It was an opening like any other: a pop-up pizza restaurant in Manchester welcoming one hundred food bloggers with inviting arms. The guests helped themselves to slices of freshly baked pizza, mingling with other food enthusiasts – but then at the end it was revealed that it was not artisan pizza at all, but Dr Oetker frozen pizza, beloved of freezers nationwide and available from a supermarket near you for less than three quid.
The strategy
The stunt itself, orchestrated by Brazen PR, took place in Manchester, presumably for two main reasons. First off, in London a new pop-up opens every day – drumming up a big audience of bloggers would be a tough job. Secondly, an audience outside of London might be more inclined to see the funny side, rather than throw a hissy fit over the deception.
The premise was simple. It would be set up as a straightforward pop-up pizzeria opening (though with subtly branded hints throughout, such as calling the pop-up ‘Ristorante’), the bloggers would enjoy the pizza, and at the end the great reveal would come: the pizzas are readily available in the local supermarket. Boom.
The reaction
It was a mixed bag. Some bloggers saw the funny side, whereas a few were miffed, feeling they had been the victim of a prank. It wasn’t an overwhelmingly positive response, but it raised some controversy – and plenty of coverage, from the Huffington Post to the Daily Mail. The coverage itself, rather than being just straightforward pieces about the pop-up, was set out more like crisis communications. The owner of the pop-up protested that everybody had had a good time and that the pizzas were just as good as those freshly cooked in restaurants, as if they didn’t know that they’d get the reaction they did (oh, they knew). They also made it seem like a one man job rather than a cleverly organised PR stunt. Pretty smart.
Did it work?
It definitely got Dr Oetker in the news, which works for them in the sense that people will be reminded that they exist – and reminded too that yes, their pizza is pretty darn good for frozen pizza (based on a scientific poll of me and my friends, who as newish graduates in our early twenties know frozen pizza). Who hasn’t picked up a Ristorante pizza at some point and been pleasantly surprised by how good it is?
The cheekiness of the whole campaign is also something that might appeal. Yes, some bloggers may have felt a bit pranked, but the campaign wasn’t designed to be malicious. By gently poking fun at the ever-more-ridiculous world of pop-ups and foodie blogs, Dr Oetker has cleverly established itself as a non-pretentious option that’s suitable not just for people rushed off their feet, students, or the unable to cook – it’s for everyone.