3. A smaller operator lands big star power
Big Star Sandwich in New Westminster, B.C., rolled the dice with some quick social media thinking, and it landed the two-location brand a celebrity endorsement of sorts. After finding out beloved actor Liam Neeson was filming nearby, the restaurant posted a photo of its outdoor sandwich board, which invited the "Taken" actor to stop by and eat for free. Neeson actually showed up and snapped a photo with employees in front of the sign, which the brand then posted on its social media channels.
The photo with Neeson has been shared internationally, from People magazine to TMZ. It has over 500 shares on Big Star's Facebook page, where previous posts were garnering only double-digit shares, and over 4,500 likes on Instagram, compared to its average modest amount of 100 or less.
To ride out the media wave, the shop created a special sandwich named after Neeson, and already other operators are copying with similar ideas.