From left to right: Sofia Izzi, Atara Beserglik, Caterina Sinigaglia, Wenhan Gu, Lee Henshaw, Arya Anant Hegde and Adya Hegde
Six MSc Marketing students from the Department of Management recently partnered with marketing technology startup, Into-it, to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) could automate different parts of the marketing workflow.
The collaboration formed as part of the MSc Marketing Applied Learning Project (MALP), which gives students the opportunity to apply academic concepts to real business challenges. Throughout the project, students worked with Into-it founder, Lee Henshaw, to test how AI agents could be used across different parts of the marketing process, from high-level Chief Marketing Officer tasks and strategic planning to lower-level market research and segmentation.
“Traditionally, our typical MALP has been something like creating a marketing strategy for a specific business—identifying where, when, and how should they run different types of content,” said Dr Heather Kappes, Marketing programme director. “As AI is changing how marketing happens, it's been fascinating to see how the projects we attract are also changing. This collaboration with Into-it has been particularly cutting edge, and this group of students really dove in and accomplished a lot. Obviously, there was a lot of uncertainty and a lot of things they had to figure out, and I'm impressed with what they got done!”
The project examined both the opportunities and limitations of AI in marketing. While some tasks proved difficult to automate, students found that AI tools showed potential in supporting market insights and data analysis. The experience also encouraged the students to consider how marketing roles may evolve as AI becomes increasingly embedded within organisations, focusing on the possibility of new roles emerging rather than the loss of roles to automation.
For the students involved, the project offered valuable hands-on experience at the intersection of marketing strategy and technology, while providing practical insights into one of the most significant developments currently shaping the industry.
A write up of the students’ project recently featured in Marketing Week. It is behind a paywall, but you can access the article here.
Wednesday 15 July 2026