module specification

This module explores the generation of engaging and effective creative advertising, the development and skills of copywriting and extensive practice of the development and critique of a personal portfolio of creative advertising. The course explores the relationships between advertising, conceptual thinking, creative writing, teamwork and design; utilising all media including posters, television, print, radio, viral, digital, guerrilla and ambient.

To provide an understanding of:
1.  The creative process, its influences and role in the development of advertising
2. The role of strategy development, advertising creation and delivery across online and offline 
3. The skills and practice of copywriting and art direction
4. How to critique and evaluate a range of creative advertising stimuli, both online and offline

The module also aims to assist students in the acquisition of the following skills:
1. Being creative
2. Analysing data
3. Cross cultural awareness
4. Communicating/Presenting, orally and in writing
5. Self assessment and reflection

• Understanding cultural, social and environmental influences on creativity
• The creative process from development of the strategic brief to production and placement
• The historical development of the art of copywriting and art direction, key influencers, artists
• The role the creative team within the process of developing creative advertising
• How is creative advertising presented and approved by clients
• Developing the skills of creative thinking and problem solving (STPS) skills and learning to ‘think outside of the box’ by engaging in lateral thinking
• Engaging with ideation; the process of generating ideas that offer new and innovative solutions
• Critiquing advertising campaigns from a range of markets in both online and offline formats
• Developing a personal approach to the development of a portfolio of creative advertising concepts
• Examining the range and context of how advertising is assessed and evaluated in the business world

This module will be delivered through weekly workshops, which will be enhanced with a daylong activity once during the designated Activity Week in the course of the Semester. The daylong event provide the opportunity for students to engage in complex and varied tasks and activities unconstrained by normal curriculum timetabling, so facilitating access to external events, people and locations. This daylong event will focus particularly on visiting speakers from the world of advertising to ensure that the theoretical concepts introduced on the module are ‘brought to life’.  In addition to this event, workshops will be offered to enable individual students to focus on an aspect of their personal creative development that they have identified in the gathering of the various elements of their portfolios.
A key starting point for the workshops will be an explanation to the students for the choice of this method of delivery and exploration and advice as to how individuals can maximise their own learning. Concepts of action and experiential learning will be revisited and students encouraged to focus particularly on their own experience certainly as viewers and consumers of advertising. The diversity of the London Met student population immediately enables students to gain rich insights into customers’ tastes and preferences by participation in structured class discussions designed for this very purpose. The weekly workshops will consist of a combination of theoretical input and problem-based tasks, supported by multimedia, including videos and student centred discussions, peer evaluation of set tasks and problem based group work.  Theoretical input will focus on defining and clarifying the topic content to the appropriate depth and breadth. Classroom sessions will be supported with timetabled weekly on line discussions, which will be facilitated by tutorial staff and enable students from the different groups to interact.

Weblearn: will be used for the distribution of the Module booklet. It will also be used as an interactive mechanism between students and tutors, for example, to direct students to particular readings or to provide news about the module or the module content. It will also be used for the timely provision of generic feedback following formative assessment.
The portfolios will be stored on an appropriate electronic platform. (If possible)
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On completing the module students will be able to:
• Identify and evaluate the key elements of what makes creative advertising
• Understand the challenges involved in the development of strategic creative briefs
• Use, in a variety of scenarios, the skills involved in creating advertising, copywriting and art directing
• Understand the role of how advertising is created in terms of production methods and technology
• Understand and recognise current approaches to evaluating advertising effectiveness
• Appreciate the impact of cultural influences on the creation and placement of advertising
• Produce a personal portfolio of creative work developed across the semester 

Assessment for this module aims to be valid, reliable and consistent, transparent and diverse, ensuring that individual students are not disadvantaged by over reliance on any one particular form of assessment.  Assessment is demanding in that it is continuous and enables the demonstration of excellence. It is designed to guide student’s improvement, to help them self-evaluate, to aid their decision making, to help them learn from their mistakes and, where there are opportunities, plan their own curriculum.  

Students are required to produce a portfolio consisting of a range of different of creative advertising and copywriting which will be devised in response to the curriculum, their own career preferences and changes in the areas of advertising delivery across markets.

The portfolio approach is responsive to learner needs in that it offers flexibility for the identification and development of individual student learning needs and allows every student the opportunity to complete an assessment at which they have the potential to excel.

Every portfolio item will encourage excellence and will be an item the student can be proud of.  Indicative portfolio items would be a number of reflective critiques of advertising that have appeared in either online or offline formats; responses to briefs that are engaged with throughout the semester; examples of work developed to reflect each student’s personal areas of interest.

The preparation of portfolio items will be on going throughout the Semester. Signposts dates will be set for each item. Each student will be able to select a certain no of items to put forward for the final mark. Guidance will be given by the tutors to ensure appropriate evidence of meeting all learning outcomes is considered in the final selection of portfolio items.

P. Barry, The Advertising Concept Book: Think Now, Design Later, Thames & Hudson, 2008
M.Pricken, Creative Advertising, Best Cases from Around the World, Thames & Hudson, 2008
D.Ogilvy, Ogilvy on Advertising, Prion Books, 2007
L.Sullivan, Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, John Wiley, 2008
J.Hegarty, Hegarty on Advertising; Turing Intelligence into Magic, Thames & Hudson, 2011
S.Harrison, How to Do Better Creative Work, Prentice Hall, 2009
J.Young, A Technique for Producing Ideas, McGraw Hill, 2003
T Bailey, A Short Story Writer’s Companion, Oxford UP 2001
L Newman, Writing from the Heart, The Crossing Press 1993
J Saunders, How to Write Realistic Dialogue, Allison and Busby 1994
M Schneider and J Killick, Writing for Self-discovery, Element Books 1998
S Sellars (ed), Taking Reality by Surprise, Women’s Press 1991
J Singleton and M Luckhurst (eds), The Creative Writing Handbook, Macmillan 1996
B Turner, The Writer’s Handbook, Macmillan 1995

E-journals and e-magazines:

Campaign
D&AD Handbooks
IPA Effectiveness Award Books
Journal of Advertising
Journal of Advertising Research
Journal of Marketing Research