Sbarro
Stand-Out Coverage for Free-Standing Pizza Rebrand
SBARRO
Industry: Food + Beverage
Sbarro is an international fast food restaurant that specializes in New York–style pizza sold by the slice and other Italian-American cuisine.
Challenge
The international pizza brand Sbarro embarked on an 800-franchise rebrand rollout while simultaneously launching a market innovation, aka free-standing eateries. Sbarro came to Belle for a heavy-hitting strategy that included national media coverage and localized community awareness for store grand openings.
APPROACH
We tapped into the perfect moment—National Pizza Month—to reignite excitement for Sbarro’s 60th Anniversary and new restaurant concept. We told the story of a brand comeback with leadership’s bold vision for a post-bankruptcy turnaround taking center stage.
PROGRAM
From securing feature stories and interviews to running a mouthwatering “31 Days of Pizza” social media giveaway, we created buzz that pizza lovers couldn’t resist, bringing customers from aware to engaged and right through the front door. Exclusive grand-opening events brought journalists and influencers together to experience the fresh restaurant concept firsthand. And because no foodie should miss out, targeted social media ads ensured the buzz hit all the right plates—er, feeds.
OUTCOMES
The campaign served up serious media attention and elevated Sbarro’s brand reputation, landing features in national outlets like The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Forbes, Fortune and Business Insider, alongside targeted trade and regional media. On social, influencers and pizza giveaways brought the excitement to life, reaching nearly 36K foodie followers.
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