Carrabba’s Italian Grill is launching a new marketing campaign to highlight its new approach to its menu, a fresh, contemporary take on Italian cuisine – adding 20 new items from shareable small plates to wood-fired appetizers and entrees.
The marketing campaign, the first from Carrabba’s new agency, Fitzgerald & Co, aims to capture this new attitude and what it embraces, from their wood-fired grill, to the freshness of their ingredients, to their sourcing stories, to their calorie-conscious options. Katie Knight, Group Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Carrabba’s Italian Grill says, “The new menu and our new campaign share our story – a place where you can enjoy great food with friends or family any day of the week.”
The campaign spans all media, including national broadcast as well as digital and social components that will bring ’This is how you do Italian’ to life in fun, unexpected ways in tandem with the campaign rollout. To kick off the marketing launch, for instance, Carrabba's asked people to sign up to get one of a million free dishes – and by end of day the following day all million free dishes had been claimed.
A short film explores the ethos and spirit behind the new menu and approach. The film, which will live on the restaurant’s website, will be pushed out through their social media presence. “We felt that if we were going to make a bold competitive statement like ‘This is how you do Italian’, we’d better show people how we do Italian,” states Noel Cottrell, Chief Creative Officer at Fitzgerald & CO. Retail spots underline the fun and freshness of Carrabba’s new approach.
The work is shot by Peden + Munk – a married Director and Photographer duo who work with chefs and publications all over the world and who concentrate on telling authentic, beautiful food stories, always aiming to capture the soul of the sourcing, preparing and eating experience. “Their style is causal and authentic, just like our restaurants”, says Knight.