Gritty’s Hoagie Bracket

Everyone likes talking about sandwiches. Even Gritty.

In March Madness style, The Philadelphia Inquirer recently published a bracket to determine the best hoagie in Philadelphia. The bracket pitted Philly sandwich stalwarts like Pastificio’s and Cosmi’s against relative newcomers like Angelo’s and Castellino’s.

Thousands of readers have voted, no doubt sparking more than a few heated hoagie debates.

Last week, the Inky ran a piece highlighting brackets from local food experts, Mayor Kenney – and Gritty.

It was a clever way for the Inquirer to promote its bracket, and answered a vital question that few ever thought to ask:

How would Gritty fill out a hoagie bracket?

The answer, as you might expect, is pure Gritty.

The Flyers mascot had some choice words for certain sandwich shops (as well as those who call them “subs”), and opted to write in votes for IKEA, Wawa and “homemade.”

The exercise was no doubt a fun and fascinating challenge for Gritty’s PR team, and it showcases just how far brand personas are being asked to stretch when it comes to social and digital platforms. It’s an opportunity for companies to insert themselves into trending conversations. It’s also a potential risk.

And in a town where your sandwich order can make or break your political career (looking at you, John Kerry), it’s worth noting Mayor Kenney too had to be aware of his brand reputation as he honed his hoagie selections.

Companies focus their brand identities on business perspectives and customer expectations – rightfully so. But consumers today expect more. Nearly two thirds of customers want companies to take a stand on current and broadly relevant issues like sustainability, transparency or fair employment practices, according to Accenture research.