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Applied Learning

Applied learning courses put students in the shoes of senior executives facing real-world issues. Companies such as Kimberly-Clark, Kraft Heinz, and Dish Network have presented Wisconsin MBA students in brand and product management with the challenges of growing a brand using Nielsen data, social media, and branding strategies. The knowledge of the projects, practices, and issues that face actual industry professionals will put you on a path to success from day one.

On Fridays, students in applied learning sessions analyze actual industry case studies with business leaders and experienced faculty. The following are just a few examples of real business challenges that students have tackled in applied learning projects.

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Scott Cook, Co-Found of Intuit

Strategies for Consumer Connections with TurboTax®

Learning how to manage a brand’s consumer engagement in an always-evolving marketplace is key to business success. Brand and product management students had the opportunity to hone this skill when the co-founder of Intuit visited to discuss how to engage and maintain TurboTax users. Students created and presented a strategy for approaching innovation that had to be simple, address the consumer’s needs, and maintain what was already effective. Exercises such as these ready our graduates with a template for addressing real-world problems.

Student in applied learning session

Brand Dilemmas with Hollister Incorporated

Students in applied learning sessions find out first hand how necessary having a broad breadth of skills is in brand management, and how nuanced decision-making can be in the real world. On a recent applied learning project, representatives from Hollister Inc., a medical supply company, presented brand and product management students with a real dilemma the company faced after acquiring a competitor. After analyzing actual company and marketplace data, students presented Hollister with recommendations on how to have two brands from the same company operate in one global market. Through experiences like these, our students learn that brand management requires leadership at every level of business, and are prepared to take on that role.

Whitney Peiser

“What surprised me from day one was how much the Wisconsin MBA Program set me up for success in my internship. Simple things like speaking the brand world's lingo and already being familiar with Nielsen data helped make the transition easier.”

—Whitney Peiser, MBA

Joe Ostrander

“Each Friday, our class has the pleasure of working with brand managers and professionals from Fortune 500 companies. We discuss real-world topics and scenarios that relate to our future careers. We've learned best practices for preparing data, how to gut check our assumptions and recommendations, presentation skills, and how to understand our audience and tailor a story to their needs and expectations.”

—Joe Ostrander, MBA

Sean Kristl

“Applied learnings are a cornerstone of the Wisconsin MBA Program in brand and product management. They are a training ground for learning real-world solutions to actual issues faced by potential employers.”

—Sean Kristl, MBA

The Brand and Product Management Experience

Every week, brand and product management students receive hands-on training using advice from senior executives. These applied learning sessions prepare our graduates for a career full of tough decisions.

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