Jai Hind College launches marketing science lab in Mumbai

Jai Hind College has launched an undergraduate marketing science lab in Mumbai focused on empirical marketing research using consumer data.

The new facility, called the Jai Hind College Marketing Lab, was inaugurated in the presence of Dr. Saumik Paul, Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester, along with the college's Principal, faculty, board members including Deep Lalvani, and the first group of students selected for the programme.

The lab was created to address what the college sees as a gap in how marketing is taught in India, where the subject is widely studied but often approached through theory and intuition rather than evidence-based analysis.

Students selected for the lab will spend the academic year studying established marketing laws, including the Law of Double Jeopardy and the Duplication of Purchase Law, and examining how those principles operate in Indian consumer categories using real consumer data.

The research process is intended to mirror academic practice, and the lab will seek to publish its findings in a peer-reviewed marketing journal.

Academic backing

The initiative was conceived with support from Dr. Rajesh Thadani, President of Jai Hind College's Governing Board, whose backing helped move the programme forward institutionally.

The lab is led by Yash Chandiramani, an alumnus of the college who is now Visiting Faculty in Advertising and Marketing at Jai Hind College. He is also Founder of Admatazz, a Mumbai-based creative agency.

It will also be guided by an academic research guide and a Visiting Statistics Professor with experience in quantitative methods and data science. The programme will work with a selected group of undergraduate students identified for their interest in marketing research.

The project draws on published research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science. Jai Hind College also acknowledged guidance and mentorship from Associate Professor Justin Cohen of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science at Adelaide University.

Teaching approach

The lab is designed to give undergraduate students exposure to data-led research methods earlier in their academic training than is typical in many business courses.

This approach emphasises analysing market behaviour and brand performance through empirical research rather than relying solely on case studies or conceptual frameworks.

Dr. Vijay Dabholkar outlined the college's position on the initiative.

"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," said Dr. Vijay Dabholkar, Principal of Jai Hind College.

Dr. Rakhi Sharma, Director of AICTE Programs at Jai Hind College, said the programme would shape students' analytical development.

"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," Sharma said.

For Chandiramani, the lab reflects an effort to change how students understand marketing through direct engagement with evidence and established marketing laws.

"Marketing is one of the most studied subjects in India. It is also one of the least understood. 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's support for this initiative," Chandiramani said.