Advertising psychology as a branch of applied psychology examines the effects of advertising on the experience and behavior of the (potential) buyer (demander). This includes, for example, effects on purchasing motives and purchasing decision processes. As a branch of business psychology (specifically market psychology), it therefore serves to increase the efficiency of advertising.

Advertising psychology deals with socially relevant topics such as the connection between media and aggression. But also mobile communication, mass media and mass communication, attention, information processing, design as well as teaching and learning with multimedia and the Internet. Advertising psychology online is therefore particularly important today. Online use has changed fundamentally, especially among Generation Alpha.

A degree in Business and Advertising Psychology teaches a broad range of subjects relating to the role of advertising in the media in our world:

• General psychology
• Research methods
• Scientific work
• Statistics for psychologists
• Methods of media use and media impact research
• Media psychology
• Communication psychology
• Media competence and media education
• Psychology of media use
• Psychology of media effects
• Market and advertising psychology
• Developmental psychology

Students acquire online knowledge about the psychological mechanisms of market processes and advertising and are able to describe and assess the effects of advertising in specific communication channels and media. This means that they can learn independently of time and place. The distance learning course in advertising psychology thus offers a high degree of flexibility for balancing work, study and private life.

You should meet the following personal requirements for studying advertising psychology:

• Flair for numbers
• Computer skills
• Organizational and planning talent
• analytical skills
• Systematic way of working

Advertising psychology methods are diverse and relate to various aspects of advertising design and strategy. They can be divided into qualitative and quantitative research, which aims to determine the consumer's understanding and perception of advertising messages. Qualitative research in advertising psychology uses methods such as focus groups and in-depth interviews to gain insights into how consumers think and feel. In contrast, quantitative research uses statistical methods and models such as surveys and experiments to measure consumer behavior and make predictions about their future behavior. The second advertising psychology method makes it possible to determine the perception and comprehensibility of advertising messages, the emotions addressed and the generally perceived value of the product.

In the field of media and advertising psychology, classic psychological questions and models of consumer research are important. In the context of emotion and cognitive psychology, the aim is to examine human behavior, actions and feelings in the context of media. Advertising and the media are omnipresent and influence people's consumer and social behavior. In the global competition for attention and influence, they are becoming increasingly important for achieving corporate goals. Media and advertising psychology helps to design media to suit the target group.

In an advertising psychology course, you learn roughly the following:

• Introduction: Advertising and purchasing, perception and attention
• Learning and memory
• Mechanisms of behavior control: activation processes, motives and goals
• Automatic action control from outside
• Basics of social judgment and purchasing decisions
• Psychology of purchasing decisions, basics of social psychology
• Psychological constancy and reactance
• Evaluation and construction of human satisfaction
• Explicit and implicit attitudes, changing attitudes
• Storytelling
• Differential consumer psychology
• Advertising design
• Contents of advertising & product design
• Perception of content
• Money & price psychology

In practice, advertisers use a range of advertising psychology techniques to optimize their messages and elicit the desired behavior from consumers. These include methods such as framing, which aims to influence the consumer's perception by varying the way in which information is presented. Or storytelling, which aims to create an emotional connection between the consumer and the brand or product.

Continuing education, further training in advertising psychology provides application-oriented knowledge for improved brand management and advertising strategy - and thus for more sustainable and greater economic success. Continuing education, further training expands your knowledge of brand and advertising processes by teaching concrete psychological recommendations for action, instruments and possible techniques. After the continuing education, further training you will know how to apply psychological instruments in advertising and brand management.

In advertising psychology, emotions are often used as a powerful tool to control consumers' reactions to advertising messages. Furthermore, emotions can influence consumers' attitudes towards an advertisement, a brand or a product. This is referred to as "emotion advertising psychology".

Important aspects or topics of brand and advertising psychology are:

• Psychology of brand management:
  • Social-cognitive foundations
  • Self-relevant aspects of brands
  • Diagnostic options

• Customer satisfaction & customer loyalty:
  • Definition approaches
  • Development of customer satisfaction and loyalty
  • Relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty
  • Diagnostic options

• Advertising psychology:
  • Models
  • Diagnostic options
  • Derivation of recommendations for action

Market and advertising psychologists carry out market psychology studies with the help of consumer surveys and thus research the motives and behavior of consumers. They evaluate what potential buyers think of a new product and filter out future trends from the data material. They examine the impact of advertising or the image of a company. Market and advertising psychology therefore analyzes sales psychology arguments.

With the distance learning Master's degree in Advertising Psychology, you are not only choosing a modern, digital and cutting-edge course - you are also setting the course for a successful professional career. After successfully completing the course, you can join the media industry, marketing teams or even market research. A good start into the exciting world of advertising psychology.

A degree in advertising psychology is possible via a psychology degree with a specialization (usually at Master's level) in work, business, organizational or decision-making psychology or via continuing education, further training in marketing. In some cases, access to CAS courses is also possible with a tertiary degree in other fields of study.