Students join Assoc. Prof. Karen Roehr , far left, and Joe Rancatore, holding sign, following team presentations.

The assignment may sound sweet – after all, students in a combined class of art and marketing majors were charged with creating a new ice cream treat. But that was only part of the challenge. They were also responsible for developing detailed budgets to support sales; designing advertising, packaging and promotional materials; and becoming savvy in managing client relations.

The 19 students in Assoc. Prof. Karen Roehr’s class learned first-hand how to work with (and appreciate) people who have different skills, and how to work effectively with clients. Roehr enlisted support from Frank Andrews, director of Undergraduate Programs for the College of Management, who helped her offer the class to marketing and design students from two different colleges in the University.

To approximate a real-world job experience, Roehr contacted Joe Rancatore, owner of Rancatore’s ice cream specialty shops in Lexington and Belmont, and asked if her students could get to know his business, create products for test marketing, and develop advertising campaigns and marketing plans to sell their products in his downtown Lexington shop. Rancatore signed on immediately.

“Joe was terrific. He has a great enthusiasm about him that the students appreciated. He gave them a lot of latitude, and helped them understand what the working world is like in a creative and fun way,” says Roehr.

Four teams – the Dream Cream, Team Awesome, the Red Team, and Team Milk – created new treats for test marketing in Rancatore’s Lexington shop over Patriot’s Day weekend. The creations included The Sparkler – raspberry lime sorbet complete with explosive Pop Rocks on top; Ranc’s Rabies – ice cream mixed with a shot of espresso to give customers a blast of energy; Minuteman Delight – blueberry cheesecake ice cream with an All-American, red, white and blue Patriot’s Day spin; and Joe Jitsu – a mocha, java blast that used a caricature of Rancatore himself in the advertising materials.

“You all did a spectacular job,” said Rancatore at a meeting where teams presented their products and promotional campaigns. “The products are terrific, and the creative support is witty, funny and effective.”

Students also identified new advertising channels Rancatore hadn’t considered, including the Lexington High School yearbook, which reaches the shop’s largest target market – high school students.

So, which product had the strongest sales?

“The Minuteman Delight was so popular, it sold out!” says Roehr. “Joe is planning to make it a permanent addition to his menu, and will incorporate many of the marketing ideas from all four teams.”

Roehr hopes to build on the success of the combined class next year with new clients. As for Rancatore’s, Roehr says a new team of five students with majors in design, photography and marketing will collaborate on another campaign in the fall – this one promoting coffee.

Rancatore’s Ice Cream is at 1752 Massachusetts Ave. in Lexington, and 283 Belmont St., Belmont.

- Sheila_Eppolito