module specification

This module introduce students to the role advertising plays within the changing global technological environment of marketing communications. The module covers the key stages in advertising campaign development with the aim of enabling students
craft, plan, execute and evaluate advertising campaigns. The module content includes how advertising agencies are structured and the differing relationships with client companies; how agencies work with clients; crafting a commercially and creatively viable strategic advertising brief; developing and producing a realistic and effective advertising campaign plan; creative strategy, media planning and buying process; measures of advertising campaign effectiveness; and how advertising works within the regulatory framework in which advertising operates across markets and international cultures.

This module has been designed to build on Level 4 modules knowledge with a focus on the understanding of advertising theory and principles. The module aims to:

• Develop a critical understanding of advertising function and its contribution to the marketing communication strategy
• Provide students with key skills and knowledge in developing strategic creative briefs and effective advertising campaign plan.
• Explore the role of advertising in improving brand effectiveness and brand communications.
• Develop students' understanding and knowledge of the issues in the changing structure of advertising industry in both a national and global context.
The module also aims to assist students in the acquisition of the following skills:
- Researching and analysing
- Academic writing and reading
- Application of knowledge and presenting data 
- Critical thinking
- Communicating/Presenting, orally and in writing
- Being creative
- Inter-cultural communication

Crafting a strategic creative brief
- How advertising agencies are structured and the differing relationships with client companies
- Crafting an effective strategic creative brief
-An overview of the advertising planning process and developing a strategic creative brief
-How each stage of an advertising plan is developed from brief to execution?
- How agencies develop an advertising pitch in response to a brief?
- Writing and evaluation of a creative brief and creative appeals
- Understanding the challenges involved in the development of strategic creative briefs

Learning Outcomes LO1 

Advertising campaign planning process
- How advertising fits into a company’s marketing plan, and the role it plays within the marketing communications framework.
- Advertising strategy and context analysis
- Understanding and selecting target audience decision making.
- Setting advertising objectives and budgets
- Creative strategy - conceptualising the ‘big idea’, creative appeals; copywriting, creative strategy and executional styles across cultures, analysis and critique of advertising executions.
- The media planning options for adverting traditional and digital-paid, owned and earned media.
- The media industry in the context of buying and using media for advertising (e.g.TV, Radio, Print, cinema, outdoor, paid search, display advertising, video advertising, advergaming, programmatic advertising and real time buying, native advertising)
- International advertising strategies and planning – culture, cultural norms, language and symbols standardisation, adaptation and localisation.
- Campaign implementation and scheduling process.
- How advertising is measured, controlled and evaluated (quantitative /qualitative approaches). 
- Standards and responsibilities- regulatory, legislative and ethical frameworks within which advertising operates.

Learning Outcomes LO2

This module will be delivered over a 12-week period and consists of 3-hour interactive learning sessions. The weekly interactive learning sessions will consist of a combination of theoretical input and problem-based tasks supported by multimedia, including videos and student-centred discussions. Theoretical input will focus on defining and clarifying strategic creative briefs and advertising campaign plans. The interactive learning sessions will also allow students to critique advertising campaigns drawn from a wide variety of markets, cultures and countries, which will be facilitated by tutorial staff and enable students from the different groups to interact.

In order to ensure that students take more control of their learning and development, a ‘flipped classroom’ approach is adopted where students are provided with a topic and prepare well in advance of the date on which materials will be covered. The teaching team will lead a discussion on the role that each should play in the weekly sessions.

The facilities of Web Learn will be used as part of a blended learning approach and will be central to the delivery of module handbook, case studies, campaigns, journal articles, and external web links, as appropriate. It will also be used for the timely provision of feedback following formative assessment.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: 

1. Outline the key elements of a strategic creative brief that are commercially and creatively viable.

2. Demonstrate an analysis of the steps in planning an effective advertising campaign.

The assessment has been designed to test the achievement of the module’s learning outcomes and requires students to analyse, think critically and apply their specialist knowledge gained during the module. Accordingly, the module is assessed by two components:  20-minute group presentation (20% weighting) and 1500-word individual written report (80% weighting).

Assessment 1: 20-minute group presentation (20% weighting) - LO1 addressed

Students will be required to work in groups of 3-4 for an oral presentation. Students will be required to carry out the development of a strategic advertising pitch for a brand, product or service as agreed with the Module leader. Students should highlight the key elements of a strategic creative brief. Referencing must be carried out using the Harvard System. Aside from assessing subject knowledge, students will be assessed on:

- their ability to work in a team as well as independently, formulate and defend a complex argument in a logical manner
-their ability to choose appropriate materials and media
- use of voice, clear well-paced verbal delivery ad body language, confidence, eye contact and professional approach
- audience engagement during the presentation and time management

Assessment 2:  Individual written report (1500 words, 80% weighting)– LO2 addressed
Students will be required to produce individually an effective advertising campaign plan. Each student should clearly explain the contents of the advertising campaign including the context analysis, advertising strategy, creative strategy, media planning and buying strategy, campaign implementation process, budgets and measurements of results. The written report should be grounded in appropriate advertising concepts, theories and models. Referencing must be carried out using the Harvard System.

Core Texts

- Percy, L. and Rosenbaum-Elliott, R. (2016) Strategic Advertising Management, 5th Edition, Oxford University Press.
- Fill C., Hughes G. And De Francesco, S. (2013) Advertising: Strategy, Creativity and Media, Pearson.

Additional reading:
- Altstiel, T. and Grow, N. (2016) Advertising Creative: Strategy, Copy and Design, 4th Edition, SAGE.
-Barry, P. (2018) The advertising Concept Book 3rd Edition, Thames and Hudson.
- Chaffey D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2015) Digital Marketing Strategy Implementation & Practice 6th Edition Pearson Education Limited.
- Chaffey, D. and smith, PR (2017) Digital Marketing Excellence: Planning, Optimizing and Integrating Online Marketing, 5th Edition, Routledge.
- Christians C., Fackler M., Richardson K., Kreshel P. Woods R. (2017) Media Ethics Cases and Moral Reasoning 10th Edition Routledge.
- Fennis B.  Stroebe W. (2015) The Psychology of Advertising 2nd Edition, Routledge.
- Hegarty, J. (2011) Hegarty on advertising: turning intelligence into magic, Thames & Hudson.
- Kapferer, J-N. (2012) The New Strategic Brand Management, Advanced Insights and Strategic Thinking. 5thth edition, London: Kogan Page.
- Katz, H. (2019) The Media Handbook, 7th Edition, Routledge.
- Keller, K. (2013) Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring and Managing Brand Equity. 4th (global) edition, London, Pearson International.
- Kelley, L., Jugenheimer, D. and Sheehan, K. (2015) Advertising Media Planning: A Brand Management Approach,4th Edition, NY: Routledge.
- Lovell, D. (2017) Native Advertising Kogan Page.
- Tag, N. (2012) Ad Critique How to Deconstruct Ads in Order to Build Better Advertising, SAGE.

Journals:
Journal of Marketing
Journal of Current Issues and research in Advertising
Journal of Advertising Research
Journal of Marketing Research
Journal of Advertising
International Journal of Advertising
International Journal of Advertising: the quarterly review of marketing communications
International Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications

Websites/ Electronic Databases:

Institute of Practitioners in Advertising   www.ipa.co.uk
Internet Advertising Bureau UK   www.iabuk.net
Interactive Advertising Bureau   www.iab.net
Thinkboxwww.thinkbox.tv
Broadcaster Audience Research Board  www.barb.co.uk
Advertising Standards Authority   www.asa.org.uk
Radio Advertising Bureau  www.rab.com
Click Z   www.clickz
Marketing Sherpa www.marketingsherpa.com
World Advertising Research Centre www.warc.com
Imediaconnectionwww.imediaconnection.com
Advertising Associationwww.adassoc.org.uk
News Media Association www.newsmediauk.org
emarketer - http://www.emarketer.com/
Smartinsights - http://www.smartinsights.com