Recreating a restaurant brand

The high street restaurant market is a crowded one. Ask Italian is one of the well-known brands battling to attract hungry consumers - in this case with a major brand transformation. In Marketing Week, an interview with marketing director, Catherine Salloux, shows how the process starts with creating a truly distinctive feel and one that portrays a more up-to-date Italian atmosphere. She explains, “All of the inspiration is rooted in Milanese design which is bright, colourful and contemporary. The idea is to break the paradigm of Italian restaurants in England where the design is general Tuscany-inspired dark woods and…Chianti bottles.” As well as restaurant design, the brand makeover includes the food and customer service. To ensure customers are aware of the brand changes, as it rolls out across all the company’s restaurants, Catherine is involved in a multi-layered PR campaign including a cook book project with Great Ormond Street Hospital. For more details on this retail rebranding visit http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/opinion/qa-catherine-salloux-ask-italian-marketing-director/4004511.article