EAST SIDE MARIO'S PROMOTES PARMIGIANA FESTIVAL
By Adnews Staff
East Side Mario's is promoting its new Parmigiana Festival with a new television commercial from Top Advertising of Toronto. The promotion began yesterday. It involves three menu items: Sicilian Eggplant Parmigiana, Pollo and Prosciutto Parmigiana and Vinnie's Peppercorn Veal Parmigiana. Each comes with unlimited soup or salad, a garlic loaf and a Chocolate Troncheto with Haagen-Dazs ice cream dessert. Television advertising also began yesterday. For six weeks the Parmigiana Festival commercial will air nationally excluding British Columbia. The spot is the first of three in the campaign. It depicts a guest standing at his table reciting a rhyme about the Parmigiana items. When he finishes he receives a standing ovation. Two additional spots will be released later this year to promote other foods programs, said Anna DiPede, senior vice-president of marketing and brand development for Prime Restaurant Group, which owns East Side Mario's. "Our latest campaign continues to support our brand concept, that East Side Mario's is the affordable Italian American Eatery where eating and celebrating meet," she said. "Our new campaign communicates the happy, fun, exuberant qualities of East Side Mario's and provides a very strong focus on food and value." Public relations for East Side Mario's are handled by Thornley Fallis Communications of Toronto.