Marketing

The unofficial sponsorship: How viral food moments are the new sports marketing playbook for pizzerias

In a world that speaks to the power of marketing, unofficial endorsements are becoming the new sports marketing playbook for pizzerias.

Photo: Adobe Stock

July 6, 2026 by Valerie Gritton

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It was a breakthrough moment for the New York Knicks. The NBA basketball team swept through the Eastern Conference finals, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

The win set New York Knicks fans on fire, many of whom had waited years to watch their beloved team take center stage — and win. The city also was alive as fans across the world descended upon Manhattan to either watch the game in person or simply take part in the celebrations.

The increase in crowds meant an increase for restaurants, particularly pizzerias, many of which saw a 100% increase in orders on and around Championship games. (Just Google 'Knicks eastern conference effect on pizzerias' and you'll get the picture.)

For one pizzeria in particular, L'Industrie, the game was life changing, thanks in part (or wholly) to Knicks guard Josh Hart, who went viral for eating a slice during a post-game press conference. The move sent the pizzeria, already popular with the locals — and its sales — through the roof.

In a world that speaks to the power of marketing, unofficial endorsements are speaking for themselves, becoming the new sports marketing playbook for pizzerias.

The viral clip amplified an already booming business. L'Industrie, which was voted America's No. 1 slice in 2025 in one poll, saw demand soar. Hart's video clip created even more lines for L'Industrie's three New York locations (one each in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the West Village and Little Italy in Manhattan) and inspired the launch of a Knicks merchandise collection. Search "L'Industrie" on Instagram and you'll find a stream of customer videos that speaks to just how much of a destination it has become.

These are what dreams are made and if done right, moments like these can elevate even the smallest of operation to superstar status, almost overnight.

While what happened to L'Industrie wasn't planned, "the marketing team for that chain had to jump on and move as quickly as possible when that moment happened," Mary Ann O'Brien, founder and CEO of OBI Creative, an Omaha, Nebraska-based full-service advertising agency and marketing strategy firm with clients that span both local and national restaurant brands, said in a phone interview. "Going viral for something does just happen and it typically happens authentically. But, there is a lot of preparation making sure the marketing plan has enough flexibility to take advantage of it."

So how can pizzeria operators leverage the new power of unofficial sports marketing?

Be prepared to succeed

Even if your pizza isn't voted No. 1 in the country, the state or even your city, there are ways to capitalize on viral food moments in sports as communities, parents and families love to rally around and support youth sports — whether at the elementary, middle, high school or collegiate level.

"Pizzeria owners should be thinking about the number of moments that matter within the journey of the customer and asking: 'How can we — as a brand — serve them better," O'Brien said. "It's not always what brands do, but the easy trick is to ask your customers: 'Where are they? What do they like doing?' and then finding those moments where you can insert your brand authentically into them. Everybody eats so pizzeria operators are in a great position."

It doesn't take a large marketing team or advertising budget to find the right moments. It simply takes a plan, some flexibility and someone to help implement it when the time is right — whether that's a community brand fanatic, a general manager or employee from within your operation or someone connected to local sports that you can call on for support.

"If you don't have an advertising agency or a marketing team, you should have someone who is in the mix within your community," O'Brien said. "Figure out who or what you have that can be that. Be that friend in the business after a sporting event. Become the unofficial sponsor of the wins and have unofficial offers that you can tie back to the game."

That means attending a game with coupons or making a social announcement for a special offer if your local team wins.

Said O'Brien: "You have to have the mindset that you're going to be ready at any given moment to take advantage of the opportunity, and to see where it doesn't look like an expense, it looks like an investment."