Rethinking management education in India: From traditional MBA to experiential marketing pathways

By Joshua Newman, VP Marketing & Partnerships, Bhavan’s College MSEED

In recent years, the landscape of management education in India has witnessed both challenge and change. Traditionally, the MBA has been the gold-standard credential for young professionals looking to build careers in business, strategy, and leadership particularly in marketing. An estimated 60 % of MBA aspirants aim for a specialization in marketing at institutions across the country, drawing them toward roles in brand management, sales, market research, and related fields.

Yet, the reality remains stark: only a small fraction of these aspirants make it into the top-tier business schools the so-called “best of the best” B-schools in India. The vast majority find themselves placed in Tier-2 or Tier-3 institutions, where the MBA fulfills an aspirational credential but often falls short of delivering the job outcomes students originally envisaged.

Alarming Drop in CAT Participation
One of the most striking signals of this shift emerged in 2025. The Common Admission Test (CAT) India’s premier national MBA entrance exam recorded a notable drop in registration numbers compared to the previous year. According to official figures from the CAT conducting body (IIM Kozhikode), only 2.95 lakh candidates registered for CAT 2025, marking a decline of over 10% from the 3.29 lakh registrations recorded for CAT 2024. This represented the lowest registration count in several years.

This decline in CAT registrations has been widely discussed in education forums and media as a wake-up call for the MBA ecosystem not as a sign of stagnation, but as evidence that students are exploring alternative pathways that promise clearer career value, faster outcomes, or better alignment with evolving industry needs.

From Job-Seeking to Career-Building Mindsets
The CAT drop reflects not only choice but prioritization. Today’s students are less inclined to pursue MBA programs merely for the title or degree. Instead, many are charting professional trajectories that promise career fulfillment and industry relevance rather than traditional job roles alone. This shift is propelled by broader transformations in the workplace, where specialized skills, experiential learning, and domain expertise are valued alongside or sometimes more than general management credentials.

Marketing functions in companies are evolving rapidly. With digital marketing saturating the attention economy and audiences becoming resistant to conventional media advertising, experiential engagement models such as live events, direct activations, and immersive brand experiences are gaining strategic importance. These trends are reshaping how brands connect with consumers, and in turn, how marketers are trained.

Experiential Marketing & Live Experience: A Rising Force
Experiential marketing, a strategy that creates direct, interactive brand experiences is increasingly being prioritized by both global and Indian firms to build deep emotional engagement with customers. These initiatives go beyond traditional advertising by placing consumers at the heart of the brand encounter, whether through live events, pop-ups, brand activations, or immersive interactive campaigns.

Market research indicates that experiential marketing is a growing segment of the marketing services industry, with brands globally allocating larger portions of their marketing budgets toward experience-driven campaigns. In fact, many companies report increased spending or planned increases in experiential formats.

In India, this trend has been reflected in job markets and career postings. A quick search across industry platforms today shows hundreds of openings in experiential marketing, brand activations, and event-oriented marketing roles across major metros like Mumbai and Bengaluru spanning entry-level to managerial positions.

Against this backdrop, institutions like Bhavan’s College MSEED (Management School of Events and Experience Design) are witnessing a spike in interest and applications for their MA in Event Management with a specialization in Global Business and Experiential Marketing — affiliated with the University of Mumbai.

This surge reflects a fundamental realignment in student preferences:

Career outcomes over degrees – students seek structured programs that develop practical, industry-aligned skills rather than purely theoretical knowledge.

Fast-growing niche sectors – experiential marketing and live events have become critical parts of integrated brand strategies, creating demand for professionals who can design, execute, and measure impact across platforms.

Employer demand – whether it’s FMCG brands, advertising agencies, or corporate marketing teams, employers are actively recruiting talent with expertise in brand engagement, event coordination, and experience design.

Also, the scope of event management in India continues to expand, covering corporate events, trade shows, weddings, sports events, and entertainment productions — all of which require skilled, creative professionals who can deliver compelling experiences.

Beyond Digital Saturation
The old narrative of digital media as the dominant force in marketing is now shifting. While digital remains vital, its effectiveness is increasingly complemented and sometimes overshadowed by strategies that prioritize real-world engagement and experiential touchpoints. Consumers today crave meaningful brand interactions that resonate on a human level, not just a screen. This has pushed brands to innovate in areas like hybrid events, interactive installations, and immersive engagements that blend physical and digital experiences.

This shift opens up exciting career avenues:
Brand Activation Strategist
Experiential Marketing Manager
Event & Experience Designer
Consumer Engagement Specialist
Live Marketing Coordinator
A New Era for Aspiring Marketers

The decline in CAT registrations in 2025 while noteworthy points to a broader realignment in how Indian youth view professional success. Rather than simply chasing the next degree, students are increasingly choosing education that equips them for dynamic roles driven by innovation, experience, and consumer insight.

At a time when brands are rewriting how they engage audiences, programs that blend marketing fundamentals with real-world experiential design and business strategy are emerging as compelling alternatives to traditional MBA pathways.

For aspiring marketers and experience designers, this is not just an educational choice, it’s a strategic investment in a future where careers are defined not by credentials alone, but by capability, creativity, and impact.