Pitbull Videos Expand Miami Subs' Social Media Reach

When Armando Christian Perez, the musical artist better known by his stage name Pitbull, bought an equity position in the Miami Subs chain in July, the deal was choreographed like a concert in social media.

In June, the 38-unit, Miami-based chain and Pitbull both started using their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts to tease a series of "webisodes" to build interest around the deal, as well as the new Miami Subs Grill. One of the four webisodes chronicles the rapper, singer and producer's early creative career and his writing of lyrics at a Miami Subs restaurant.

The videos tapped into Pitbull's powerful social media presence, which includes more than 6.3 million Twitter followers and a Klout social-measurement score of 81. The artist also has more than 22 million Facebook followers and has videos on YouTube and Vevo that have been viewed more than 3 billion times.

The company estimates that prior to the webisodes, the Miami Subs Grill Facebook page had a total reach on its highest day of 10,072. After the webisodes were added and linked, that reach rose to a high of 155,811 a day.

The equity announcement posted on Pitbull's Facebook page, the company said, had a total reach of about 3.4 million with 200,284 engaged users.

Miami Subs chief executive, Richard Chwatt, appeared in the fourth and final webisode with Pitbull. Chwatt has brought in as managing partners Dieuveny Louis and Jullian Boothe, both involved in the entertainment industry. "The Pitbull alliance was one of many celebrity affiliations planned for the new Miami Subs Grill," Boothe said.

Miami Subs has units in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina, and has sold units for Guyana.

Contact Ron Ruggless at ronald.ruggless@penton.com.
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