Jenna Ruggiero

I’ve worked in marketing, branding and creative strategy for years, but so much of what I know came from actually doing the work: building brands, growing audiences, launching campaigns, producing events and figuring out in real time what moves people. I took the Digital Marketing Course because I wanted to strengthen the strategy and technical knowledge behind those instincts. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t just doing things because I knew they worked, but that I could better understand why they worked, how to measure them and how to build smarter strategies around them.

The course made me realize how much I naturally lead with creative instinct (which most of the time is on point), but I’m at my best when I pair it with structure, data and a clear objective. I also realized that I genuinely love the strategy behind the creative almost as much as the creative itself. Give me a messy brand problem, an audience to understand and a goal to hit, and I’m very happy figuring out how all the pieces should connect.

I really loved how practical the course was and how I could apply it right away. Nothing felt like marketing theory for marketing's sake, and I've taken online courses in different industries where that was the case. I could immediately connect what I was learning to brands and projects I’m currently working on!

My advice to someone thinking about taking the course is do it and actually do the work. Don’t rush through the assignments just to finish the course. Use a real brand, project or idea you care about as your testing ground and apply what you’re learning as you go. You’ll get so much more out of it when the work feels real. Best of all, your course won't expire! I had to take a break because my full-time job became overwhelmingly demanding, and as soon as that season ended I was able to pick up right where I left off :)

I already knew I could build brands and create marketing that gets attention, but the course gave me a stronger framework and vocabulary for explaining the thinking behind my decisions. It gave me the knowledge I needed to be more confident in the skill sets I was looking to develop!