Made to Measure: How Wharton Custom Programs Drive Strategic Impact

When a multinational company reached out to Wharton Executive Education, they weren’t looking for an off-the-shelf solution. They wanted a program tailored to their specific marketing challenges—one that would bring leaders from across regions together to align around a shared strategy and accelerate innovation. The person they turned to was Wharton marketing professor David Reibstein, an expert in his field and a seasoned architect of custom executive learning.

“Every client is different,” Reibstein says. “Some want to solve a pressing problem. Others want to elevate the overall capability of their people. What they all want is to bring cutting-edge insights into their organization—and that’s exactly what we do.”

Wharton’s approach to custom education is built around each client’s goals. The process begins with a deep dive into the organization’s strategic needs—what Reibstein calls “finding the pain.” Once the need is clear, he assembles a faculty team with the right expertise. “I’m not the master of all trades,” he notes. “If it’s AI in marketing, I bring in colleagues like Eric Bradlow or Stefano Puntoni. For pricing strategy, it might be John Zhang. My role is part diagnostician, part general contractor.”

This collaborative model means the resulting programs are anything but one-size-fits-all. Instead, they’re purpose built to solve real-world challenges—delivered by faculty actively shaping those fields through research. “We still teach the fundamentals,” Reibstein says, “but the context is always evolving. Generative AI, customer lifetime value, digital transformation—these shifts are changing the marketing game. We help participants think through how to best adopt these developing tools.”

And the benefits go far beyond knowledge transfer. In one long-running series of programs for a global pharmaceutical company, regional cohorts came together in cities across the world: Philadelphia, Munich, Barcelona, Singapore, Tokyo, Bogotá. Eventually, the client requested a session just for senior leaders. It became more than a classroom experience—it was a catalyst for connection.

“These programs create a platform for cross-pollination,” Reibstein explains. “People from different regions or business units—many of whom had never met—start learning from each other. They share what’s working and what isn’t. It builds internal networks, spreads best practices, and strengthens culture.”

That blend of academic rigor, peer learning, and organizational alignment is why custom learning is gaining traction. It’s also why Reibstein encourages participants to apply what they’ve learned immediately—and hold themselves accountable. “At the end of a program, I’ll ask executives to write down what they’re going to do differently next week. If we can get their managers involved, we’ll even send those deliverables back to the firm, so there’s follow-up a few months later.”

Sometimes, the results speak for themselves. Reibstein recalls one company president who followed up after a program with a message he won’t forget: “‘We applied what you taught us as soon as we got back,’ he said, ‘and it saved us $400 million.’” That kind of outcome—measurable, significant, lasting—is exactly what Wharton aims for.

Still, not every organization is ready to make that leap. “Some companies want to check a box,” Reibstein acknowledges. “They think sending people to a program shows they’re investing in talent, but they’re not prepared to change how they operate. The real payoff comes when firms are open to doing things differently.”

Ultimately, that’s the mission of Wharton’s custom programs: not just to deliver content, but to catalyze transformation. As co-author of Marketing Metrics, now in its 4th edition, Reibstein has spent his career emphasizing that marketing, like leadership, is measurable. “Too many firms still rely on gut feel,” he says. “Our goal is to equip leaders with the tools and mindset to use data—to return to their roles ready to measure, optimize, and perform.”

From diagnostics to design, instruction to implementation, Wharton’s custom programs are made to measure. They don’t just teach—they build momentum.