The client came to us with the necessity to communicate the opening of the brand-new project named and led by Michelin-Starred Chef Massimo Sola, “Sola Pasta Bar.”

New York is obviously an extremely dynamic city, in which restaurants open and go out of business almost on a daily basis. One of the main challenges of this project then, was to come up with a communication strategy what would make Sola Pasta Bar stand out from its competition, highlighting the intrinsically-unique traits that make Sola Pasta Bar truly a new dining experience.

Our communication strategy was twofold.

First, we carefully analyzed the project in order to categorize its distinctive traits, such as the physical centrality of the kitchen and the Chef that not only cooks but also serves the customers while taking care of each and every single one of them – notwithstanding the affordable nature of the restaurant.

Secondly, we carried out a carefully-tailored communication strategy in which we presented different distinctive elements of the project to various editorial targets, as to best match their target audience and secure a spot in the key publication.

By correctly pitching the appropriate magazines and newspapers, we ensured a high-level positioning amongst the various outlets targeting both the specific New York Metro region and the US more in general.

Thanks to this focused twofold approach, Sola Pasta Bar was published onnational publications (e.g. The New York Times, USA Today, Bloomberg, Zagat), New York centric publications (e.g. amNY, Eater NY, New York Magazine, New York Post, TimeOut NY), and several food-related national and international outlets of varying prestige.

Sola Pasta Bar was also one of the top Italian New York City restaurants featured in the Pasta Tour on the acclaimed ABC morning talk show, LIVE with Kelly and Ryan for their unique pasta dishes. Being featured on the show with hosts Kelly Ripa, a famous anchor woman at ABC and Ryan Seacrest, one of the most beloved TV and radio personality and host of American Idol, elevated Sola Pasta Bar within the NYC restaurant scene.

The extensive work of traditional PR activities was paired with a social media strategy that led to an extremely high level of engagement on both the Facebook and Instagram pages of the restaurant (and its Chef). Concurrently, we worked on tailored and well thought-out advertisement campaigns across various social media platforms, targeting the appropriate audiences with specific messages meant to engage.

The management of such engagement is a key component that results in an enhanced “word-of-mouth effect”, effectively positioning the restaurant as one of the “hottest” in the entire New York City area.