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Academic Year
Though we are not automatons directed by the mass media through advertising, there are numerous psychological elements that play a large role in the manipulation of our consumer habits. Advertising has long been criticized for being merely an obscene form of persuasion, a form of mass media, which tries a variety of methods to fool the everyday consumer. This course will critically examine the issue of persuasion in advertising by exploring various elements of behavioural science in an attempt to recognize the positive and negative effects of marketing and advertising. Personal identity, group behaviour, propaganda, social control, and the creation of desires will be some of the main topics to be discussed. Audiences and advertisers form a complex relationship that involves the creation of consumer needs and the effective tools necessary to address these needs. Using the skill acquired in the theoretical study of the course, students will create advertising campaign materials intended to change the reader's opinions and behaviours.