Pittsburgh: One of Three Cities to Host Piada's Pinder Campaign
Not spending Valentine’s Day alone and scoring free Piada for a year? Sign us up.
By: Katie Ward
Piada, the Italian street food restaurant chain, launched its “Pinder” campaign this past Valentine’s Day. The idea of this campaign was to set up blind dates in three cities, Pittsburgh being one of them, and provide the selected couples with a three-course meal and free Piada for one year. Piada fans were asked to submit applications to be part of the date, and winners were chosen through voting on Piada’s Instagram stories in a bachelor/bachelorette style match-up.
@piadaitalianstreetfood – Instagram Story 2018
Piada proves that appropriately using social media can help companies achieve a high level of customer engagement. It was a relevant and unique idea, as it used the Valentine’s Day holiday season and other current trends to its advantage. Listed below are a few of the reasons why Pinder was such a success:
- Valentine’s Day - Combining the idea of holding a holiday-based promotion and tapping into customers’ emotions by offering a unique blind date concept was genius.
- Bachelor season - The bachelor-style match up was a fun way to interact with customers in a relatable manner. When watching the Bachelor, we often wish we had a say in the results. Pinder gave us that say.
- A play on names – Piada calling this campaign “Pinder” was another way to attract attention as it combines one of millennials’ favorite dating apps and their favorite fast casual Italian food restaurant. The name was creative, short, and easy to remember.
- Capturing and maintaining social media engagement - Piada’s followers were involved with the campaign starting from the beginning, where they initially applied for the date, and lasted through its entirety with voting for the candidates and following their journeys throughout their dates.
- Those who did not win, still “won” - Each applicant for Pinder was credited $10 to his/her Piada One account. Even for those who did not win the date, they still “won” a free next meal at Piada.
@piadaitalianstreetfood – Instagram Story 2018
Piada’s social media manger, Bryant Miller, explained that the idea of Pinder was "all in good fun." During an interview with Trevor Lenzmeier of QSR Magazine, he explained, “Our goal for this was to tell our story, show our personality, but also just have fun with our fans. We’re not here to sell a million plates on Valentine’s Day. This marketing campaign is all about interacting with our customers and having a good time” (Lenzmeier 2018).
This campaign did just that, because even Miller was shocked at the high levels of user engagement. Lenzmeier (2018) explained that Miller believed the main incentive of this campaign would be the chance to receive free Piada for one year. However, Miller stated, “Their applications were so in-depth, their convictions to be a Pinder single so clear, that the Piada staff couldn’t help but fall for each of the singles. Clearly, people were interested in more than just free pasta” (Lenzmeier 2018).
With that statement, Miller explains just why this marketing campaign was so successful. The company was able to achieve this success because it both tapped into customers’ emotions through offering the opportunity to not be alone on Valentine’s Day, and excited customers’ foodie sides by providing the opportunity for free Piada for one year.
Sources:
Lenzmeier, Trevor. “Fast Casual Meets Speed Dating at Piada on Valentine’s Day.” QSR Magazine, 16 Feb. 2018, www.qsrmagazine.com/fast-casual/fast-casual-meets-speed-dating-piada-valentines-day. (@trevlenz)