This course addresses digital creativity for social media from a strategic and branded content perspective, understanding creativity as a structural business capability rather than only a mode of visual execution. It explores how creativity contributes to positioning, differentiation and brand value creation in highly competitive social environments.
Throughout the course, students will analyse how brands generate attention, cultural relevance and community in saturated digital ecosystems by connecting creativity, social behaviour and business objectives. The subject combines theoretical content, case-study analysis of campaigns and brands, specific creativity sessions and practical development of strategic creative proposals for contemporary brands.
On a weekly or biweekly basis, students will work on case studies focused on campaigns and brands that are performing especially well, or less effectively, on social media in order to build strategic judgement, cultural sensitivity and applied analytical skills.
Students are expected to understand the basic principles of digital communication, social media and brand positioning.
They should also be familiar with the relationship between audiences, content and business objectives in digital environments.
- To understand the role of creativity in contemporary digital ecosystems and its relationship with attention, platform culture, audience behaviour and business objectives.
- To design branded content strategies aligned with brand positioning, target audiences and organisational purpose.
- To identify and interpret cultural trends, internet codes and participatory dynamics in order to transform them into relevant creative concepts, narratives and content systems for different platforms and audiences.
- To apply contemporary creative tools, strategic frameworks and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and to critically evaluate their impact on engagement, community building and brand development.
Unit 1. The Attention Economy and Platform Culture: digital saturation, attention economy, algorithms, user behaviour and platform logics.
Unit 2. Creativity as Strategic Thinking: strategic creativity, the difference between content and concept, contemporary thinking frameworks and idea labs.
Unit 3. Branded Content and Cultural Relevance: from advertising to branded content, brands as media, storytelling and cultural relevance.
Unit 4. Social Media Narratives and Format Design: platform-native narratives, short-form content, serialisation, hooks, retention and emotional design.
Unit 5. Creative Direction for Social Media: creative direction for digital brands, visual identity, narrative coherence and brand universe building.
Unit 6. Communities, Participation and Internet Culture: memes, digital communities, active audiences, co-creation, UGC and the role of creators.
Across the term, the course will integrate recurring case studies and specific creativity sessions to translate theory and observation into applied practice.
The methodology combines theory-practice sessions, guided analysis of real cases, debates on digital culture, creativity workshops and the progressive development of an applied project. The course alternates between conceptual framing and spaces for experimentation and creative problem solving.
Every week or every two weeks, students will work on case studies centred on brands, campaigns, creators or social profiles that either demonstrate excellent practice or illustrate strategic mistakes, helping them train critical reading of results, platform codes and creative decisions.
In addition, specific creativity sessions or Creative Thinking Labs will provide students with tools to generate ideas, build concepts, articulate narratives and transform cultural insights into valuable brand proposals.
Assessment is continuous and combines analysis, participation, ideation capacity and the strategic application of creativity in social environments. Both conceptual quality and the ability to justify proposals from a brand, audience and cultural relevance perspective are assessed.
To pass the subject, students must obtain a minimum final grade of 5.0/10 and at least 5.0/10 in the final project. Activities not submitted by the deadline will be recorded as not submitted unless there is a justified reason according to School academic regulations.
In accordance with School academic regulations, the subject includes highly significant and moderately significant assessment activities depending on their weighting, compulsory nature and effect on the final grade.
The extraordinary resit, when applicable and subject to academic coordination, may consist of revising or resubmitting key course evidence. Classroom-based activities, debates and part of the lab work have limited recoverability because of their process-based nature.
The School's coexistence, academic honesty and integrity regulations apply to all course activities. Institutional references include the Copies Regulation (https://www.salleurl.edu/en/copies-regulation) and the academic regulations page with the coexistence framework (https://www.salleurl.edu/es/estudios/masters-y-postgrados/informacion-academica/normativa-academica).
Use of AI tools: If AI tools are used in any activity, students must state the purpose of use, the tools employed and the prompts or instructions used. Undeclared or misleading use may constitute a breach of academic honesty policies.
Assessment activity | Weight | Description |
Final branded content and digital creativity project | 40% | Development of a strategic creative proposal for a brand, including concept, narrative, formats and justification. |
Case studies and applied analyses | 25% | Critical reading of campaigns, brands and social profiles, identifying strengths, weaknesses and transferable lessons. |
Creative Thinking Labs and workshop exercises | 20% | Idea-generation, narrative, creative direction and platform adaptation exercises. |
Participation, discussion and in-class work | 15% | Active attendance, quality of interventions, involvement in discussion and contribution of critical judgement. |
This course may allow a specific level of AI use. For further information, please consult the professor:
- Level 1: AI is not permitted.
- Level 2: AI is permitted only for ideation and planning.
- Level 3: AI is permitted only for formal review and improvement.
- Level 4: AI is permitted for specific tasks, with critical analysis and mandatory citation.
- Level 5: AI is permitted throughout the entire process.
The AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) is designed as a flexible framework that helps students and teaching staff understand what use of AI is permitted in each activity and what level of academic responsibility is associated with each level.
Amabile, T. M. (1983). The social psychology of creativity: A componential conceptualization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(2), 357-376. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.45.2.357
Contagious. (2026). The most creative brands in the world report. Contagious Communications.
Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB Spain). (2025). Annual study on social media and branded content. IAB Spain.
Milner, R. M. (2016). The world made meme: Public conversations and participatory media. MIT Press.
Runco, M. A., & Jaeger, G. J. (2012). The standard definition of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 24(1), 92-96. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2012.650092
Sternberg, R. J., & Lubart, T. I. (1996). Investing in creativity. American Psychologist, 51(7), 677-688. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.51.7.677
Teixeira, T. S. (2014). The rising cost of consumer attention: Why you should care, and what you can do about it. Harvard Business Review Working Paper, 14-055.
Amabile, T. M. (1983). The social psychology of creativity: A componential conceptualization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(2), 357-376. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.45.2.357
Contagious. (2026). The most creative brands in the world report. Contagious Communications.
Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB Spain). (2025). Annual study on social media and branded content. IAB Spain.
Milner, R. M. (2016). The world made meme: Public conversations and participatory media. MIT Press.
Runco, M. A., & Jaeger, G. J. (2012). The standard definition of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 24(1), 92-96. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2012.650092
Sternberg, R. J., & Lubart, T. I. (1996). Investing in creativity. American Psychologist, 51(7), 677-688. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.51.7.677
Teixeira, T. S. (2014). The rising cost of consumer attention: Why you should care, and what you can do about it. Harvard Business Review Working Paper, 14-055.