous areas of expertise, including creative content production, digital campaign planning, target audience analysis, brand communication, and the effective use of various digital platforms. The visit to Soneo Digital Advertising Agency helped students examine this multifaceted structure from an industry perspective. Getting an up-close look at the agency environment was valuable in helping them understand that digital advertising is not merely about creative ideas but is carried out as a comprehensive process encompassing research, strategy, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Strong Communication Across Different Disciplines
The participation of students from the Advertising, Public Relations and Promotion, and New Media and Communication departments in the visit was also significant for understanding the interdisciplinary nature of the communications sector. While Advertising focuses on developing creative messages and campaigns, Public Relations centers on brand reputation, building relationships and trust between organizations and their target audiences; New Media and Communication, meanwhile, stands out as a field closely related to digital platforms, online content, and evolving user behavior. Evaluating these fields together helped students understand the culture of collaboration and see how different areas of expertise can contribute to communication projects.
Contributing to Students’ Professional Development
The industry visit provided students with an opportunity to consider the expectations of the digital advertising and communications sectors, connect their theoretical knowledge with practical processes, and enhance their awareness of professional life. Additionally, observing agency operations firsthand laid the groundwork for them to assess the importance of skills such as creativity, teamwork, time management, problem-solving, and the effective use of digital tools in their professional lives.
Another significant benefit of the visit was that it broadened the students’ perspectives on career planning. The variety of roles and areas of expertise available at digital advertising agencies provided an experience that could help students discover their own areas of interest and consider their potential career options after graduation in a more concrete way.
The visit to Soneo Digital Advertising Agency, led by Assistant Professor İpek Işılay, once again highlighted the importance of supplementing university education with learning experiences outside the classroom. The visit, which served as a meaningful opportunity for students to familiarize themselves with the industry’s work culture, closely observe the transformation in the field of digital communication, and connect their academic achievements with their professional goals, underscored the role of university-industry collaboration in preparing students for the future.
Istanbul Gelişim University aims to contribute to strengthening students’ professional awareness and career development through such events, which support their academic knowledge with application-oriented experiences.