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When the internet sinks its talons into a conversation involving a brand, it&rsquo;s up to the brand itself to leverage that viral moment to its advantage. Franchise brands should always be prepared to spin&nbsp;turns in the spotlight into marketing or franchise development opportunities&mdash;because you never know when you could be meme&rsquo;d. 
 
Case in point: Michael Lastoria, CEO of Washington D.C.-based chain &amp;pizza told <a href="https://www.adweek.com/creativity/the-best-guidance-is-no-guidance-how-company-culture-helped-pizza-ride-a-viral-wave/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-pizza-owned-its-political-viral-moment-2709313" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">AdWeek</a>&nbsp;how his team handled going viral this week. On Wednesday, a photo of a young man digging into a pizza in the hallway outside Michael Cohen&rsquo;s Congressional testimony blew up on Twitter, with the internet promptly deeming him &ldquo;Pizza Intern.&rdquo; The brand quickly recognized its distinctive packaging and unique pizza shape&mdash;another great lesson in branding&mdash;and got to work. 
 
According to AdWeek, the brand got in touch with the man, jotted down his order and began advertising its&nbsp;recreated &ldquo;Hallway Pizza&rdquo; special the very next day. &ldquo;The best guidance is no guidance,&rdquo; Lastoria told AdWeek. &ldquo;We realize it&rsquo;s not just about jumping into a conversation to take advantage of a moment but finding the right way to do it.&rdquo; 
 
Read the full article&nbsp;<a href="https://www.adweek.com/creativity/the-best-guidance-is-no-guidance-how-company-culture-helped-pizza-ride-a-viral-wave/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-pizza-owned-its-political-viral-moment-2709313" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">here</a>.

How &pizza Owned Its Political Viral Moment

1851 Franchise

The pizza chain’s CEO shares how his staff turned 15 minutes of fame into a delicious promotional opportunity.

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How &pizza Owned Its Political Viral Moment

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