*** Giordano’s was a client of another agency, this case study is based on work we did for that agency to support its client***

When it was announced that the Chicago Cubs were to face off against the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series in mid-October, it was the perfect time to reignite the age-old debate—­Chicago deep-dish vs. NYC thin-crust pizza—to promote Giordano’s. It was our goal to make Giordano’s the most buzzworthy brand in the conversation locally and nationally.

ServicesPR

Year2018-2019

Strategy

• Leverage our relationship with Chicago and National media to pull off nationwide brand visibility

Creativity

As a former producer & booker for Chicago’s top morning talk show, Windy City Live, our founder quickly positioned Giordano’s as the pizza be part of the wager by connecting with the show’s producers who were working on wagering a bet with the nationally syndicated morning show Live! with Kelly and Michael, starring Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan.

Each show bet that its hometown team would win the championship series. Upon a win for the Cubs, Ripa and Strahan would deliver New York pizza to Chicago hosts Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini. In the event of a Mets win, Warner and Chiaverini would bring Giordano’s to Live! with Kelly and Michael.

Problem Solving

We had 2 business days after the Cubs lost to ship, bake and present on-air nearly 40 deep-dish pizzas. With no Giordano’s NYC location, we tapped into yet another relationship  with the ABC Studios Catering team in NYC. We were able to use their kitchen storage space available only two minutes away from the Live! with Kelly and Michael studio.

Results

Stories about the bets between the television shows received strong play in print, television and online. Total impressions topped more than 16 million for Giordano’s—and this was before any baseball games were played between the two teams.

Prior to, during and after the national segment, we garnered an additional 24.8 million impressions for the Giordano’s brand surrounding the wager between the hosts, including notable mentions in AdWeek and on Chicago’s ABC 7 Eyewitness News, Windy City Live (2 segments) and Live! with Kelly and Michael.