module specification

This module is designed to equip you with the key industry-standard skills needed to develop an effective and commercially viable advertising campaign plan supported with appropriate academic and practitioner research. The module will enable you to gain a deeper insight into the key roles and responsibilities of client organisations and advertising agencies. It allows you to craft effective and realistic advertising campaigns by assuming the role of strategic planner, account manager, creative director and copy writer, media planner and buyer which are highly sought after by employers. You will also be able to build in a review process to your campaign plans and set control systems.
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This module has been designed to build on Level 4 modules knowledge with a focus on understanding and application of advertising theory and principles. The module aims to;

• Develop your understanding and knowledge of the advertising function and its contribution to the marketing communication strategy and brand communications
• Provide you with key skills and knowledge in responding to strategic creative briefs
• Enable you to gain a systematic understanding of how integrated advertising campaigns are conceived, developed, produced, evaluated and measured
• Develop a critical awareness of the regulatory and legislative framework within which advertising must comply markets and cultures

The module also aims to assist you in the acquisition of the following skills:
- Researching and analysing
- Academic writing and reading
- Application of knowledge and presenting data 
- Being creative in developing storyboard and advertising posters using appropriate tools
- Developing media planning and buying
- Critical thinking
- Communicating/Presenting, orally and in writing
- Being creative

No pre- or co- requisites for the module.
Available for Study Abroad? YES

Advertising and brand communication (LO1)
The advertising function and its contribution to the marketing and communications
The role of advertising in building strong brands and brand equity

Understanding and responding to strategic creative brief (LO2)
- How advertising agencies are structured and the differing relationships with client companies
- An overview of the advertising planning process and development of strategic creative brief by client organisations.
How each stage of an advertising campaign plan is developed from brief to execution?
How agencies develop an advertising pitch in response to a brief? Understanding the challenges involved responding to a specific pitch brief.

Advertising campaign planning process (LO3-LO4)
- How a specific advertising campaign fits into a company’s marketing plan, and the role it plays within the marketing communications framework.
- Conducting brand audit/ situation analysis. Standards and responsibilities- regulatory, legislative and ethical frameworks within which advertising operates.
- Setting advertising campaign objectives and budgets
- Crafting advertising strategy based on STDP framework
- Understanding and selecting target audience decision making.
- Creative strategy - conceptualising the ‘big idea’, creative appeals and execution. Creating storyboard and translating the big idea into visuals and copy.AI-powered copywriting and executional styles.
- 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, femvertising, native advertising)
- Evaluation of alternative message and media.
- Campaign implementation and scheduling process.
- How advertising is measured, controlled and evaluated (quantitative /qualitative approaches).

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.

Upon completion of the module, the students will be able to:

LO1. Develop a critical understanding of the role of advertising in improving brand effectiveness and brand communications.

LO2. Respond to a specific pitch brief both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data/information, and give a compelling pitch using a variety of communicative media, including digital platforms.

LO3. Analyse and evaluate the key steps in planning integrated advertising campaign

LO4. Develop an effective and commercially viable integrated advertising campaign plan supported with appropriate academic and practitioner research.

Library Reading List link

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/5A3ECE61-1B3D-8914-14B1-539272FACDB1.html

Core reading
Percy, L. and Rosenbaum-Elliott, R. (2021) Strategic Advertising Management, 6th Edition, Oxford University Press.
https://global.oup.com/ukhe/product/strategic-advertising-management-9780198835615?cc=gb&lang=en&

Katz, H. (2025) The Media Handbook: A Complete Guide to Advertising Media Selection, Planning, Research, and Buying, 9th Edition, Routledge.
https://www.routledge.com/The-Media-Handbook-A-Complete-Guide-to-Advertising-Media-Selection-Planning-Research-and-Buying/Katz/p/book/9781032671369

Additional reading

Altstiel, T., Grow, N., Augustine, D. and Jenkins, J. (2022) Advertising Creative: Strategy, Copy and Design, 6th Edition, Sage.
https://catalogue.londonmet.ac.uk/record=b2455067~S1

- Barry, P. (2018) The advertising Concept Book- Think Now, Design Later,  3rd Edition, Thames and Hudson.
https://www.thamesandhudson.com/products/the-advertising-concept-book?_pos=10&_sid=eeba78108&_ss=r

- Chaffey, D., Ellis-Chadwick, F.  and Abedrabbo, M. (2025). Digital Marketing strategy, Implementation & Practice 9th Edition. Pearson Education.
https://www.pearson.com/en-gb/subject-catalog/p/digital-marketing/P200000012456/9781292470061

- Chaffey, D. and Smith, PR. (2023). Digital Marketing Excellence: Planning, Optimizing and Integrating Online Marketing, 6th Edition. Routledge. (Available as an E-book).
https://catalogue.londonmet.ac.uk/record=b2406735~S1
- Fennis B. and Stroebe, W. (2020) The Psychology of Advertising, 3rd Edition, Routledge. (Available as an E-book).
https://catalogue.londonmet.ac.uk/record=b2272056~S1

- Kelley, L.D., Sheen, K.B., Dobias, L., Koranda, D.E., and Jugenheimer, D.W. (2022) Advertising Media Planning: A Brand Management Approach, Routledge.
https://www.routledge.com/Advertising-Media-Planning-A-Brand-Management-Approach/Kelley-BartelSheehan-Dobias-Koranda-Jugenheimer/p/book/9781032192154?srsltid=AfmBOorSd0hLsQB-sQPf49SQ9RsufEoerLW6tu-hPOjogNjNGSLjffti

-Tag, N. (2012) Ad Critique How to Deconstruct Ads in Order to Build Better Advertising, Sage.
https://sk.sagepub.com/book/mono/ad-critique/toc

Tuten, T.L. (2023). Social Media Marketing, 5th Edition, Sage Publications Ltd.
https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/social-media-marketing/book285560#contents

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