• Senior marketing leaders, looking to make AI investments compound, connect marketing to revenue, and confidently demonstrate impact while leading organization-wide transformation through a high-performing marketing system
• Marketing operations and marketing technology leaders aiming to overcome tool sprawl, poor data flow and manual bottlenecks by building integrated systems that enable scalable, AI-driven marketing
• Analytics and customer insights leaders looking to move beyond dashboards to drive decisions, strengthen the link between measurement and budget allocation and improve customer engagement through closed-loop systems
• Agency and consulting professionals seeking to move beyond tactical AI adoption and fragmented recommendations to guide clients in building integrated, AI-powered marketing systems
• Mid-level marketing professionals looking to grow into more strategic roles, use AI in their work, and take on greater responsibility across teams and marketing initiatives.

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

• Design connected, AI-native marketing systems that drive continuous learning, coordinated action and compounding performance
• Prioritize the right customers using sensing workflows, shared memory and signal-based ideal customer profiles (ICPs) and positioning
• Design decision logic that aligns customer state to the right message, journey and content system
• Define how generative AI (gen AI) and agentic AI operate across marketing workflows within compliance and governance guardrails
• Measure marketing impact to demonstrate business value and return on investment (ROI)

Module 1: The Intelligent Marketing Operating System

Understand why marketing must evolve into a connected system rather than isolated tools and campaigns. Build the foundation for the I-MOS along with the vocabulary and mental model that guide the rest of the program.

This module focuses on:

• Seven marketing workflows and system design
• Four-part architecture: shared memory, services, orchestration and governance

Module 2: Sensing: Customer Intelligence — From Signals to Insights

Build a continuous listening capability that replaces episodic research with always-on signal systems. Learn how AI transforms signals into decision-ready insights.

This module focuses on:

• Behavioral, qualitative, intent and environmental signals
• Signal triangulation for deeper insight
• Agentic signal service and shared memory

Module 3: Focusing: Segmenting, Targeting, ICP and Positioning

Translate customer understanding into a clear ICP, positioning and messaging architecture. Move from static segments to signal-based targeting.

This module focuses on:

• ICP model: Fit × Readiness − Friction
• Signal-based segmentation and targeting
• Positioning and messaging architecture
• Personalization as a strategic choice

Module 4: Designing: Creative Systems and Content at Scale

Reframe creative operations as a scalable system powered by AI and brand DNA. Move beyond prompts to structured content architectures, transforming content into modular building blocks that AI can assemble in real time.

This module focuses on:

• Brand DNA coding and modular content systems
• Gen AI for scalable content creation
• Content assembly and system design
• Governance zones for creative control

Module 5: Orchestrate, Attract and Execute: Journey Design, Decisioning Service, AI-Mediated Discovery, System Campaign

Design marketing as a continuous system of journeys, decisioning and execution. Connect customer states, triggers and actions across channels.

This module focuses on:

• State-based journey design and next best actions
• Orchestration across channels and content systems
• Discovery in AI-powered answer engines
• Marketing–finance interface and resource allocation

Module 6: Agentic AI and the Operating Stack (From Strategic Architecture to Operating Architecture — How Agentic Services Come to Life Inside The I-MOS)

Understand how to design and deploy AI agents within marketing systems. Balance automation with control using structured frameworks.

This module focuses on:

• Individual agents, workflows and agentic services
• Economics of error and autonomy levels
• Agent design: persona, triggers, inputs and actions
• Escalation rules and kill-switch conditions

Module 7: Learn and Measure (Incrementality, Attribution, Experimentation, Marketing ROI)

Shift to incrementality — incremental return on ad spend (iROAS) — to isolate true marketing impact. Move beyond dashboards to design measurement systems that drive continuous improvement.

This module focuses on:

• Incrementality and iROAS
• Marketing mix modeling (MMM), multi-touch attribution (MTA) and causal inference
• Experimentation and measurement systems
• Dynamic budget allocation

Module 8: Govern, Transform and Lead (Governance Controls, Regulation, Organizational Transformation, Agent-to-Agent Future)

Embed governance into marketing systems while leading organizational transformation. Manage risk, compliance and long-term evolution.

This module focuses on:

• Consent, bias, audit trails and risk controls
• Kill-switch protocols and runtime governance
• Regulatory considerations in AI marketing
• Organizational transformation and future ecosystems

Mohanbir Sawhney - Academic Director; Associate Dean for Digital Innovation; McCormick Foundation Chair of Technology; Clinical Professor of Marketing; Director of the Center for Research in Technology and Innovation

What is the learning experience?

Your learning experience will consist of frameworks delivered via video lectures, live webinars, real world examples and case studies, application of frameworks through weekly activities, customized assignments and quizzes, discussion boards, and faculty engagement.

What is the program format?

The program consists of 8 modules delivered over 9 weeks online. Learners can expect to dedicate 4-6 hours per week to watching videos, completing assignments and participating in discussions. Modules are opened at the beginning of each week and have quizzes/assessments at the module’s conclusion. Learners may choose to engage with the program module all in one sitting or in smaller segments of time throughout the week. While the modules do not close, access to assignments is closed each week.

Could a learner choose to opt out of some topics?

No. This is an online program in which a topic module is introduced each week, and the learner is expected to watch the video lectures, participate in the live webinars, complete the exercises/activities and take the mastery quiz at the end of each week to progress to the subsequent week’s topic.

Are any of the sessions delivered in real time (live)?

There will be live webinars, led by faculty and/or subject matter experts, delivered during the course of the program via a video conferencing platform. These sessions provide learners with an opportunity to listen and ask questions, and while they are valuable in enhancing the overall experience, attendance is not mandatory. All live sessions are recorded for later viewing.

What methods will be used for grading and evaluations?

Kellogg program leaders will review assignments, discussions and exercises to determine participants’ understanding of the material.

How much time is allocated to complete assignments?

The due date for submitting assignments is typically within 7 days of the module opening, but can be as long as 14 days, depending on the scope of the assignment. However, learners may request deadline extensions to accommodate for business and personal conflicts that may arise during the program timeframe. Reach out to the support team to discuss any challenges you may have in completing assignments.

Can participation in this program be counted as credit toward a degree, either at Kellogg, Northwestern University or another academic institution?

No. Executive Education offers only non-degree programs and each participant receives a certificate of completion at the end of the program. This certificate does not count as credit toward a degree. In addition, at this time, our online programs do not count as credit toward a Kellogg Executive Scholar Certificate.

Does the program offer community engagement for learners?

Yes, participants can create a profile, connect and collaborate with peers, and interact with academic/industry experts such as program leaders and teaching assistants. Live sessions with subject matter experts will be held during the program and all participants are welcome to join in with questions or to discuss assignments.

What are the requirements for accessing the program?

Participants will need the following to access the program:

• Valid email address
• Computing device connected to the internet (Mac/PC/laptop, tablet or smartphone)
• The latest version of your preferred browser to access our learning platform (Chrome and Firefox are preferred for accessing Canvas)
• Microsoft Office and PDF viewer to access content such as documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files, and transcripts
• Additional software and resources may be required for certain programs – this will be communicated upon registration and/or at the beginning of the program

PLEASE NOTE: Google, Vimeo and YouTube may be utilized in the program delivery

Does the program offer a certificate?

Yes. Participants will receive a digital certificate of completion from Kellogg following a successful conclusion to the program. Since this program is graded as a pass or fail, participants must receive an 80% to pass and obtain the certificate. This digital certificate can be shared with colleagues and posted on LinkedIn. (PLEASE NOTE: We do not provide reports of assessments, or “transcripts,” since this is a non-degree program.)

Who is Emeritus and what is their relationship with Kellogg Executive Education?

Kellogg Executive Education is partnering with Emeritus Institute of Management, an online education provider, to develop and deliver this program. By working with Emeritus, we are able to provide broader access to Executive Education, beyond our on-campus offerings, in a collaborative and engaging format that is consistent with Kellogg’s standard of quality.

Additional questions?

Please contact us by calling 847-467-6018 or email us at execed@kellogg.northwestern.edu.