MA Advertising, Marketing and the Media

Program Overview

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Advertising and marketing have become increasingly central to social life on a global scale. As ‘persuasion industries’ they generate powerful images of the good life, acting upon individual and collective desires and aspirations. The MA critically explores the commercial and sociological aspects of the advertising and marketing industries, probing the way they link cultural values to creative and commercial innovation. Taught within our Department of Sociology , this course investigates key theoretical and substantive debates in the critical study of advertising, marketing and media, and analyses the advertising industries in Britain, North America and newly emerging economies like India. You explore topics including:

• Recent developments from actor network theory on market devices
• Concepts of advertising, marketing and consumption
• Contemporary marketing and management
• Media and communications
• Developing brand cultures

You are introduced to primary research materials, like market research data, examining debates about the historical rise of marketing-orientated businesses and the growth of the advertising agency. We are 1st for research environment in sociology (Grade Point Average, Research Excellence Framework 2021). We're pursuing a new understanding of the social world with our world leading research, and contributing to the thinking that guides organisations. This course is supported by expertise from the Essex Business School . Our strong emphasis on ethics and sustainable business practice in the global economy will provide knowledge and skills necessary for your future career in an increasingly complex world. Why we're great.

• We offer interdisciplinary studies with expertise from our Department of Sociology and Essex Business School
• We offer a strong emphasis on ethics and sustainable business practice in the global economy
• We examine advertising industries in Britain, North America and newly emerging economies like India

Our expert staff

We are a large and friendly department, offering a diverse range of research interests and with staff members who are committed to teaching, research and publication that covers a broad geographical spectrum. Many have worked at the local level with local authorities, justice councils, community partnerships and charities. Others have worked at a national and international level with bodies like the United Nations, the European Commission’s Expert Group on Public Understanding of Science, Amnesty International, The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Home Office and national non-governmental organisations. Within Essex Business School, our staff specialise in areas including SMEs, business-to-business relationship marketing, branding, marketing management, new product development and social entrepreneurship. While maintaining core engagement with contemporary marketing practice, our staff enrich our courses with novel marketing ideas drawn from both the contemporary business world and cutting-edge academic research.

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Specialist facilities

• Dedicated postgraduate support facilities
• Our renowned off-campus Graduate Conference takes place every February
• A unique Student Resource Centre where you can get help with your studies, access examples of previous students’ work, and attend workshops on research skills
• The Sociology common room is open all day Monday-Friday, is stocked with daily newspapers, magazines and journals, and has free drinks available
• Links with the Institute of Social and Economic Research, which conducts large-scale survey projects and has its own library, and the UK Data Archive, which stores national research data like the British Crime Survey
• Our students’ Sociology Society , a forum for the exchange of ideas, arranging talks by visiting speakers, introducing you to various career pathways, and organising debates

Our Essex Business School building on our Colchester Campus is the first zero carbon business school in the UK. Set around a lush winter garden, the Eden-style dome gives the building its own micro-climate. Our EBS building provides you with a stunning new work environment, offering:

• A virtual trading floor with Bloomberg Terminals offering direct use of Bloomberg data, information and analytics
• A light and spacious lecture theatre, with seating for 250 students
• Study pods and innovation booths for group working
• Dedicated office space for student entrepreneurs
• Networking opportunities with visiting businesses
• A café with an adjacent sun terrace

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Your future

This course provides excellent preparation for further academic study, and many of our postgraduates go on to successful academic careers, both in the UK and overseas. Others have established careers in non-governmental organisations, local authorities, specialist think tanks, government departments, charities, media production, and market intelligence. We work with the university’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Program Outline

Course structure

We offer a flexible course structure with a mixture of core/compulsory modules, and optional modules chosen from lists. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The course content is therefore reviewed on an annual basis to ensure our courses remain up-to-date so modules listed are subject to change. We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

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Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose. Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

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Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits. In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available. Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

HR	100	4	FY
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.	The module number.	The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.	The term the module will be taught in. AU : Autumn term SP : Spring term SU : Summer term FY : Full year AP : Autumn and Spring terms PS: Spring and Summer terms AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Year 1 What interests you? Do you want to deepen your knowledge, build invaluable research skills and develop your academic freedom? Your dissertation lets you study a topic of your choosing, in depth, with supervision and guidance from our world-leading academics. View Postgraduate Taught Project and Academic Skills on our Module Directory How has advertising tried to understand the consumer? What challenges are posed by international advertising? Or by the arrival of new media and alternative delivery systems? Explore the history of advertising in Britain and North America, then learn how to analyse and theorise about advertising and the wider creative industries. View Advertising: Commerce and Creativity on our Module Directory Explore the foundational principles of marketing as an academic subject and practice, by considering marketing from different perspectives including consumer behaviour, the marketing mix perspective, services marketing, retail and place marketing, marketing communications, ethical marketing, and global marketing. View Perspectives on Marketing on our Module Directory Do hackers have ethics? Who owns digital media? Is surveillance justified? Explore the history of the digital media economy, looking at hacking, digital media piracy and peer-to-peer networks. Build your understanding of the social, economic and cultural role that digital media now plays in developed Western societies. View Digital Economy on our Module Directory How do you design social research for projects? Examine the research process, from forming initial research questions through to writing up your findings. Develop your own research ideas via the approaches discussed, building a critical perspective on empirical research that will help you with future research goals. View Sociological Research Design on our Module Directory This module evidences how buyer behaviour plays an essential role in marketing strategy. You consider how marketers use consumer insights and behaviour theory and look beyond the act of buying to consider the entire consumption cycle, from pre to post-purchase. You explore consumer behaviour theories in relation to market consumption, viewing consumers as individuals, decision-makers and social beings, and discuss the wider implications of living in a consumer society. View Consumer Behaviour on our Module Directory COMPONENT 07: OPTIOL BE559-7-SP or BE467-7-SP, SC507-7-AU or Sociology option (20 CREDITS)

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Teaching

• We have a strong research group culture
• Graduate students are encouraged to take part in our weekly Departmental Seminar which regularly features eminent outside speakers

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Assessment

• Your modules are assessed by coursework and your dissertation

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Dissertation

• Your 15,000-word dissertation allows you to focus in-depth on your chosen topic from April onwards
• You work with close supervision from academic staff