It’s hardly a secret that prominent people can provide a boost for products they are seen to use.

With celebrities in the entertainment field, those implicit endorsements might be random, but they might be “product placements” bought and paid for by manufacturers. Certainly it’s uncommon to see a movie these days without some label or logo being prominently displayed on-screen after money changes hands to be sure it happens.

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President Barack Obama eats coconut ice cream last Friday during a visit to Mount Desert Island Ice Cream in Bar Harbor. The three-store chain (two locations in Bar Harbor and one in Portland) has had a run on its products since then. AP

But that’s certainly not what occurred when the president of the United States stopped off at a Bar Harbor ice cream shop during his quick vacation there last weekend.

When Barack Obama dropped in to a Mount Desert Island Ice Cream store for coconut ice cream made with sweet cream ice cream, coconut milk and toasted coconut, the three-store chain (two locations in Bar Harbor and one in Portland) found it faced a run on its products.

A sign appeared outside the Portland store saying the company’s products were “recommended by the U.S. president” and customers came to all the stores seeking the treat that pleased the chief executive’s taste buds.

Ice cream is growing in popularity among Mainers, a separate story reported, with soft serve, hard serve, frozen custard and gelato outlets reporting business firming up as their products take a licking — and for ice cream, that’s a good thing.

With flavors in the hundreds and the weather staying downright hot, ice cream is the neat treat that beats the heat for more of us all the time.

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