Insight
From Classroom to Campaigns: Anastasiia’s SAE Marketing Placement
#SAEStories
SAE Liverpool student Anastasiia Strochikova recently completed a placement with the SAE UK marketing team, gaining hands-on experience in research, audience insight and real-world marketing strategy.
Anastasiia is a second-year student at SAE Liverpool, studying Online Marketing and Content Creation. As part of her placement, she worked directly with the SAE marketing team on a research project focused on the international student decision journey.
The project gave Anastasiia the opportunity to apply her classroom learning to a live marketing challenge, while helping SAE better understand the needs, concerns and experiences of international students considering studying in the UK.
Understanding the International Student Journey
During her placement, Anastasiia carried out research into the different stages international students go through when deciding where and what to study.
Her work explored the questions, concerns and barriers students may face during the decision-making process, from early research through to choosing a course, applying and preparing to study.
Anastasiia said:
“I was doing marketing research into the international student decision journey at SAE. Looking at their pain points, their thoughts, the concerns they have, what stage those concerns happen at, and how SAE can improve their journey.”
To build a stronger picture of the student experience, Anastasiia spoke with students from different campuses and nationalities. This helped her understand the audience more clearly and build recommendations based on real student insight.
From Research to Real Recommendations
A key part of Anastasiia’s placement was not just gathering information, but turning that insight into useful recommendations for the marketing team.
By looking at the student journey from the perspective of the audience, she was able to identify where SAE could improve communication, content and support for prospective international students.
Many of her recommendations are now beginning to influence live marketing activity, including social media content and student-focused messaging.
For Anastasiia, seeing her ideas begin to move from research into real implementation has been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.
She said:
“Most of the tips I gave were already implemented, and now I can see how they are going live.”
Stepping Outside the Comfort Zone
The placement also challenged Anastasiia personally and professionally.
Carrying out research, conducting interviews and presenting findings required her to step outside her comfort zone, especially as she was completing the project in English, which is not her native language.
Anastasiia said:
“I’m proud that I did it at all, because it was a challenge for me to do it not in my native language, and to do it with someone from industry who already works in the field.”
She explained that the project felt like a real responsibility because the work was not just an academic exercise. It was being used by an active marketing team to support real decisions.
“It felt like a responsibility for me, because I couldn’t just fail. I had to take everything seriously and really give results.”
For Anastasiia, the whole project became a meaningful experience because it pushed her to grow in confidence, speak with new people and trust her own ability.
Developing Confidence Through Practice
One of the most valuable parts of the placement was the chance to strengthen existing knowledge through real practice.
Anastasiia used tools such as Otter AI to support her research process and took a proactive approach to finding interviewees and gathering insight. When one route did not work, she looked for another.
This became one of the biggest lessons from the placement.
She said:
“If you cannot do it one way, there will be another way.”
When Anastasiia needed more insight and could not find enough students to speak with, she reached out to someone who had previously supported students entering universities and had experience working with SAE. This gave her another perspective and helped strengthen the research.
This ability to adapt, problem-solve and keep going is a key skill in marketing, where projects often change, audiences can be hard to reach and creative solutions are needed.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Anastasiia’s placement highlights the value of gaining experience outside the classroom while studying.
For students on creative and marketing-focused courses, real projects can help build confidence, professional awareness and a clearer understanding of how the industry works.
Anastasiia said:
“I would say it’s really important, because you don’t have the pressure of adult life yet. You are a student and you have a lot of free time outside of class, and it’s important to use that, not just waste it.
“It will be really helpful for you when you graduate.”
Through the placement, Anastasiia was able to connect her course learning with real marketing work, gaining experience that will support her future career.
Why Placements Matter
Placements like this give students the chance to test their skills, work with professionals and understand how creative and marketing projects operate in real environments.
For Anastasiia, the experience was not only about learning new things, but also about proving to herself that she could apply what she already knew.
She said:
“For me, it wasn’t really about learning lots of new stuff. It was more about strengthening my knowledge through practice, and getting to know people from the industry.”
She also said she would recommend the experience to other students interested in working with the SAE marketing team.
“Yeah, definitely. It is really nice, and it gives you that feeling of confidence that you can do something.”
Start Your Marketing and Content Career at SAE
If you’re serious about working in marketing, content creation or digital media, it’s not just about what you learn in class. It’s about how you apply it, how you understand audiences and how you turn ideas into action.
At SAE, students are encouraged to build real experience, work on live projects and develop the confidence to take their skills into industry.
