rosa mexicano

Once boasting over 20 locations worldwide, the brand had shed three-quarters of its locations by March 2020 – as well as its entire marketing department – to stay afloat.

As the restaurant industry began emerging from the unprecedented COVID pandemic, FDW was asked to rebuild the marketing department from scratch, establish process and procedures to ensure future departmental growth, and reset the “2.0” strategic vision/positioning for Rosa Mexicano. The pre-2020 positioning, Elegant Fiesta, while effectively targeting Rosa’s original (aging) target audience, felt dated and a tad irrelevant to a younger, hipper diner that had pivoted to a new breed of vibrant and food-focused Mexican eatery. FDW’s “refreshed” USP, Elevated Fiesta – a nod both to the brand’s fine dining roots and festive atmosphere inherent to the Mexican dining experience in the US – appeared to resonate equally with younger and older diners. It continues to be used today as a key brand pillar as well as a tagline, #elevatedfiesta.

Food Dine Wine Marketing managed the update of Rosa Mexicano’s agave logo mark, new website (devised content, wrote copy, and hand-picked visuals), all collateral materials, off- and online advertising, menus, store wrap signage, photography, and new store launch marketing plans.

Moreover, FDW wrote the RFPs, then hired a public relations agency (to help generate visibility of three new store openings) and a digital agency (to implement a comprehensive on- and off-page SEO revamp of the website). Both agency relationships were closely managed and KPIs were set/tracked to ensure expectations were met/exceeded.

Food Dine Wine Marketing also tweaked the social media strategy and “look,” working with an agency to communicate the Elevated Fiesta brand voice more accurately via posts, reels, stories, and influencer collaborations.  For photography, FDW disposed of the previous downscale and uninspired “chips on the floor Mexican” pics and hired a top food photographer to capture the color, texture, beauty, and mouth-watering nature of Chef/Founder Josefina Howard’s unique cuisine.