One Of The Best Ways To Market A Restaurant In New York City

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:10:37 +0000

I recently came across the work of Liza de Guia. She is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn who specializes in producing videos about food and eateries in and around New York City. She’s made a number of films which she has posted on Vimeo.

One of Liza’s latest films is about a couple of restaurateurs from the Brooklyn area who have taken up beekeeping as a hobby. Please watch the film and then I’ll tell you why I think hiring Liza to shoot a film about your establishment is perhaps one of the best ways to advertise your craft.

Brooklyn’s Urban Beekeepers: Breaking The Law For The Planet (Part I) from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

The opening interview is perfect. It is funny, quick and provides a sets the tone for the rest of the piece. Throughout the 5+ minute video the music consistently matches the imagery. The individuals she interviews are funny, quirky and enjoyable to watch. It is obvious that Liza knows what she is doing and how to tell a story and that is what makes her work so valuable.

While having Liza tell your story if you are a beekeeper must be loads of fun it really doesn’t pay dividends. However, if you happen to be the General Managers and an Executive Chef of two Brooklyn eateries then having Liza tell your story can have seriously positive side effects. Roberta’s Pizza in Brooklyn and Frankies Spuntino in Brooklyn and Manhattan are both mentioned in the piece and while the video is basically about beekeeping you end Googling the two places pretty damn quick once the video is over.

What makes Liza so effective is that she understands that in order to be able to get people interested in a product you first have to find the story that surrounds it and work on telling it. Start by telling stories about the people, their human qualities and their quirks and whatever it is they are selling will appear that much more attractive. One of the most interesting people you will ever meet is Dan Machin, who is featured in Liza’s latest video, and if you watch it you will understand why I initially titled my post about it, ‘I Would Buy This Guy’s Veggies In A Heartbeat If I lived In Brooklyn’.

While I am big fan of Liza’s work I am more interested in what she represents. Liza is producing work that, I believe, represents the future of advertising. While her video was not intended to be a marketing piece I thought it was extremely effective at introducing an establishment by first casually introducing us to the people that work there. She has turned out a number of pieces that are more direct with their message but throughout all of them Liza succeeds in humanizing a business thereby making its product that much more desirable.

I am really not trying to pitch Liza here, I just think she has a lock on what works. Hopefully, we will begin to see more of these relaxed, informative and enjoyable videos that let us know about great eateries in New York City that some of us didn’t know were in existence. If you are unsure about whether or not you want to hire Liza and her camera (minimal overhead and a small footprint – another plus) consider that once your video is branded released into the wild it will take on a life of its own and continue to pollinate other sites on the web giving you maximum return. Give it a shot and see what happens – at least with Liza you know you will get a great product.

You can find all of Liza’s contact info here and the rest of her videos here.

Please be sure to leave a comment if you know of other people who are out there shooting fantastic material and deserve recognition. Another site to definitely check out if you are into food videos is Foodtease.com which is shot by two Canadians in Texas.

The Best Gelato In Rome

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:01:34 +0000

I thought I would take a minute and do a little advertising for Gelateria Fatamorgana, a small gelateria artisanale here in Rome. A friend and I had lunch today at a restaurant near Ostiense, one of the main train stations near the center of town, and afterwards we decided to stop by the shop which was only a few blocks away.

Photo: Gelateria Fatamorgana

Situated on Via Ostiense only a stones throw from the giant Pyramid of Cestius, Fatamorgana is a little hole in the wall that sells some of the most unique and delicious ‘ice cream’ I have ever tasted. You can easily miss the shop if you are not looking for it and if you don’t believe me take a look at this Google Map image:

Click on image for actual Google Map Streetview

It may look a little rugged from the outside but, as with all things in Italy, looks can be deceiving. Once you step inside you are presented with an array of ice creams that you never thought could exist. Originally founded by an actress, Fatamorgana specializes in highly unusual flavors. The three I had today (Kentucky, Panacea and Madagascar Chocolate) were absolutely incredible.

Via Ostiense 36/E (Piramide) - 00127 Rome

Kentucky is a blend of rich chocolate and real Kentucky pipe tobacco. It may sound disgusting but the taste was incredible. Panacea is a blend of almonds, fresh mint and ginseng. The mint tasted as if it had just been picked. Madagascar chocolate is made without sugar but amazingly there is still a sweetness to the rich, nearly black concoction. All batches are made in small quantities in a machine a few feet from where it is served by one incredibly friendly guy.

When in Rome be sure to do as the Romans do and stop by Fatamorgana on Via Ostiense. Esquire, The Sunday Times and Il Tempo have all written about this little gem so you don’t have to take just my word for it. It is easy to get to (here is a map) and if you are interested in learning more please be sure to visit their site.