Promotional Cultures

Module code: MS7307

This module critically evaluates how the professions and practices of promotion have reshaped much of our contemporary world.

Promotional culture is everywhere and everything has become promotable through the deployment of public relations, advertising, marketing and branding. The module draws on a range of case studies to address a rich and diverse set of promotional practices across the corporate, public, political, civil society and charitable sectors in a globalised world. By using your empirical analytical skills in reading promotional texts and images, you'll gain a deeper understanding of this topic.

The module provides an introduction to the academic literature on Promotional Culture in the first lecture, followed by a range of case study examples that illustrate the ways in which PR and Advertising complement each other, or are strategically related. Some of the ideas you'll look at will include Activism, Transnational NGO Advocacy, Political Campaigning, Sport and Technology.

Topics Covered

• Promotional cultures
• Promoting peace through sport
• Transnational campaigns
• Terrorism and public relations
• Celebrities and politics
• Environmental campaigning
• Ageism and the advertising industry