Working Elkton’s Best Advertising Spot, the Philly Pretzel Man Puts His Product Before Customers

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In this age where Google has virtually become the mass media of the 21st century, advertising methods are undergoing a revolutionary change in Cecil County. Before this digital age arrived businesses had just a few traditional outlets, but now there are many emerging ways for promoting a product.

Still some people prefer to do things the old-fashioned way. One business that uses a method that’s been around for a century or longer is Elkton’s Philly Pretzel Factory on Bridge Street. Most days, the “Philly Pretzel Man” is seen on what has to be the county’s best advertising real estate hawking those tasty pretzels. Hour after hour, as cars rush by, he waves, holds up his sign, and uses some friendly antics to catch the eye of passing motorist. Over the weekend, he was out there in his Santa suit, which was getting lots of attention.

In an age when we hear about Facebook, Twitter, blogs, podcasts, streaming and much more, his style is almost a throwback to an earlier era of direct promotion, the old sandwich-board hawkers. It is apparently very effective as motorist look for that friendly wave while passing through the busy intersection. Something else that speaks to the effectiveness of this space as a form of direct advertising is the competition he faces for the valuable spot, especially during the election season. The Elkton FOP and many candidates for the town and county offices were out there taking over that premium medium-strip for a few hours. Sometimes instead of the friendly “Pretzel Man” passersby see a man “standing for freedom” with his flags and political signs about the president, congress or other matters of the moment.

Philly Pretzel Factory Gets Scrappy with Newest Product Launch

Growing Soft Pretzel Franchise Takes a Stab at Hard Pretzels; Experiments with Online Sales

Just six months after the launch of their revolutionary and wildly popular Pretzel Cheesesteak, Philly Pretzel Factory is at it again, and this time, you don’t need to go to a Philly Pretzel Factory location to get a taste. Philly Pretzel Factory introduces “Scraps,” the newest Philly Pretzel Factory invention.

While Philly Pretzel Factory head honchos have long pondered how to sell their original soft pretzel at top-notch quality outside of their locations, they’ve finally come up with the next best thing, and it’s tasty. Scraps are hard pretzel pieces packaged individually—but these are not to be confused with anything you’d get for free on an airplane. Philly Pretzel Factory’s Scraps come doused in five unique flavors: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, honey mustard and onion, cheddar cheese, and spicy buffalo.

The 120-plus unit franchise known for their original and authentic Philly-style soft pretzel wants to give customers a legendary Philly Pretzel Factory product that can be sold to last the test of time, and experiment with online retail sales.

“We envision reaching even more pretzel lovers with the launch of Scraps,” said Dan DiZio, CEO and Co-Founder of Philly Pretzel Factory. “While we’re still concentrating on expanding the brand up and down the East Coast, we are giving potential customers a chance to try us out before we even open stores in their locations. We think this will help build up a wider fan base and even contribute to franchise development.”

The decision to launch Scraps now was strategic for Philly Pretzel Factory. According to DiZio, they want to tap into the holiday retail sales market. “Scraps make a great stocking stuffer,” said DiZio.

And they’re not stopping with Scraps. More innovation is in the works for Philly Pretzel Factory as they test out several other new products to launch in 2011.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg for us. There’s so many ways to enhance the original pretzel and although I can’t say exactly what’s in testing phase, just be assured that your palate will be pleased,” said DiZio.

DiZio teamed up with college buddy Len Lehman in 1998 to create the first blueprint of the Philly Pretzel Factory. Today, the brand has grown from a single location in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia to a 120-plus-unit franchise with plans to add 20 more locations in 2011.

As the world’s largest Philly-style bakery, Philly Pretzel bakes fresh, delicious soft pretzels delivered to customers “Hot Outta The Oven.” Each pretzel, made from a mix of only the finest pretzel ingredients, is hand twisted to ensure quality and freshness.

With its menu strategically priced for any economy, the brand continues to thrive in 2010, never wavering from its commitment to its customers.

“Our founder’s principal of giving our customers great Philly-based tasty treats has caught on nationally. With an incredible following, we are positioned for steady growth throughout this year,” said Marty Ferrill, VP of Operations.