Lala Lajpatrai Institute of Management

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Innovative Pedagogy - Prof. Nitu Nair

Subject: Consumer Behavior

Activity: Blind Tasting Exercise

Objective: To help students critically analyze how branding and packaging influence consumer perception and decision-making, often overriding actual product quality.

Methodology:

  • Selected 3-5 products from different brands in the same category (e.g., cola drinks).
  • Removed all brand identifiers – no labels, logos, or packaging clues.
  • Numbered the samples anonymously (Sample A, B, C, etc.).
  • Students tasted each sample and tried identifying the brands

Findings:

Over 40% of students rated lesser-known or private-label brands higher during blind tasting in terms of taste and flavor. Over 50 % students were not able to identify the brands and admitted to preferring brands due to familiarity, social perception, or advertising.

A noticeable shift in preference was observed once branding was revealed, confirming strong influence of brand equity on consumer behavior.

Key Learnings:

  • Branding significantly influences consumer perception and purchase decisions.
  • Packaging serves not only as a protective layer but also a psychological cue to perceived value.
  • Blind testing helps remove bias, offering deeper insights into actual product quality.

Subject: Application of Marketing: Theory and Practice

Activity: Student Presentations – Identifying failed Marketing Strategies and making a turnaround strategy for the same.

Objective: To develop strategic thinking by having students analyze real-world brand failures and propose turnaround strategies that could reposition the brand successfully in the market.

Activity Description: Students worked in teams to select a failed marketing campaign or presented:

  • A breakdown of the failure (what went wrong)
  • A revised marketing strategy to reposition the brand
  • Expected outcomes and metrics of success

Few of the presentation topics included:

  • Hippo’s Failure as a brand – Revamping product positioning with retro branding and influencer marketing.
  • Sabsyasachi Bridal Jewellery Controversy – “Intimate Fine Jewellery” campaign promoting the Royal Bengal Mangalsutra which was perceived as disrespectful to Hindu cultural sentiments. A revamped promotional strategy was made.
  • Zomato Kachra Campaign –The ad depicted the character being recycled into various objects to promote plastic neutrality. However, it was criticized for being casteist
  • Manayavar – KanyaMaan Campaign – Sparked debates on social media about cultural practices and modern interpretations of rituals. Crisis management strategy and a revamped promotional strategy was made.
  • Tropicana Packaging Blunder – Though innovative, disrupted the visual cues that consumers associated with Tropicana, leading to confusion and dissatisfaction. A crisis management strategy was displayed by the students.

Key Learnings:

  • Many marketing failures stem from misaligned brand positioning or misunderstanding of consumer behavior.
  • Rebranding and repositioning must consider consumer psychology, timing, and market trends.
  • Turnaround strategies require clear differentiation and emotional engagement.
  • It is important to be culturally sensitive and be aware in advertising, especially in a diverse society like India.
  • Consumers develop strong associations with brand visuals. Altering these can disrupt loyalty and trust.