Storyboard: For Those Who Like To Watch

A voyeuristic TV ad readies D’Angelo Sandwich Shops for Eastern Seaboard expansion.

By Margaret Littman, Contributing Editor -- Chain Leader, 4/1/2004

Grinder, hero, hoagie, sub. Call it what you will, depending on where you are in the country, D’Angelo Sandwich Shops intends to be your sandwich shop of choice. The Dedham, Mass.-based chain, formerly called Ma Riva’s Sub Shop, is known for made-to-order sandwiches, both grilled and traditional submarine style, and even a seasonal lobster sandwich. To bring its sandwiches to the rest of the East Coast, D’Angelo is kicking off its expansion plans with a new TV campaign.

D’Angelo has had a decade-long moratorium on growth, preferring instead to solidify its menu of 44 sandwiches and update its stores. Acquired by Papa Gino’s Holdings Corp. in 1997, D’Angelo has enjoyed impressive loyalty—60 percent of customers eat in its restaurants at least three times per month—if not expansion. The chain recently settled a $270,000 court case due to a 2001 outbreak of hepatitis A linked to D’Angelo’s employees, which may have partly slowed growth in the last several years. Systemwide sales dropped 1.7 percent from $115 million in 2001 to $113 million in 2002, according to estimates from Chain Leader’s sister publication, Restaurants & Institutions.

But Chain Leader estimates 2004 sales will return to 2002 levels, and could increase significantly in 2005 and 2006, as the concept rolls out plans to open 400 new units in the next three to five years, primarily on the East Coast. Franchise expansion will fuel that growth. It’s a new initiative for the chain; just 25 percent of D’Angelo’s current 216 units are franchised.

D’Ads
To support those aggressive growth goals, D’Angelo is now launching the first significant television ad campaign in the chain’s 37-year history. Tested for eight weeks last fall in Providence, R.I., where the concept has 27 units, the 30-second “P.O.V.” spot emphasizes D’Angelo’s made-to-order, grilled appeal. Clarke Goward, the Boston-based ad agency that has held the D’Angelo’s account for seven years, decided to test the spot first to ensure D’Angelo was spending its limited budget effectively.

“The only advertising we had really done before was radio, and that was product specific, promotion specific. There was a void in brand image,” says Michael McManama, vice president of marketing for D’Angelo.

In “P.O.V.” a D’Angelo fan sneaks into the kitchen to watch the sandwiches being made up close. Customers look on over the counter and applaud enthusiastically when the work is completed. Geared toward 18- to 44-year-olds, the spot is intentionally humorous without being sophomoric, says McManama, and draws attention to D’Angelo’s points of difference rather than to specific sandwiches.

“We did not think slapstick was consistent with the brand, but we did not want ho-hum,” explains Jane O’Neil, vice president and management supervisor at Clarke Goward. “We think this captured the D’Angelo brand.”

The chain experienced slight sales growth from week to week in Providence during the test phase and a “marked improvement” between Providence restaurants and those not in the TV test market, says McManama. Privately held D’Angelo will not release sales figures.

Selling Sliced Bread
This spring D’Angelo will expand the spot into the metropolitan Boston area as well as airing it again in Providence to start building the chain’s brand. The company will roll out the ad further as it opens new units and has enough restaurants in a given area to make TV ads feasible. Point-of-purchase materials and radio ads will reinforce the made-to-order message.

McManama says ad expenses will not increase dramatically in 2004 because the company will divert funds for television that had been previously used for coupons and radio. Based on figures from New York-based TNS Media Intelligence/CMR, Chain Leader estimates D’Angelo’s 2004 ad budget at $1 million.

D’Angelo may add more spots to the campaign later, but “P.O.V.” will remain the centerpiece of the campaign. “The goal is always to be able to do more TV,” O’Neil says.

“P.O.V.” Length: 30 seconds
1. Voice-over: At D’Angelo, we use only the finest meats and cheeses,	2. garden vegetables and delicious hearth-baked breads.
3. All to bring you a sandwich that is made fresh to order.	4. Just the way you like it.
5. Man: I just love to watch you guys work. Yeah.	6. Crowd: Clapping.
7. Voice-over: You know where to find your favorite sandwich. Stop in and taste the difference at D’Angelo.	8. Man: Put ’em together for the sandwich.