Candy Taste Testing and Brand Names

Taste testing is not a new concept, but it is a very effective one.  When teaching the importance of brand names, brand equity, etc., a good activity to reinforce these issues is a taste test.  Being on a block schedule, I found that I was usually teaching this lesson prior to Christmas, then again prior to Easter.  Perfect!  A couple of super items for taste testing are candy canes and jelly beans.  There are tons of brands of each if you catch them at the right time of year, so stock up.

I would start by listing the brand names of each on the board, having each student copy the list.  Then they had to rank order the candy in the order that they thought that they would like them.  With their list completed and a plastic cup in hand, the students would come to a table in the front and "blindly" take a sample of jelly beans, eat them, and make whatever notes they saw fit.  However, they were not permitted to discuss it out loud.

After the eighth bag of candy canes or jelly beans, and the student beginning to get a bit green, take a class poll of which ones were best, which ones were worst, and then expose the brands of each.  Ensuing discussion should be in reference to why they thought they would like a particular brand, and compare that to why they did or didn't.

Mickey Kosloski
Virginia DECA