How we used earned media to launch the first of over 100 new Doppio Malto restaurants in the UK
With 27 locations across Italy and Europe, Doppio Malto is a successful Italian kitchen-brewery brand that combines delicious food with craft beer, to create a place for friends and family to gather for all occasions.
We were absolutely chuffed to be introducing the brand to the UK with a highly creative, PR-first launch campaign. The strategy was to play into people’s lockdown-induced thirst for travel using Doppio’s notoriously cheeky and playful brand personality—translated for a UK audience, of course.
The Brief
Doppio Malto needed a campaign and a long-term strategy leveraging PR activation, influencer marketing, and social channels to generate publicity and build a buzz of excitement around the upcoming launch of their first-ever UK location. The campaign needed to position them as Glasgow’s hottest new restaurant while staying true to their tagline, “un posto felice” (i.e., “a happy place”), and providing an authentic Italian experience.
Besides getting eyes on the brand and driving widespread awareness, it was important to educate consumers. With the challenge of expanding across the UK market where Italian restaurants can be found on every block, it was imperative that we cut through the noise and establish Doppio’s unique position and tone of voice.
20M+
online readership
85K
coverage views
1,000
social shares
Driving Earned Media
We hosted two major “happy place”-themed launch events to introduce the brand. Embracing the travelling vibe of bringing Italia to Glasgow, we created a feast for the eyes and for the appetite with golden boarding passes, a bus tour to remember, and a warm Itali-Scottish welcome with complimentary food and Doppio’s own premium, Italian craft beer.
This was paired with a robust and tactical publicity programme that secured widespread earned coverage with key media, resulting in a high volume of user-generated media and content.
Social Content
Prior to the launch events, we organised beer tasting drops to whet the appetite of VIPs, bloggers, influencers—and their fans. Taking lockdown restrictions into account, we created engaging social content themed around not having to travel to get a taste of Italy. This appetising combination helped establish a new strong community across Instagram and Facebook.
Hero Film
We also created a hero film celebrating “Bel Paese” or “beautiful country” (by which we mean Italy AND Scotland, of course!) as a centrepiece for a cohesive collection of social content including cut-downs of the film for a variety of platforms.
