MA Advertising, Marketing and the Media

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 and Criminology, 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.