Situation Analysis:

Topper’s initially came to MAVERICK for the purposes of reputation management and to navigate the media narrative to a more positive angle.

Opportunity:

Topper’s Pizza’s was Ontario’s first pizzeria chain to launch a lactose free mozzarella substitute in Canada ahead of any of its competitors, partnering with Lactalis’ Galbani Professionale to deliver .
 

Strategic Approach:

MAVERICK jumped on the opportunity to be involved with the launch of Topper’s new lactose free mozzarella option and make it stand out as a “must have”. We developed Topper’s messaging in a way that put them in a leadership position among chain pizzerias and emphasize that they were the first chain to offer this option to their customers.

What We Did

MAVERICK conducted an omnibus survey to get a benchmark on provincial attitudes regarding lactose intolerance and alternative offerings. Seven-in-10 Ontarians felt “menus lack options for people who want cheese but struggle with lactose.” Additionally, two-thirds said that “allergen-free food options are too limiting in terms of taste and availability.”

MAVERICK arranged media blitzes to major outlets to get the word out ahead of the launch and gauge interest. We arranged media drops with local publications and radio stations during launch week to get the word out to their audiences and provided gift cards for them to give away to their audiences. We also arranged on location media opportunities with 105.9 The Region in Newmarket and CTV Northern Ontario in Sudbury, as well as several radio interviews for the Topper’s team.

Results: 

Topper’s was featured on location by CTV Northern Ontario. Topper’s Pizza was tasted live on air by CTV Ottawa’s Your Morning as well as 97.7 Max FM in Wasaga Beach. The campaign reached a total of more than 34 million viewers, being picked up in all the company’s priority markets in Ontario and was picked up by publications such as the Toronto Star in markets within the province where there aren’t Topper’s Pizza locations, as well as in cities such as Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg.

Topper’s saw their best sales numbers in the month of the launch, reporting sales similar to their best months of the year in what is normally their slowest month.