MA in Advertising
MA in Advertising: Advertising is so often confused with branding or marketing but these three concepts all have separate definitions referring to specific areas of the process. Basically, it is a consumer’s journey from burgeoning awareness of a brand right through to their final purchase of the product.
Picture your target customers on a scale. On the one end you have consumers who are loyal to a particular brand. While at the other end you have potential customers who have never heard of you. Advertising is essentially the funnel that you use to move these potential customers from any stage of the scale towards purchasing your product.
It is generally understood that the bigger the investment is, the more difficult it is to push customers towards purchasing your product. When it comes to the mechanical side of things there are copious amounts of contradicting theories about what is the best way to manoeuvre those consumers along. Most postgraduate courses in Advertising will take you through these prevailing systems and concepts.
One thing that has changed our consumption of media as a society has been the increasing use of technological devices, such as tablets, computers and smartphones. Date processing and algorithms now play an integral part in the world of advertising. Your conduct online and digital behaviours are always being tracked as well as your spending habits in order to find out the best way to sell products to you.
Methods and practices such as inbound marketing, SEO rankings, AD Word campaigns and social media management as well as the emphasis put on having a strong online presence have replaced the standard TV spots or billboard advertising. However, the fundamental aims remain very much the same as before, i.e. you are selling a product, a service or an idea and trying to persuade customers to part with their cash. Money is what makes the world go round is what they say!
Work Activities:
- You will oversee the marketing plan for a company
- You are required to create the marketing strategies for a company
- Some advertising workers may specialise in the graphic design of the advertisement
- Employees in Advertising may be required to write material for their company or client’s product to be properly pitched to consumers
Typical Employers/Roles:
Working Hours: Irregular. Expect to work long hours
Location: Mainly in offices in large cities and towns across the country
Travel: Regular. You may have to attend meetings and pitch ideas of products
Self-Employment Opportunities: Possible
Career Development:
The creative part of Advertising employs a myriad of workers. These workers produce the visuals for newspaper and magazine adverts as well as television advertisements. They also create material for corporate reports or brochures. Advertising copywriters and graphic designers work for a creative director. Advertising copywriters write the printed and online Ads as well as brochures or commercial scripts for a myriad of art mediums. Job opportunities in advertising include copy editor, advertising photographer, copywriter, producer and web designer.
Potential Salary:
The potential salary of an employee in Advertising could be anything up from €30,000 per annum depending on the area of advertising they are employed in.
MA in Advertising Entry Requirements:
- Candidates accepted into these Advertising courses will usually hold a minimum 2:2 degree at undergraduate level in a relevant academic discipline, such as Marketing or Business Management.
- Candidates with degrees in another discipline may be accepted into the course after consideration on a case-by-case basis.
MA in Advertising Specific Degree Subjects Required:
It is recommended that candidates will hold a degree in subjects such as Business Management or Marketing or International Business. Candidates with degrees from other disciplines will be still considered.
Skills and Qualities Required:
- Strong communication skills are required for many jobs within the industry of Advertising
- Ability to multitask and prioritise
- Keen understanding of relevance of IT platforms in Advertising
- Experience with Social Media platforms
- Strong creative abilities, especially if required to produce visuals for adverts
- An ability to persuade people to buy your product. A strong sales technique
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