Draftfcb’s Simon El Hage to teach at DePaul University.

Simon El Hage, Senior Vice President, Group Management Director of Multicultural Marketing at Draftfcb Chicago, will, on March 23, begin teaching the first Cross-cultural Media & Marketing course at DePaul University.

Created by El Hage, the new course will afford students the chance to explore the past, present and future of multicultural marketing, critique existing industry standards, develop contemporary marketing expertise, and envision new practices.

“We believe that this innovative graduate course reflects the kind of cutting-edge professional education that distinguishes DePaul, and we are delighted to have an expert of Simon’s caliber joining the ranks of our adjunct faculty,” said Carolyn Bronstein, Associate Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Public Relations and Advertising Major in the College of Communication. “DePaul has been recognized as having one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation, and this course will give our students the opportunity to apply their cultural knowledge and curiosity, leverage their skills, and build campaigns and content for contemporary media.”

According to El Hage, a native of Lebanon and citizen of Mexico who joined Draftfcb in 2008, the goals of the course include reformulating “multicultural” marketing—which is founded solely on exaggerated cultural and ethnic differences. “The Cross-cultural model, a total market approach developed and practiced at Draftfcb, uses diverse ethnic points of view in a way that appeals across cultures. We understand and use the truth that people of all cultures experience life through three commonalities that we all share: Hope, Needs and Desires,” said El Hage.

“Students will be taught a new way of thinking about multicultural marketing, i.e., to address segments beyond cultural boundaries,” he said. “This has not been done before and in effect it will establish a whole new area of expertise.”