Students get Masterclass in Influencing Consumer Choices

28.11.2019

Workshop on Beverage Marketing Explores the Art of Influencing Consumers' Choices

Hospitality students at Wittenborg recently spent a fun day exploring how the packaging and branding of beverages influence consumers' choices as well as the importance of sense in the tasting experience. This, of course, meant tasting and discussing both soft and alcoholic drinks from around the world.

The workshop was supervised by Wittenborg lecturer Trinidad Navarro, who teaches the module Beverage Marketing to Hospitality Management (HBA) double-degree students. The latter acted as hosts to MSc Hospitality Management students that got to do the tasting. Both groups shared their experiences afterwards.

Navarro said the learning objective of the workshop was to evaluate how senses influence the taste experience and analyse the packaging, branding and possible marketing strategies of the drinks. The workshop was held in Aventus' Hotel School in Apeldoorn.

One of the HBA students who participated, Kyle Holtzhausen, said it was fascinating to learn how presentation and environment play a role in people's choices. "For instance, we poured expensive drinks in ordinary paper cups and cheap drinks in beautiful glasses, and people actually preferred the latter just because of the way it was presented. We also made an effort to engage everybody's senses by, for instance, blindfolding them while tasting certain drinks, or having them wear earphones and playing music. All of this influenced their perception of a certain drink."