Bella Italia were looking to tell the story of their suppliers as part of their ‘Tradition & Treasure’ advertising campaign. They were looking to update their ‘story booklets’ (given out with the bill), A-boards, table talkers and digital assets in line with the launch of this story.
Bella Italia are proud of their relationship with their suppliers, sourcing authentic, fresh ingredients from regions across Italy, however their customers don’t necessarily know about their links with Italian tradition in this way.
They were looking for a campaign to teach people what Bella Italia is about, and to inspire a greater frequency of visits because of it.
I would be supplied with images of Salvatore Contino, who runs Sapori D’Italia, a small company where Bella Italia source their Pesto and Salsa Verde, and images of various dishes using these ingredients.
The ideal I took forward was to blend their images and messaging to force a more obvious connection between what Bella Italia’s customers are ordering from the menu and where the ingredients originated from.
Bringing together words such as love and tradition with Italian and family gives a sense of warmth and togetherness. When applied over images of suppliers in situ, guests should start to get a sense of Bella Italia’s values.
Nothing sells a menu better than food photography. It sets guests’ expectations, but to set Bella Italia apart from the competition, linking the food on the plate to how it got there is also key to the experience.
As well as the overall look and feel of the restaurant, people will make a decision on whether to eat somewhere if something catches their eye.
Blending imagery of the cuisine and its origins will help promote the experience. This coupled with emotive language leads to intrigue.
Short promotional videos for the likes of Instagram and Twitter bring an added layer of interactivity and show there’s more to Bella Italia than just Italian food.
Appealing emotively to a social audience could help increase their participation with Bella Italia’s brand, story and frequency of visits to their restaurants.