This module provides you with a historical and critical introduction to the development of brands and their complex relationship with media and power in the contemporary era. You will explore specific practices, processes and industries alongside key theories and debates about promotional practices within a broader social, cultural, ethical and political context. You will examine how brands both shape culture, and are shaped by it through field visits, case studies and selected guest speakers.

Creativity is central to memorable advertising, but it plays an equally important role in developing brand strategy and public relations campaigns. The ability to conceptualise, develop and hone creative ideas is a key graduate skill and those who possess an aptitude for creative thinking and innovation are in high demand across the creative industries. This module will equip you with the strategies and skills required to both conceptualise and evaluate creative advertising across a range of platforms.

This module gives students a broad overview of the main concepts involved in public relations and will prepare you for future work in campaign planning and reputation management. Focusing on real industry case studies, students consider how PR can be used to assist in raising awareness, changing attitudes and behaviour, and managing relationships. The module is divided into three blocks: the development of PR, the principles of persuasion, and pitching and presentation skills.

This module introduces students to content design for print and online publication. You will learn how to design materials that communicate information clearly and persuasively. You will gain an understanding of the conventions and practices of content design and explore the history and context of its development in the promotional industries. You will learn how to create designs for print, online and mobile using industry-standard software and a selection of freeware.

With social media and mobile use now ubiquitous, brands are capable of monitoring consumers’ everyday practices and participating in their shared culture to an unprecedented degree. This module provides you with the cognitive skills and methodological frameworks needed for researching consumer culture across offline and online spaces. You will learn to collect, organise, analyse, visualise and interpret digital data, and connect your findings to advertising, PR and branding strategies.

In a context where a diverse range of organisations and individuals are required to imagine and communicate themselves as brands, brand management has emerged as a key discipline that integrates a range of competencies from across the spectrum of marketing communications. This module introduces students to the knowledge and skills required to create, manage and communicate brands and to assess their socio-cultural impact and economical value.

This module explores the practical process of campaign planning and communicating awareness of a product, service, idea or societal issue in an effective and engaging way. You will work on briefs set by external clients or organisations and this practical work will allow you to develop skills in key areas of campaign communications. These include undertaking research and deciding the most appropriate communication strategy; developing creative insights and campaign objectives; devising a media/media relations strategy; working in creative teams to plan and produce promotional materials; working in teams to pitch the campaign; reflecting on and evaluating campaigns.

For this module, you will be required to complete a work-placement of 100 hours. Students will evaluate their performance and learning experiences, and reflect on the cultural role of the organisation and industry within which the work placement occurred. The work done in this module can feed into a number of third-year modules. Some students draw upon their work experience as the basis of their final year dissertation while the self-presentation and personal branding skills acquired in this module are developed further in the Social Media and Public Relations module (APM3002).

In recent decades, the advertising, PR and branding industries have become central to public life – in business, politics and culture. This module gives students an opportunity for you to critically engage with the major ethical issues, regulatory frameworks and political debates arising from the economic and digital transformations of contemporary society. You will learn about the changes brought about through the rise of promotional cultures and develop advanced skills of critical analysis through a range of case studies and practical workshops with regulatory and industry professionals.

This module will allow you to gain valuable work experience in professional ‘client-led’ promotional video production scenarios. You will gain an insight into working with clients in a professional context with the aim of enhancing your transition into a range of roles across the creative industries. You will explore ethical and compliance issues with production opportunities for external clients.

This module will allow you to demonstrate, in the execution of a major project, high-level academic and/or practical skills in a subject of your choosing. The project will take the form of either an independent project or a work placement project. For the work placement, you will undertake a Middlesex-approved work placement and base your final project around your experience of being a participant observer.

This module will give you the knowledge needed to understand the complex relationship between digital technologies and consumer behaviour in an evolving context. You will explore the latest developments in advertising practice, from data analytics and programmatic advertising to augmented reality executions of branded content and experiences. You will gain the knowledge and skills to design and manage advertising content across a range of digital channels and platforms.

This module introduces students to the ways in which organisations use social media to develop and deliver public relations campaigns and how those technologies can also be used to develop a person's professional profile online. You will develop the skills for strategic planning, design and evaluation of online campaigns. You will also have the opportunity to refine your own personal brand and in so doing, enhance your post-graduation employability.

From angry street protests to sophisticated charity lobbying, populist insurgencies and online activism, campaigns designed to change society are an integral part of the 21st century media environment. This module will help you understand how these campaigns develop, what they mean and how they reflect the way in which power works in societies. You will have the opportunity to effectively design, manage and deliver a campaign designed to address an issue of importance to your community.

This module will give you the opportunity to engage with realistic scenarios that you are likely to encounter during your career in the media industry. Through seminars, directed study and experiential learning, you will explore the employment and self-employment opportunities in these industries. Entrepreneurial activities, both supervised and self-directed, are at the core of the module with a constant focus on your budding enterprise ideas and ambitions.

Places, just like products, require a brand strategy to compete in today’s international globalised environment. Cities, regions and nations worldwide have begun to use promotional strategies to position themselves favourably in the minds of target groups such as tourists, businesses, potential residents and foreign investors. This module will introduce students to these processes, exploring tourism, investment, migration, planning and governance through a promotional lens. You will gain a understanding of international communication flows and place promotion strategies through an interactive mix of lectures, field visits and case studies. You will also benefit from developing your skills in audience segmentation, stakeholder relationship management and policy implementation.