What Happens at a Xcelens Session - An activity explained
Every student has, at some point in school, felt bored, not because they dislike learning, but because the curriculum feels too simple or insufficiently stimulating. Traditional education often moves students forward based on time (the annual promotion cycle) rather than merit or mastery.
At Xcelens Sessions, we flip this model. Students advance according to merit, clarity of thought, and demonstrated mastery. This reintroduces challenge, makes learning joyful again, and when combined with gamification, it increases engagement.
But depth requires guidance. That is why our students gain access to expert mentors who help them explore ideas without artificial boundaries. No ceilings. No limits. No “this is enough.” The goal is to keep going, always a layer deeper than the average learner ever attempts.
Sample Case Study: Marketing (AdTech)
A Mock Discussion from the Xcelens Sessions – Marketing Class (AdTech)
Topic: Embedded Deep Links (EDLs) through QRs
Setting: Zomato’s full-page Zomato Gold advertisement
Publication: Sunday Times, 25 June 2023
Observation: A QR code placed at the bottom of the ad
This ad was deliberately selected because, at the time of publication, Zomato was a loss-making startup, a perfect context for rich inquiry. Immediately, several core marketing and strategy questions arise:
Are they still innovating?
Are the losses strategic or alarming?
Are they still leading the category?
Is technology being leveraged to its fullest?
These questions frame the mock discussion.
Case Analysis: What Does the Embedded Deep Link Do?
Case 1 — Zomato User without Gold (L1 – Easy)
A logical assumption is that the QR code redirects such a user to the Buy Gold subscription page.
This is exactly what happened, the EDL routed directly to the purchase screen.
Straightforward. Predictable. Level 1 thinking.
Case 2 — Zomato User with Gold (L2 – Medium)
Now the question becomes more interesting. What should the QR do for a user who already has a Gold subscription?
Possible hypotheses include:
Prompting the user to buy Gold again
Opening the home screen
Highlighting unused benefits
What actually happened?
The QR opened the Gold Summary Page, showcasing total savings to date and current plan details.
This demonstrates thoughtful personalization and intelligent use of EDL routing.
Case 3 — Not a Zomato User (L3 – Difficult)
For a non-user, the QR would logically prompt an app installation.
But here is the real question:
Is the EDL deferred?
In other words, once the app is installed and opened, does the user land directly on the Gold page, maintaining the original intent of the QR?
This is where advanced learners begin to shine.
Towards an L4+ Discussion
A high-level debate naturally emerges around neo-traditional advertising, the fusion of physical ads with digital analytics.
QR codes transform static print into:
Trackable media
Personalized funnels
Rich behavioral datasets
They break the old constraint where physical ads were “blind” and unmeasurable, enabling advertisers to capture data comparable to digital channels.
This is where students start pushing beyond the surface.
L5 (Star-Level) Analysis
At the deepest level, students examine:
Companies that simultaneously ran digital and physical ads
Comparisons of cost allocation
Long-term ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
Differences in funnel quality between online-only vs. hybrid placements
This is where intellectual boundaries dissolve completely, where learning no longer ends at the case study but expands into research, data interpretation, and independent hypothesis-building.
In Conclusion
The purpose of this exercise at Xcelens Sessions is not just to analyze a Zomato ad. It is to teach students how to think without limits, how to go deeper than the curriculum, and how to break free from artificial ceilings.
When learners operate without constraints, and with mentorship that rewards depth, education transforms from a requirement into an adventure.
