Strategic Product & Marketing Immersion (SPMI)

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Master marketing strategy and tactics
The Strategic Product and Marketing Immersion (SPMI) in the two-year Cornell MBA program is a central part of the marketing track within the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.

This immersion is designed to equip future business leaders with the toolkit to understand their customers inside and out. Using this depth of understanding, students learn to make strategic and tactical decisions based on customer insights. Our students come from varied industry backgrounds and move into a wide array of roles after graduation, from traditional brand management and marketing to product management, general management, strategy consulting, and entrepreneurship.

SPMI overview

SPMI includes three interwoven components: lectures, guest speakers, and an immersion project.

A young man in business casual attire listens attentively to a middle-aged woman professor in a mid-sized lecture hall as part of the Cornell MBA program

Lectures

Lectures in the strategic product and marketing immersion cover foundational marketing concepts, theories, and frameworks as well as practical examples and case studies. Students learn to gather customer insights and apply these insights to develop relevant, effective marketing strategies. Topics include product and brand strategies, customer analytics, growth strategies, and digital marketing.

Guest speakers

Lecture topics come to life through seasoned guest speakers who have successful track records as marketers, executives, and business owners. These interactive sessions provide not only new knowledge, but also excellent networking opportunities.

Cornell MBA students in casual attire collaborate in a brightly lit lecture hall

Immersion project

The Immersion culminates in a team-based project where student-led teams partner directly with a company or startup to tackle a core marketing challenge. With a dedicated research budget and guidance from faculty, industry experts, and second-year MBA course assistants, teams conduct primary and secondary research and deliver data-driven recommendations, culminating in a final business case presented to the client. The experience mirrors internship workflows—scoping, stakeholder and project management, analysis, and executive-level presentations—making it an ideal dry run for students’ summer internships. Partner companies commit to regular check-ins, provide ongoing feedback, and participate in the final presentation.

SPMI projects

Past SPMI project examples include:

Recommendations for a major packaged goods company to launch a new product within an emerging snack category

A strategy for the cloud division of a big tech company to increase market share by targeting small and medium enterprises

A marketing plan for a payment app to acquire more users in the Gen X and Baby Boomer demographic groups

Career paths

The skills and knowledge from this immersion are applicable in nearly every industry. Three particularly popular career paths include:

Brand management and marketing

(including product marketing and marketing analytics)

Product management

Strategy consulting

Career outcomes

With their specialized knowledge and real-world experience, SPMI students find internships and full-time positions with prominent companies such as:

Explore career outcomes

Amazon

American Express

Colgate-Palmolive

General Mills

HP

Johnson & Johnson

Mars

Proctor & Gamble

SC Johnson

Unilever

Student reflections

Collaborative learning. Accomplished classmates. Broad perspectives. These are just a few of the many reasons students value their SPMI experience.

Nithya Kocherlakota, MBA ’24 looking at the camera in business casual attire, outdoors near an out-of-focus stone wall

“I was drawn to the strategic product and marketing immersion to deepen my understanding of customer behavior and preferences. Coming from a background in technology and financial services, I realized how important it is to connect with and cater to the needs of customers in today’s dynamic business landscape. This comprehensive exploration is crucial for any successful product or marketing strategy.”

Nithya Kocherlakota, MBA ’24

Patrick McNamara, MBA ’24, a Cornell MBA student in business casual attire, smiling in a glass-enclosed huddle room at Breazzano Family Center at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

“One of my favorite aspects was the opportunity to learn from a diverse and accomplished group of individuals. The immersion program featured an impressive array of speakers, including industry experts, alumni, and senior leaders from various fields. These speakers not only shared their insights, but also provided inspiration and real-world context for the concepts we were learning. This exposure to a wide range of perspectives and experiences was invaluable in broadening my horizons and shaping my understanding of marketing and product strategy.”

Patrick McNamara, MBA ’24

Aditya Sindhu, MBA ’24, a Cornell MBA student dressed in business formal attire, smiles at the camera in a studio portrait featuring a bluish gray background

“One of my favorite aspects of the immersion and the overall MBA program is the diverse and collaborative learning environment. The opportunity to work closely with fellow students from various professional backgrounds has enriched my perspective, enabled me to think more deeply, and provided insights into different industries. I feel like this collaborative atmosphere helped foster creativity and prepared me for the dynamic, cross-functional teamwork often required in the business world.”

Aditya Sindhu, MBA ’24

Program distinctions

Among the many benefits of earning the Cornell MBA at the Johnson School are the rich learning and networking experiences within your semester-long strategic product and marketing immersion. Distinctions include:

Team-based immersion project based on a real-world marketing challenge

Engagement opportunities with industry-leading practitioners

Rich curriculum with foundational courses and options for specialization

Finding your specialization

After your immersion semester, you can continue to explore marketing and strategic brand management concepts by choosing a related area of focus. During your second year at the Johnson School, you’ll have a chance to take a series of electives surrounding a theme such as:

Explore focus areas

Brand management

Data modeling & analytics

Entrepreneurship & innovation

Leadership & ethics

Technology product management

Industry-spanning faculty expertise

With the immersion’s mix of theory and practice, it only makes sense that it is co-taught by a dynamic duo with a range of academic and industry experience.

Clubs and organization

Making your mark at Cornell

The Johnson School’s two-year Cornell MBA program is bursting with extracurricular activities, including student organizations dedicated to marketing-related careers. Consider joining one or more to broaden your skills and expand your network.

Cornell Marketing Club

Partner with startups and other companies to grow their brands and gain professional experience.

Corporate Leadership Club

Join a supportive community of peers interested in marketing, corporate finance, and general management.

Ready to take the next step?

If you’re looking for a graduate-level strategic marketing education, we encourage you to apply to the two-year Cornell MBA program at the Johnson School, where you can immerse yourself in the topic for a semester.