Course summary

The advertising industry has been transformed by the digital and social media revolution. From start-ups to big businesses, from social enterprises to charities and the public sector, this discipline offers careers in a wide range of industry sectors. Experiences are at the heart of this degree. As well as regular guest speakers and industry visits, we work on real projects with real marketing budgets, operating as a marketing department from the first year. Typically, you will be set a brief and then develop and pitch your concept. You will work within brand guidelines, often appointing suppliers, like photographers or design agencies, to deliver your project. In addition to providing great learning experiences, this course examines the fundamental areas of thought leadership in advertising and marketing communication. A good grounding in branding, public relations and digital marketing will underpin your future career. You will study all the elements of marketing communications including interactive and e-marketing, sales promotion, marketing research and sponsorship. You will learn about the theory and practice of the tools and obtain the skills required to work in the industry, on both the client and the agency side. Creativity is of critical importance to communications, and you are taught an appreciation of creativity to enable you to recognise good work, and also techniques to develop your own creative skill set. Advertising, particularly when executed via digital media channels is more measurable than ever before. The availability of what the industry calls ‘Big data’ to analyse what we consume, see, buy, think, like and believe means that research metrics will inform every marketing campaign. You will also develop the skills to work with customer insight information. Foundation Year programme also available.