Student projects support growth for Bubbies Ice Cream

Bubbies Ice Cream is a local business that has sponsored several applied projects for the Department of Marketing at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business.

Bubbies Ice Cream is a growing brand in the frozen novelty category known for its mochi ice cream, with operations and manufacturing facilities headquartered in the Valley. It was recently acquired by Marubeni Corporation, a major integrated trading and investment company in Japan. The local business has sponsored several applied projects for the Department of Marketing at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business.

Guided by marketing professor Detra Montoya, undergraduate and graduate students in brand management courses were tasked with creating omnichannel campaigns and providing brand growth recommendations for Bubbies.

Companies, students, and faculty all benefit from collaborating on applied projects. "Businesses benefit from new perspectives and creative ideas, students gain hands-on experience, and educators see their students apply what they learned in meaningful and impactful ways," Montoya says.

"The students temporarily became extensions of our marketing team," adds Katie Cline (MBA '11), vice president of marketing at Bubbies. "We challenged them to think about ways to build brand awareness and strengthen customer loyalty to drive sales."

Ariyal Jain (BS Marketing '26) echoes Cline's sentiment, explaining how she approached the project as if she were part of the Bubbies marketing team. "I considered what kind of suggestions would be actionable and impactful for the company's future," she says.

Cline and her team provided background information on Bubbies, the brand's category, and common challenges for consumer packaged goods brands. Students then conducted primary and secondary research to deepen their understanding of marketplace dynamics and provide informed recommendations.

Shaping brand strategy

Student teams presented a wide variety of innovative ideas to Bubbies leadership, from packaging updates and new ice cream flavor proposals to new platform suggestions for reaching consumers and content creation ideas. The company has implemented many of these recommendations to support brand growth and has also gathered feedback from students during site tours and consumer taste tests.

"We recently launched a new line of mini cookie sandwiches and implemented feedback from the classes into the design of the packaging along with adjusting the flavor of the ice cream," Cline says. "Student recommendations helped us select new flavors that we've launched and reformulate products in R&D based on feedback. We've put into practice many ideas from the marketing campaigns and leveraged created content on our social media channels."

Empowering students to build marketable skills

The Bubbies projects also prepare students to launch successful marketing careers by providing them with practical skills and confidence in their abilities. Students apply the brand management principles they learned in the classroom to a real-world business environment. They learn how consumer perspectives inform brand strategy for Bubbies and how to drive incremental revenue through customer loyalty.

"I can't think of a better way to learn about brand management than through the Bubbies project," says Bryce Cartwright (MBA '24). "We learned firsthand how a brand like Bubbies can evolve over time with new challenges at every step. Professor Montoya brought to life all the major concepts from the brand management course and challenged the students to think creatively about the next chapter of Bubbies brand strategy."

Brooke Potvin (BS Marketing '25) offers a similar perspective, commending the project for being both academically and professionally rewarding. "While I've had prior internship experience, this applied project gave me the unique opportunity to think creatively and strategically in a real-world context," she says.

Beyond applying classroom knowledge, students also improved their project management and communication skills through the Bubbies projects. Aliza Akhter (BS Marketing '26) describes how it taught her to approach group projects differently. "One specific skill I learned was to divide up a project by team members' skill sets rather than equal amounts of work. Once we learned to identify strengths and weaknesses at the start of the project, my team was able to work on specific parts of the project that they excelled at — similar to how an actual workplace operates."

Akhter considers the Bubbies student project to be one of the most influential experiences she's had at the W. P. Carey School, crediting it with advancing her professional development and network. "I gained presentation skills, more knowledge on how a brand maintains market share in a competitive environment, and connections with fantastic marketers at Bubbies," she says.

Lasting, mutual benefits

Bubbies has hired several students as interns and marketing assistants based on their performance during the applied projects. These employees play an instrumental role in helping refine the company's marketing campaigns and messaging to appeal to younger demographics.

Cline emphasizes the benefits of sponsoring applied projects for companies of all sizes. "Student projects give you access to fresh thinking, enthusiastic talent, and practical marketing insights that can make a real impact," she says. In addition to bringing solutions directly to a business, applied projects facilitate a valuable real-world learning opportunity for W. P. Carey students.

"The students bring energy and new ideas that help push your business forward, and in return, they gain hands-on experience with real-world challenges,” says Cline. “It's a highly valuable, mutually beneficial partnership that I would recommend to any growing company looking to innovate and expand."