Carrabba’s Italian Grill Case Study

As Carrabba’s continued its aggressive expansion across the U.S., they requested MMB design a photo

shoot highlighting the Italian way of life. This photo shoot needed to deliver on multiple levels for the client,

while falling under the big idea of

“Only at Carrabba’s.”

On top of the usual challenge of keeping the brand top of mind for consumers, Carrabba’s was looking to

overcome a specific challenge: be more Italian and attract a larger consumer demographic, instead of

mainly Baby Boomers and older Gen Xers.

Carrabba’s wanted our help in changing the “only for old people” perception and increasing brand loyalty to

a national audience.

Our mission was to keep all consumers engaged with the brand, as well as attract new ones

who hadn’t yet tried their food.

The best way for us to do this was highlight Carrabba’s beginnings, as well as focus

on the Italian lifestyle and quality and freshness of the ingredients.

So how do we attract consumers of all ages while keeping our core audience, as well as increase the

perception that Carrabba’s is the best Italian restaurant around?

We decided the best answer was in Italy, and embarked on a two-week photo shoot.

By highlighting various food stands, visiting homes, experiencing a traditional Italian cooking session

and focusing on the landscape, we were able to bring the Italian experience home.

We incorporated social media via Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, and response was great.

This larger focus on the Italian lifestyle, combined with creating a “passport” full of exclusive offers,

helped increase our presence online as well as our overall audience demographics.

Example Imagery