Advertising & the Creative Economy MA

The UK's advertising market is rated as the fourth largest in the world, producing world-class TV formats and output. However, turning creative ideas into successful advertising services requires a fusion of different business and creative skills.

If you would like to develop/enhance your career or create your own business in the advertising sector, the Advertising & the Creative Economy MA course is ideal. It will help you to explore and understand creativity and its management not only in the advertising sector but also across the creative industries whilst equipping you with entrepreneurial skills.

What will you study?

By the end of the course, you will be equipped with an in-depth knowledge of the advertising world but also practical and entrepreneurial skills needed to succeed in this creative industry. 

If you are looking for a course where you can enhance your creative skills whilst acquiring practical, managerial and entrepreneurial skills this course is for you. We will help you find ways to connect creativity and business in a successful and meaningful way. Find out more...

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.

For the core modules, you will study with students from across all the Creative Industries programmes. For the specialist modules, you will study alongside advertising fellow students.

Core modules

• Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship in Practice

• Design Thinking and Entrepreneurship in Practice

  This corner-stone module provides you with 'hands on' experience of life in the creative economy through working together to create, design and manage a viable creative enterprise project. 

  This creative project will form the context for subsequent learning throughout the course.

  
   
• Managing Creativity and Innovation

• Managing Creativity and Innovation

  This module aims to develop your entrepreneurial management behaviours, encouraging an approach to learning that copes with and enjoys uncertainty, risks and complexity. 

  The core curriculum of this module will underpin the knowledge and skills required for The Creative Economy module.

  
   
• Leadership in the Creative Economy

• Leadership in the Creative Economy

  This module encourages you to learn experientially about leadership through performance and develop conceptual understanding of creative leadership and how it differs from more traditional approaches. 

  Where appropriate, you will apply your learning to leadership roles in the creative project developed within The Creative Economy module.

  
   
• Contemporary Issues in the Creative Economy

• Contemporary Issues in the Creative Economy

  This module offers a range of optional learning experiences to complement the three core modules above. These include areas such as:

  • consultancy practice;
  • cross-cultural management communication;
  • creativity and consumption; and
  • critical appraisal of the creative economy. 

  Specific learning outcomes for each student will be agreed with the course director, and may involve taught sessions, work-based learning, or a mixture of both.

  
   

Specialist modules

• Integrated Marketing Communications or Marketing Communications

• Integrated Marketing Communications or Marketing Communications

  These modules examines the strategic and operational issues involved in planning integrated communication campaigns.

  They focus on developing the skills and knowledge necessary for building effective communications plans and places a strong emphasis on new developments in the field. Areas of study will include:

  • campaign planning, identifying target markets, research and positioning;
  • media planning;
  • the marketing communications industry;
  • advertising;
  • sales promotion;
  • direct and database marketing;
  • public relations;
  • e-commerce; and 
  • other communications methods.
  
   
• Global Marketing Management

• Global Marketing Management

  This module studies the theory, practical application and issues relating to marketing management in a variety of contexts including both business and not-for-profit sectors.

  It looks at how the marketing discipline is key to the long-term success of an organisation and develops expertise in the theory, analysis, planning and execution of marketing strategies. Areas of study include:

  • techniques for analysing the marketing environment;
  • segmentation, targeting and positioning;
  • marketing business-to-business and business-to-consumer;
  • issues relating to product development, branding, pricing and lifecycle; and
  • issues relating to international marketing and business expansion in new territories.
  
   
• Strategic Brand Management

• Strategic Brand Management

  This module introduces you to the often controversial theories relating to the concept of 'the brand' and to the strategic challenges faced by brands and by their managers. Class time includes a mixture of:

  • formal lectures;
  • video case studies; and
  • seminars – which may include class debates on pre-assigned 'hot issues' in branding and assessed group presentations.

  Core and additional material, including streaming of videos watched in class, is provided via StudySpace. Such material is an integral part of the readings and preparation for the module and integrates the textbook.

  
   
• Advertising Strategy and Planning

• Advertising Strategy and Planning

  This module focuses on the core features of the advertising function within the wider context of integrated marketing communications and marketing planning. The module incorporates theoretical and conceptual considerations with the operational aspects of advertising strategy and planning.

  A combination of lectures, workshops, case study analysis and student presentations support the learning experience. Its is also supported by electronic learning.

  
   

Final project

• Personal Research Project

Learn more about the facilities available to you as a student of this course.
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We want to make sure you get all the support you need while you are with us. Here you can see the range of support we can offer you while you're doing this course.

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This course is taught by staff from Kingston Business School.

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