Consumer Marketing Academy

The Academy gives our MBA students a crash course—and a leg up—in networking and succeeding in the real world.

The Consumer Marketing Academy (CMA) is one of the greatest assets Kelley offers future brand and retail managers.

We work closely with managers at top companies in the industry to design and deliver a leading-edge program, and we work closely with you to develop your strategic and tactical marketing skills through seminars and real-world consulting projects.

Academy Weeks

The Academy experience focuses primarily on the first year of the MBA program. Two Academy Weeks will get you "down the curve" in brand management or retail management and prepare you for interviews and internships. For those who are interested, CMA involvement can continue in the second year. Second-year CMA students can engage in generational leadership by serving as a peer coach for first-year CMA students, or playing the role of associate brand manager during first-year projects. In addition, second-year students take specialized elective courses in brand asset management, consumer channels management, and other key areas.

Workshops, Company Treks, and special elective courses are just some of the ways the Academy prepares the next stars of the consumer products industry.

To better prepare our students for internships and future success, student teams conduct real projects for corporate partners of the Center. The sponsoring corporate managers work with students as the projects are conducted, attend the presentations, and critique our students' ideas and presentation skills. In addition, students take field trips to the corporate partner companies for sessions and networking.

Learn more about our corporate partners.

During Academy Weeks, senior managers and speaker panels cover topics such as the fundamentals of branding, segmentation, targeting and positioning, revitalizing mature brands, selling ideas inside the company, global branding, and the realities of brand management in your early years. We also expose students to the “channels” aspects of the business through sessions on topics such as the brand-sales force interface, private label programs, and category management.

Learn more about Academy Weeks.

Small groups of Kelley MBA students organize trips to companies based on their particular interests, whether it be working in a specific region of the country or in a specific segment of the industry. Company Treks allow our students to get face time with their dream companies by utilizing the Kelley name to get their feet in the door.

Learn more about Company Treks.

Academy students can also enroll in unique elective courses. The Consumer Channels Management course covers critical issues related to the interface between manufacturers and retailers, such as assessing merchandise performance, category management, efficient customer response, trade promotion, and other key topics. Another unique elective is our Brand Asset Management course, which is taught in a cross-functional manner by discussing not only the key marketing aspects of branding, but also the financial and operations perspectives on managing the brand.

Learn more about our courses.