PITTSBURGH Pa. The Washington, D.C., regional advertising cooperative for the Pittsburgh-based Vocelli Pizza chain has named LM&O Advertising as its first outside agency.
Members of the cooperative, which is made up of the operators of 39 franchised Vocelli Pizza restaurants in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, previously received advertising support from the 120-unit chain’s headquarters staff. The cooperative will use Arlington, Va.-based LM&O for advertising strategy and planning, media buying, online marketing, public relations, promotions and the launch of Internet ordering, a representative of the agency said.
“I’m confident that LM&O will be a great fit with Vocelli’s new marketing initiatives,” said Jim Powers, vice president of marketing for Vocelli Pizza. “The pizza business is growing by leaps and bounds on the Internet [and] LM&O’s extensive suite of interactive services and breadth of online experience is what initially attracted us to do business with them.”
LM&O’s Robin Yasinow said the agency’s initial work for Vocelli Pizza involves using media in ways that are new for the Washington-area franchises, including a mobile device campaign.
Vocelli Pizza is privately held, with Harry Ablak as its chairman, and his son, Varol Ablak, as the president and chief executive. The chain is known for pizza, pasta, stromboli, panini, salads, chicken wings and tenders, and desserts, including canoli.
Founded in 1995, LM&O said it counts among its clients Avis Budget Group, The National Guard, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and The Fairmont, Washington, D.C.
Contact Alan J. Liddle at [email protected].