Jai Hind College launches marketing science lab for UG students to study consumer behaviour

Jai Hind College has launched an undergraduate Marketing Science Lab to help students study consumer behaviour and brand performance using real-world data. The initiative aims to move marketing education beyond traditional frameworks and intuition towards evidence-based research.

The lab was inaugurated on October 19 in the presence of Saumik Paul, senior lecturer (associate professor) at the University of Manchester, college principal Vijay Dabholkar, faculty members, board members, including Deep Lalvani, and the first cohort of students selected for the programme.

The Jai Hind College Marketing Lab will allow selected undergraduate students to spend the academic year studying established marketing laws and analysing consumer data across Indian market categories. The research will focus on understanding how brands and markets behave, with the team aiming to publish its findings in a peer-reviewed marketing journal.

According to the college, the initiative was conceived with the support of Rajesh Thadani, president of Jai Hind College's governing board.

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Marketing lab to study consumer behaviour

Students selected for the lab will study established marketing principles, including the Law of Double Jeopardy and the Duplication of Purchase Law. They will use consumer data to examine how these principles apply to different consumer categories in India.

The research process is intended to follow established academic practices, giving students an opportunity to develop skills in data analysis, quantitative research and evidence-based marketing.

The lab draws on published research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science. The college has also acknowledged the guidance and mentorship of Associate Professor Justin Cohen of the institute at Adelaide University.

Jai Hind College Marketing Lab: Team and research guidance

The initiative is led by Yash Chandiramani, a Jai Hind College alumnus and visiting faculty member in advertising and marketing at the college. He is also the founder of Admatazz, an independent creative agency based in Mumbai.

Chandiramani has participated in the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute's How Brands Grow Live! for Executives programme, which provides training in evidence-based marketing principles.

The lab will also receive guidance from an academic research guide and a visiting statistics professor with expertise in quantitative methods and data science. They will work with a selected group of undergraduate students who have demonstrated an interest in marketing research.

College leaders on the initiative

Vijay Dabholkar, principal of Jai Hind College, said the lab reflects the institution's focus on academic ambition and new approaches to learning.

Dabholkar said, “The Jai Hind College Marketing Lab is a natural extension of what this institution has always stood for — academic ambition and a willingness to do things differently. We are proud to be home to a programme that brings genuine marketing science to our students."

Rakhi Sharma, director of AICTE programmes at Jai Hind College, said the initiative would give students practical experience in analysing consumer data and understanding marketing behaviour.

Sharma said, “Our students are not just reading about marketing — they are working with real data and developing the kind of analytical thinking that will stay with them for the rest of their careers. This is exactly the kind of programme Jai Hind College should be leading."

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Chandiramani said the lab aims to address gaps in the understanding of how brands and markets behave.

He said, "Marketing is one of the most studied subjects in India. It is also one of the least understood."

He added that this lab exists to change that. We are working with real data, real laws, and real students who are serious about understanding how brands and markets behave. What we are building here is new and exciting and we are grateful to have the college support this initiative.