[Case by case #7] "Chopard by Hylink: when artificial intelligence makes learning marketing easier

Digital learning platforms have been around for several years. What's new about the system you've developed?

Marie-Cécile Cervellon : This online platform is dedicated to learning marketing concepts independently, i.e. without constant human intervention. It's an interactive course organised into progressive modules, which centralise resources (3) and teaching activities in the form of situational exercises and self-assessment MCQs. The system complements, rather than replaces, the case study. What makes it unique? The platform incorporates a virtual companion called 'John' who is able to guide, assist and interact with the learner using artificial intelligence. Based on CustomGPT, an artificial intelligence model that we have 'fed' with scientific articles, this chatbot is trained to answer learners' questions on the concepts of branding, communication and influencer marketing.

Loick Menvielle : Autonomy is at the heart of this enhanced platform. You can access it whenever you want, from wherever you want, from any device connected to the Internet. And at your own pace! This ATAWAD (Any Time Any Where Any Device) (4) trend offers a degree of flexibility that is particularly appealing to students from generations Y and Z! What's more, the course can be used in a hybrid format, or 100% face-to-face or 100% distance learning. The platform can be used to prepare the case study in advance of the course. Through the quizzes, it can also be used as an intermediate assessment. It gives both teachers and students the freedom to organise the course as they see fit.

How is a chatbot integrated into the learning platform a plus for students?

Loick Menvielle : "John", the virtual assistant integrated into the platform, enriches the educational experience through personalised, instantaneous support available 24/7. It's a significant change in the way we teach, based on the latest research in educational science.

Firstly, the conversational agent offers flexible learning, adapting to the pace and availability of each student. At any time, this virtual companion can suggest resources, provide additional information and clarify certain concepts, just as an instructor would do in a classroom. Then, interaction with the chatbot can make learning more interactive and engaging. Having a companion available at all times to help overcome any difficulties encountered helps to maintain motivation and commitment to the course, especially at a distance!

Marie-Cécile Cervellon : What's more, it pushes back the boundaries of personalised learning to cater for the diversity of learner profiles and the different ways of integrating knowledge. Using artificial intelligence, the conversational agent analyses users' responses and interactions to adapt the learning content to their specific needs. "John" provides students with immediate feedback on their performance and adapts the learning path in real time (adaptive learning) (5). This instant feedback enables learners to understand their mistakes and correct them quickly. It's a useful way of memorising knowledge more effectively and reinforcing autonomy at the same time.

How do the students feel about this teaching method?

Loick Menvielle : We asked 120 students in Digital Communication and Luxury Marketing to test the platform using the "Chopard by Hylink" case study, either in class or via distance learning. The feedback has been very positive. The student testers say they really enjoy using the platform as part of their training. The diversity of content on offer, the interactivity and the flexibility in the pace of learning appeal to these new generations of learners. They also like the possibility of self-assessment via quizzes, which help them to understand key concepts and memorise them.

Marie-Cécile Cervellon : Students point out that the learning platform combined with a chatbot offers a more inclusive means of accessing knowledge. As it is flexible and capable of adapting to the specific needs of each individual, the system enables people to learn at their own pace and helps to reduce inequalities between learners, particularly those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia (6).

Loick Menvielle : Overall, learners find this type of approach more dynamic than reading a "paper" case. Many would recommend this way of learning to their peers.

So are the 'paper' case studies over?

Marie-Cécile Cervellon : No, of course not! However, the digital learning platform accompanied by a virtual assistant is a logical evolution in the acquisition of skills that are key today: digital literacy, the ability to interact with AI, self-management. But it is far from being its only contribution. In our experience, upstream preparation, via the digital platform, enables a more in-depth and nuanced analysis of the case data. After preparing the case online through interactive activities, the group discussions turn out to be much richer and more constructive. As the concepts have been effectively assimilated beforehand, the classroom discussions focus more on developing strategic recommendations. The concrete proposals that emerge from these discussions reflect a global and applied understanding of marketing issues.

Loick Menvielle :I would add that not only does this learning methodology facilitate the assimilation of theoretical concepts, but it also contributes greatly to the practical and thoughtful application of this knowledge in real-life professional contexts.

You presented the platform with the "Chopard by Hylink" case study. What specific lessons can students learn about marketing today?

Marie-Cécile Cervellon : The "Chopard" case study details the strategy of China's leading digital communications agency, Hylink, to establish the Swiss watch and jewellery house Chopard on the Chinese luxury market. This case study lends itself particularly well to a step-by-step approach to influencer marketing. In particular, it is a good way of getting students to think about the social network ecosystem specific to China and the particularities of influencer marketing in that country. Here, the teaching objective is to learn how to build a digital communication plan, analyse the brand and its storytelling, choose the channels and influencers, and finally analyse the metrics.

Loick Menvielle : To this end, the digital platform includes videos presenting the case studied, to complement the written material, as well as short filmed testimonial interviews, such as that with Estelle Li, Hylink's Sales Director and EDHEC alumna. These interviews shed light on the context of the case study and help to put it into practice. Of course, the self-assessment quizzes enable learners to check their knowledge acquisition as they go along. "John", the virtual assistant, is there to help at all times. He does not answer the questions in the quizzes, but can provide additional information about Hylink, or about the concepts of brand identity or brand content, for example.

How can teachers benefit from this tool?

Loick Menvielle : We designed the system to help teach the main concepts of marketing, branding and communication, but it can also be used in other areas of marketing! The platform makes it possible to adapt the teaching content and learning paths to match the needs, skills and individual interests of each learner.

Marie-Cécile Cervellon : The teacher or trainer can therefore 'skip' certain modules that have already been assimilated by the learners, or that the teacher deems irrelevant at this point in the course. The platform also generates analytical data to help track progress, so that teaching interventions can be adjusted proactively. Combined with interactive activities and the expert chatbot, the teaching offered is ultimately more personalised, more differentiated and therefore more motivating... but in a more complete version where all the teaching material is included as well as additional resources, such as teaching notes and slides to help with debriefing.

References

(1) Fédération Nationale pour l'Enseignement de la Gestion des Entreprises - https://www.fnege.org/

(2) FOME, Future of Management Education. Each year, the FOME Alliance Prize rewards major educational innovations in the digital age. To access the article dedicated to the 2023 awards: follow this link

(3) Videos presenting the case studied, filmed testimonials, computer graphics, documents, etc.

(4) On this subject, read for example Le Journal du net "Any Where, Any Time, Any Device : un enjeu majeur pour le SI des entreprises" (2013)

(5) One student, for example, said that this tool is "[...] dynamic, and having so many videos and quizzes gives us more information about the case. It's also fun to do. Personally, the fact that it's visual and interactive helps me to memorise better, and the examples and quizzes also help me to understand".

(6) Can ChatGPT empower people with dyslexia? Bhuvan Botchu, Karthikeyan Iyengar & Rajesh Botchu. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37697967/

(7) One teacher highlighted the fact that "The idea, construction and structuring of the case are top notch. Very interesting case. The idea of integrating John into it fits in well with current "needs". I asked him a lot of questions, and it's quite amazing!"