Pizza Today - September 2016 - 59
says. He will present these very topics at
International Pizza Expo 2017.
O'Brion suggests thinking of the last
time you gave a referral to someone.
"Literally what you say is 'you've got to
go to this dry cleaner because' and you
fill in the most compelling words and
ideas that you can think of because you
want the person to take your advice. So
you naturally fill in the 'because'.
"The problem that pizzeria owners
have is that they don't know what their
'because' is," he says. "If you don't know
what your because is, neither do your
customers and neither do your frontline
employees. So nobody is clear on why
they should pick you versus anyone else."
Let's look at three pizzerias
and their big idea and because.
Los Angeles-based Lucifers Pizza
started with the idea of serving spicy
pizza. "Our brand 'Lucifers' was built
around our point of difference in that
we offer the choice to make your pizza
very spicy," says Adam Borich, president
and CEO at the two-unit pizzeria. "We
decided to go for Lucifers as who better
describes heat than Lucifer himself ? We
played on the name a bit further by adding the tagline 'damned good pizza'".
"We have a very edgy brand," he
continues. "Our brand enables us to
push the envelope a little bit more than
a pizzeria with a standard name like
'Mikes Pizza'... While we acknowledge
that some people may find some of our
branding slightly offensive or distasteful, there are a great number more who
absolutely love it because we are not
a politically correct, boring, 'me too'
operation. Our market research in Los
Angeles has shown that within 10 miles
of our two locations, 6.5 out of 10 people
had either tried our pizza or have heard
about it and are wanting to go there. A
staggering figure for an independent
operation with only two stores in an area
as populated as Hollywood, California!"
OTTO, with 12 locations in Maine
and Massachusetts, built its brand
around the idea that pizza doesn't have
to be ordinary, says Eric Shepherd, director of marketing and communications.
LOS ANGELES-BASED LUCIFERS PIZZA
"Since we opened our first shop in 2009,
the OTTO brand has come to represent
an elevated pizza experience - high
quality, fresh ingredients and creative
topping combinations that are unforgettable, served in unique spaces by a team
that is motivated by this goal of
consistently well-executed, uncomplicated food," he says.
Greenville Pizza Company (GAPCo)
in Dallas, Texas, was rebranded a few
years ago to reflect its story. "Our brand
is a symbol of perseverance, determination and strength," owner Sammy
Mandell says. "It is a phoenix. We aren't
called 'phoenix pizza,' we are GAPCo,
and the phoenix is a representation of
who we are and our story of how we
have gotten where we are today."
The pizzeria opened just before the
recession and has built momentum even
amongst an influx of neighborhood
pizza competition. "For us it's all about
the story," he says "It's all about the
why and how we got to where we got."
The most integral aspect of the brand is
GAPCo's staff as brand ambassadors. It's
an area where Mandell is always seeking
to improve.
Your people are a component
of your brand. Never underestimate
the power of your front-line employees.
"Your logo, your colors, your whatever,
your materials, your packaging...that's
your branding," says O'Brion. "But your
brand is the interaction and experience
that your customers have with your
people and your food... Honestly, most
operators think they have a brand. What
they really have is a logo and a name
because they are missing key components of the brand.
"The experience is what (a customer)
will remember and the experience is
what people put onto review sites,"
O'Brion says. "The experience is the
culmination of your pricing, your location, your food, your service and all of
those other components. But it's critical
because it's what gets posted."
As a pizzeria grows, keeping the brand
cohesive can be challenging. With multiple locations in two states, Shepherd
says, OTTO stays focused on consistency. "To ensure brand cohesiveness
across 12-plus locations, members of
our small marketing team visit locations
on a weekly basis. And all collateral,
signage, and digital imagery originates
in the marketing office," he says. "We
also manage all social media in-house,
which ensures the chain's digital presence maintains a consistent voice and
aesthetic, and consistently reflects and
reinforces OTTO's values."
Lucifers, OTTO and GAPCo have
all experienced an evolution of
their brands. "It is important not to
let your brand get stale," Borich says.
"You want to keep it edgy and on point
and make sure that it represents your
business in its current form and not what
it was five years ago. The key is to ensure
that you keep certain brand elements
so that although you may be changing
your message slightly, people will still
recognize you." n
DENISE GREER
Today.
is associate editor of Pizza
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 5 9
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - September 2016
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - September 2016
Pizza Today - September 2016
Commentary
Contents
Contributors
Expo Spotlight
Interact
Conversation
Man on the Street
Respecting the Craft
Trending Recipes
Destinations
Dough Doctor
Changing Face of Social Media
Maximize Slow Periods
The Brand
The Pizza Press, Anaheim, CA
Zito’s Pizza, Orange, CA
Product Showcase
Pizza Today Yellow Pages
The Marketplace
Reader’s Resource
Snapped
Pizza Today - September 2016 - CT1
Pizza Today - September 2016 - CT2
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Pizza Today - September 2016
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Cover2
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Commentary
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 4
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 5
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Contents
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 7
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 8
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 9
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Contributors
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 11
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Expo Spotlight
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 13
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Interact
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 15
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Conversation
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 17
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Man on the Street
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 19
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Respecting the Craft
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 21
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Trending Recipes
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 23
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Destinations
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 25
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Dough Doctor
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 27
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 28
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 29
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 30
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 31
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 32
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 33
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 34
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 35
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 36
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 37
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 38
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 39
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 40
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 41
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 42
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 43
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 44
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 45
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 46
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 47
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 48
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 49
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Changing Face of Social Media
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 51
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 52
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 53
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Maximize Slow Periods
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 55
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 56
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 57
Pizza Today - September 2016 - The Brand
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 59
Pizza Today - September 2016 - The Pizza Press, Anaheim, CA
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 61
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 62
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 63
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Zito’s Pizza, Orange, CA
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 65
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 66
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 67
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 68
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Product Showcase
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 70
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 71
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Pizza Today Yellow Pages
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 73
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 74
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 75
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 76
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 77
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 78
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 79
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 80
Pizza Today - September 2016 - The Marketplace
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 82
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 83
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 84
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 85
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 86
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 87
Pizza Today - September 2016 - 88
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Reader’s Resource
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Snapped
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Cover3
Pizza Today - September 2016 - Cover4
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