Master of Marketing Students Work with Cheerios, Q Mixers

In the Master of Marketing (MKTG) program, student teams worked with clients—Cheerios and Q Mixers, a premium drink mixer company—to produce insights on real-world business challenges.

For Cheerios, students conducted quantitative and qualitative research to understand trends of modern parenting to inform marketing strategies. Over the semester, the team completed a series of weeklong sprints, each focused on a different facet of the strategy.

“We worked on many different projects, so one day it would be something digital, one day it would be something traditional,” said Sophia Sailer, ‘25 MKTG. “I felt like I got a lot of experience in different areas that I can definitely take with me to my career.”

Throughout the project, the students worked directly with Cheerios Sr. Brand Manager Ashley Soukup, ‘18 MBA. As a Carlson School alum, Soukup says she enjoyed the opportunity to give back as a mentor, while also receiving tangible insights for Cheerios.

“One of the things that impressed me most while working with the students was their novel, creative, and culturally relevant thinking,” said Soukup. “Many of the ideas they generated, we hadn’t thought of before. We are actually using the work and their recommendations in our business. I am always impressed by the fresh insights we get from students. They help us look at our problems with a perspective from consumers and culture that always feels fresh. It makes the experience truly symbiotic.”

The Q Mixers team helped the company iterate on innovation concepts, which entailed running focus groups and other testing to get feedback on a variety of factors, from functional benefits to flavors, to naming, to packaging design.

“It was a really cool project because it gave me hands-on learning that I have never gotten to experience in the past,” said Klara Strand, ‘25 MKTG. “I just wrapped up an internship where I led another focus group, so this gave me a lot of background going into that.”

Q Mixers Vice President of Marketing Jocelyn Hurley applauded the team for their detailed analysis.

"The Carlson School students were nimble yet thorough and were highly professional in all of their correspondence with our brand team,” said Hurley. “We were impressed by the quality of the work and the caliber of their approach."

The MKTG capstone projects served as a proving ground for students’ marketing abilities, offering both challenge and hands-on experience. Ellie Breunig, ‘25 MKTG, says the program marked a turning point in her professional growth.

“This program helped me gain the skills, especially when it comes to communication,” said Breunig. “I can actually point to examples of things I've learned that I didn't fully grasp before this program. It definitely helped grow my confidence in my abilities and foundational knowledge.”