NYC Restaurant Opening, Co.
Print Coverage
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Situational Analysis
Co. (pronounced Company) opened in January 2009 in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. The first restaurant from nationally acclaimed baker Jim Lahey of New York’s Sullivan St Bakery. Co. celebrates bread as the centerpiece of the meal.
Message
Co. is the first restaurant from bread-genius Jim Lahey that celebrates bread in all its forms, especially through a selection of gourmet/artisanal pizzas.
PR Strategy
The PR goals for Co.’s opening for Quinn & Co. to achieve were:
- Promote Co. through print, online and broadcast media.
- Promote the emerging pizza trend.
- Promote Co. via influencers.
- Promote Jim Lahey.
Target Audience
New York City residents and commuters, pizza enthusiasts, bread-lovers, foodies, gourmands, and travelers to New York City.
Research, Planning and Implementation
Quinn & Co. became an integral part of the Co. team prior to opening, organizing media previews, photo shoots, friends & family tastings and creating catered pitches to top-tier local media announcing Co.’s opening. During the campaign, Quinn & Co. pitched print and online outlets that spoke to Co.’s target audience through e-mail, telephone and face-to-face meetings. Quinn & Co. worked with Co. regarding their “no reservation” policy to arrange for journalists to experience Co. with Quinn & Co. or on their own, in alignment with their editorial policy. Quinn & Co. actively spoke with journalists visiting the restaurant and secured interviews for Lahey.
Furthermore, Quinn & Co. worked with influential tastemakers to arrange special visits to Co. that would increase word-of-mouth buzz, especially through social media outlets, such as Twitter. Some of these figures include: Martha Stewart, Michael Kors, Christine Quinn, Katie Lee Joel, Rocco DiSpirto, Mario Batali, Jimmy Fallon, Anthony Bourdain, and Lorraine Bracco.
Results
Co. received much media buzz prior to and after opening with stories and reviews in major newspapers, broadcast, magazines, websites, blogs and newsletters including: New York Times(4x), NY Post, NY Daily News, “MARTHA,” NY 1, New York Magazine(3x), Time Out New York(2x), The New Yorker, Manhattan, Sherman’s Travel, Gourmet.com, Time.com, Bloomberg.com, MSN.com, Eater.com, Slice.com, Daily Candy(2x), UrbanDaddy(2x), and TastingTable, among others. Co. was included on numerous 2009 lists such as: Travel + Leisure’s “50 Best New Restaurants,” Condé Nast Traveler’s “Hot Tables,” GQ’s “25 Best Pizzas,” and Food & Wine’s “Where To Go Next: Pizza.”
The message reached about 264,000,000 potential diners in total impressions and directly resulted in steady and frequently increased sales since opening. A standout example is after Lahey appeared on “MARTHA” making Co.’s signature pies; almost the entire audience flocked to Co. for lunch.
