A Taste of Marketing

When Fordham prof Janet DiLorenzo wants to make a point in one of her marketing classes, the teaching tool is apt to come from the supermarket

by Kristen Fiani

Janet DiLorenzo
Fordham University

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BusinessWeek asked business undergrads to tell us about their favorite professors. Here's another installment in the series.

"Pass the ketchup," is a phrase heard hundreds of times a day on college campuses across the country. But it's usually heard in the dining hall, not in the classroom. For students enrolled in Janet DiLorenzo's marketing courses at Fordham University, ketchup is one of many food products and other props—such as eggs, brownies, and cookies—that make the rounds on any given day.

On the surface, it may seem as if the food is a gimmick to keep attendance high. While this may be partially true, each item has a purpose that relates to topics discussed in class. Because the examples are unique, students remember them. The ketchup was used to reinforce the topic of brand strategy. The eggs were to stress the importance of a firm's packaging approach. And the cookies and brownies? That's the mother in her coming out. "We do 'taste tests,' but it's more about me nurturing them," she says. "If I show a video, the lights go down, we pass around cookies."

Although a nurturer, DiLorenzo is an equally tough grader who expects the very best from her students. "It's ironic since my students love me so much and I love them," says DiLorenzo. "But they know my class is not a walk in the park." DiLorenzo assesses her students based upon essay tests, major projects, class participation, and group oral presentations. "Sometimes we do rigorous oral presentations in class. Sometimes it's cookie day," she says. "I'm not one to give a lot of As, but my students know that when they leave me, they'll know marketing."

Hands-On Approach

Students never know what to expect in DiLorenzo's classes, and that's what keeps them coming back. "She's like the crazy, funny friend," says Fordham senior Molly Prunka. "I just wanted to go up to her and say, 'Hey, I think you're really cool,' but I didn't want her to think I wanted a higher grade."

As a former full-time consultant and corporate analyst, DiLorenzo intimately understands the hands-on aspects of marketing and applies this technical expertise to her lectures. "You cannot rely on the past in marketing," she says. "I want them to be ready for anything." And her students appreciate her first-hand expertise. "[She provides us] with a taste of what the industry is like," says Prunka. To do this, it isn't rare for DiLorenzo to use examples from newspapers, magazines, or current commercials, and she's quick to acknowledge the crucial role that media play in both marketing and business education, which she calls "the two passions running through my veins."

Cookies and ketchup aside, students like DiLorenzo's warm and approachable personality. "She took a sincere interest in me," says senior Javier Martinez. "She's more than someone who stands in front of you and lectures." This admiration is at the heart of DiLorenzo's popularity, making her courses sought out by marketing and non-marketing majors alike each semester. It goes both ways. "There is a mutual respect in my classroom," she says. "I try to teach [students] for the real world," which also includes what she calls "teaching to get a job."

Switched from Finance to Marketing

Considering that she is also a career adviser for undergraduate business students, this forward-looking approach resonates with her students. She is constantly chatting about potential career paths in marketing and the value of networking. DiLorenzo was Alexandra Bencivenga's adviser, and because of her professor's enthusiasm and helpful advice, the recent Fordham grad opted to enter marketing instead of finance. "She, always e-mailing back and forth, helped me decide where I wanted to go with my career," Bencivenga says. "She was helpful, concerned, and took an interest in her students."

To DiLorenzo, it's nothing special, it's just who she is. "I'd be the same [with my students] if they saw me food shopping," she says. And they often do because feeding her students requires many trips to the grocery store.

Kristen Fiani is an intern for BusinessWeek.