When Pat Croce, the high energy, results-driven entrepreneur who assembled and led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 2001 NBA finals, calls on you to help market his newly acquired Key West restaurant and bar concepts, you’d better bring your A game. Led by partners Michael Croce and Jeff Sorg, Pat Croce and Company (PCC) is a successful management firm, specializing in acquiring and turning around underperforming companies with the goal of maximizing profits while building sustainable, quality organizations.
A Dog Walks into a Bar...
When we began this project, PCC had recently acquired five different bars and restaurants – all in close proximity of one another, each competing for a slightly different market.
The Green Parrot, Key West’s oldest bar established in 1890, was known by its fans as a “sunny place for shady people”, while the newly opened Charlie Mac’s was a hip, new BBQ joint named after Croce’s grandsons. Turtle Kraals and Half Shell Raw Bar were two Key West mainstays dating back over 30 years complete with a lot of great history and that famous laid-back island vibe. To round out the group, Island Dogs was a funky live music venue open to furry friends, known for their artisan menu and signature cocktails.
Fresh New Marketing Efforts
With five entirely different identities and unique selling points, our goal was to create a cohesive plan that would leverage PCC’s marketing efforts while still highlighting each individual establishment’s best features.
First things first: We took a deep dive into the operations of each establishment, meeting with staff, chefs and management to identify areas of improvement. We put together marketing plans, investigated every media contract, and looked into procedures for tracking sales, leads, and repeat customers. We then produced an integrated media plan that incorporated all five PCC entities.
After that, each entity received a brand refresh, emphasizing the things customers already knew and loved about the establishment while bringing out the new additions and improvements in service and menu offerings that had been implemented by the new ownership team. To assist with this branding initiative, we set up online merchandising platforms allowing fans all over the country to buy their favorite t-shirts from each location.
Marketing Materials
We then updated the marketing materials for the entire PCC group including websites, advertisements, push notifications, and email marketing, while working hard to maintain the brand equity and recognition that had been built up over the years.
Savings Never Tasted This Good
To further emphasize that the individual establishments were related to one another, we developed Pat Croce’s Southernmost Rewards program where members earn points for every dollar spent and receive exclusive discounts at the five bars and restaurants. Consisting of a user-friendly website and mobile app, the program allowed both locals and visitors to access these special offers.
