Want upscale sushi without breaking the bank? Well, if you have a substantial amount of followers on Instagram you can eat at Milan’s up and coming sushi restaurant “This Is Not A Sushi Bar” for little to know money at all! The first restaurant of its kind, “This Is Not A Sushi Bar” is going to revolutionize the marketing game for restaurants and business’ everywhere. The concept is simple and utilizes the powerful advertising tools that social media already offers to everyone. Free marketing from customers equates to a free meal, depending on the amount of followers they have.
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How It Works
Brothers and owners Matteo and Tommaso Pittarello have designed a way for customers to obtain free or discounted meals based on the Instagram posts that they share about their restaurant. The discount is credited depending on the follower count of each customer. For example: a person with 1,000 to 5,000 followers equates to a free plate of sushi but drinks are not included. Someone with 5,000 to 10,000 followers will enjoy two plates completely free. 50,000 followers allows someone to get four plates of sushi, 100,000 followers will get eight whole plates for free, and if anyone has more than 100,000 followers they can expect to get everything on the menu and still have everything be completely free! One picture and one hashtag changes the whole game for restaurants.
Expecting to Succeed
Other places around the world have done promotions like this one in the past. However, Matteo and Tommaso are the only ones to continue with this deal and keep it permanent for their restaurant. This gives them an edge against other competitors. Matteo says that he hopes the offer will attract millennials as patrons and create a “2.0 word-of-mouth that could make our brand strong and viral.” In regards to people potentially abusing this offer, the brothers are not worried. “This is just one of six restaurants we have in our chain and 90 per cent of our business is for home deliveries and takeaway food. So it will only be a small proportion of our customers who take advantage of the offer. The aim is to raise our visibility,” Matteo said.
Looking to the Future
Social media campaigns definitely boost visibility, and by creating the extra element of free or discounted food the Pittarello brothers have given other restaurant owners a run for their money. The restaurant only opened Monday and yet they already have major news outlets talking about it. People are lining up to try this famous sushi and to potentially get discounted food for the picture they’re going to take to share with their followers. This is a perfect example of how social media marketing can really benefit a business. This offer keeps the restaurant modern, and cool making it very desirable to the general public. They could potentially lose some money giving out free food to customers with high numbers in followers but if one were to take into consideration the money they would have spent on advertising for their restaurant, it more than balances out. It’s only a matter of time before other restaurants start following in the Pittarello brothers’ footsteps.
Andrea Spila è traduttore e web writer. Prima di laurearsi in filosofia e di ottenere un dottorato in pedagogia sperimentale, ha insegnato l'inglese nelle scuole materne ed elementari. Ha lavorato anche come interprete, in particolare per scrittori e artisti, tra i quali spiccano Rebecca Solnit e Ken Loach. Nel 1999 ha fondato Traduttori per la Pace, un'associazione di volontari che offrono le proprie competenze alle organizzazioni della società civile impegnate nella difesa dei diritti umani e dell'ambiente.
Oltre a scrivere, Andrea ama cantare, arrampicare e andare in canoa.