Fall 2025 Winner of the Future of Advertising Scholarship

Mia Virgillito

Based upon her various experiences in the marketing industry, Mia believes the future of advertising is in digital strategies. Congratulations, Mia — we appreciate your insights and look forward to all you will continue to do!

Read her essay

I am writing to apply for the Future of Advertising Scholarship to support my advanced graduate studies. With an undergraduate degree in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and various full-time professional marketing roles under my belt, I have extensive experience in planning and executing integrated marketing campaigns across diverse digital and print platforms, including web, targeted emails, digital advertisements, out-of-home displays, printed guides, and mailed publications. These experiences have fueled my passion for finding creative solutions.

As a seasoned communicator in higher education digital marketing who was recently admitted to the Master of Arts in Public Communication program at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, I am eager to deepen my understanding of the intersection of marketing and communication theory while refining my strategic skills to tackle complex public communication challenges.

In my professional experience, I believe the future of advertising lies in digital strategies, specifically a multi-faceted approach that leverages various online channels in an integrated manner. This includes targeted social media advertising, search engine marketing (SEM), email marketing, and content marketing. The power of digital advertising lies in its unparalleled ability to segment audiences with precision, enabling highly personalized messaging, and its measurable analytics, which provide immediate feedback for optimization.

While traditional media still holds value, the continuous evolution of technology, consumer behavior, and data analytics points to a future dominated by digital platforms. The ability to track consumer journeys, retarget engaged audiences and adapt campaigns in real-time offers adaptability and speed that traditional media cannot match. The increasing integration of visual storytelling, especially through short-form video, further solidifies digital mediums as the clear leader of the most innovative and effective marketing efforts.

For businesses, including higher education institutions, to successfully reach their target consumer, I believe the key lies in crafting personalized, value-driven content across digital channels. Businesses first need to leverage data and research to identify demographics, psychographics, needs, and pain points of their target audience. Then, they must develop content that directly addresses those needs, fills in gaps, and provides genuine value, rather than just selling a product or service. This is accomplished through narrative framing, intentional language, and compelling storytelling. The content should be strategically featured across the digital platforms where the target audience spends their time, ensuring consistency in brand messaging while adapting to the nuances of each platform.

In conclusion, digital marketing serves as a powerful tool to cultivate authentic connections and trust. To foster engagement and interaction, businesses can actively prompt audiences to partake through comments, direct messaging, or even incentives to share content on their own platforms. As time progresses, we’re seeing that consumers overwhelmingly prefer to buy from brands that align with their values. Now more than ever, people hold brands to a certain level of transparency and social responsibility. Businesses must leverage digital platforms not to just sell a product, but to truly listen to their audiences. Only then can they positively shape public perception and manage their overall reputation within digital spaces.