Cheesy Triumphs: A Taste of Success in Retail Management Class

Students Craft Winning Marketing Campaigns for I Heart Mac and Cheese

During the Spring 2024 semester, my Retail Management class was challenged by I Heart Mac and Cheese—a fast casual concept turned into a business by providing delicious versions of macaroni and cheese bowls with a variety of health-conscious bases including quinoa, broccoli, cauliflower, gluten-free pasta, along with grilled cheese sandwiches. With vegan cheese sauce and plant-based proteins, I Heart Mac and Cheese accommodates many audiences. In 2017, the company launched its franchising program nationwide, which has been well received by the markets. Currently, they are located in 30 states across the country…and counting.  

The class project centered on assisting the client in connecting with their target audience using influencers, limited time only products, social media engagement, merchandise, and promotions of non-mac and cheese menu items.  10 teams with four students per team worked on weekly field exercises and conducted secondary research for insights on competitors, store layouts and atmospherics, franchise locations, pricing and menu items and social media strategies.

Student teams also conducted primary research, distributing over 100 surveys per team to discover more details about the target audience.  Combining this data with their secondary research, students then made recommendations to the I Heart Mac and Cheese marketing staff—Carly Diglio, Social Media Manager and Sarah Dietrich, Social Media Specialist who acted as judges of the presentations and selected the top two teams as the winning “agencies.”

"Participating as a representative from I Heart Mac and Cheese for the Retail Marketing course at FAU was a fantastic experience. Engaging with their presentations was not only insightful, but also refreshing, as we witnessed new perspectives and dynamic ideas unfold before us. Collaborating with the students was a delight, and we gained valuable insights and fresh perspectives from their creative ideas. It was truly a great learning experience for all involved. A special thank you to Professor Acello for allowing us to be a part of her students' journey"                         

~Carly Diglio, Social Media Manager 

"Having I Heart Mac & Cheese sponsor Professor Acello’s Retail Marketing course this semester was an amazing experience for us. We got to hear fresh perspectives on our marketing strategy and how we can improve overall as a brand. Her students put a lot of hard work and dedication into their presentations. It was a great learning experience for our marketing team as well as the students. We are appreciative of Professor Acello and her students, and we can’t wait to see what they do next."

~Sarah Dietrich, Social Media Specialist and FAU Alumni

HEDZ Marketing Team impressed I Heart Mac & Cheese with their “Stirring Up Success with Every Noodle” campaign, led by Zoey Cherry, Hannah Youssef, Diana Kokotos and Ethan Elkobi, as did Marketing Team 9 Agency, with Lexi Wellen, Monica Julien, Mariana Ugaz and Callum Hoepfner. These top teams’ recommendations included a college brand ambassador program, micro influencers, food trucks, sustainable packaging, and price bundling. The standout ideas came from a culture building competition to improve customer service called Store Wars as well as a new dessert called the Everglades Mud Pie, an homage to the Florida region, served in sustainable packaging.

"This hands-on experience sharpened my analytical skills and instilled in me a deeper understanding of real-world marketing challenges and strategies."

~Zoey Cherry (student)

Bringing in companies like I Heart Mac and Cheese into the classroom not only challenges the students with a real-world experience, but the exposure leads to internships and fulltime positions for our students.

This newly developed partnership also led to I Heart Mac and Cheese’s sponsorship of Florida Atlantic’s chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA), a student run organization that promotes growth in marketing-related skills and funds student attendance at an annual International Collegiate Conference where student chapters and marketers from around the U.S. meet to compete and network.

Florida Atlantic marketing students in Professor Acello’s classes have worked with a variety of brands, including the following:

Islamorada Brewery & Distillery   l  E&J Gallo Wines/Barefoot Wine   l  Carmela Coffee & Toast Café   l   PepsiCo/Starbucks Cold & Crafted On-Tap   l  PepsiCo’s Starry Lemon Lime Soda l  New Amsterdam Vodka/Pink Whitney   l   Scrub Daddy   l  E&J Gallo Wines/High Noon Vodka Seltzers   l   Newell Brands/Mr. Coffee   l   Wawa, Inc. Convenience Stores  l   Robinson Fresh   l   Campbell Soup Company/Pacific Foods   l  Hormel Foods/Skippy Peanut butter   l   NOAA National Seafood Grant   l  Barnes & Noble’s Nook Reading Device  l   FitCrunch Protein Bars (Celebrity Chef Robert Irvine)

Interested in being the next company/brand to work with Professor Acello's students? Please contact: eacello@fau.edu

-FAU-