Campaign Story
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Campaign Story 〰️
STICK TO WHAT YOU LOVE
CAMPAIGN STORY
“Stick to What You Love” celebrates Proper Pizza’s legacy as Prishtina’s first delivery restaurant - a taste people keep coming back to. The idea was to show that Proper Pizza isn’t just food; it’s part of who you are and the moments you choose to share. It was simple: when something becomes a part of you, you stick to it.
To bring the idea to life in a tangible way, we introduced custom sticker designs as the core campaign asset. The first batches were handed out in-store, quickly creating momentum. The stickers prompted widespread user-generated content, increased brand recall, and extended the campaign beyond paid channels, contributing to both engagement and sales. In doing so, they turned the campaign into a recognisable local moment.
Through joyful visuals of friends hanging out, the campaign reminded the city why Proper Pizza has stayed beloved for so long. It’s a taste people don’t just choose. It’s a taste they come back to. A taste they stick to.
CASE STUDY 1
CASE STUDY 1
From Traditional to Digital: How Proper Pizza Expanded Beyond Borders
Founded in 2002, Proper Pizza began as a small delivery restaurant and grew into one of the largest franchises in the Balkans. For years, its success was driven almost entirely by word of mouth, with support from traditional and social media marketing. But as the brand reached a plateau, we needed a way to scale beyond borders and attract global franchise partners.
Challenge
Proper Pizza had no digital infrastructure, no data tracking, no lead database, and no platform for customer or B2B engagement. The brand relied solely on organic buzz and offline communication, which limited its growth potential.
Strategy & Execution
As Marketing Manager, I identified the lack of a website as the biggest barrier to growth. Despite a limited budget and initial hesitation from leadership, I proposed and led the creation of Proper Pizza’s first website to serve both B2C customers and B2B franchise prospects.
Working closely with programmers, I co-developed the front end using WordPress and sourced technical partners to enable Kosovo’s first online food checkout system, after securing an integration through ProCredit Bank (previously used by KFC Serbia). This breakthrough allowed customers to order and pay online, a first in the local market.
Results & Impact
Within 24 hours of launch, the website attracted 3,000 organic visitors, proving immediate demand and validating the project to leadership. Over the next year, it became the core engine of the brand’s global expansion, generating:
A database of qualified franchise leads from international investors.
4 new franchise openings across Europe, resulting in over €500,000 in direct profit plus a 6% annual royalty stream.
Substantial SEO gains through on- and off-page optimisation, supported by heatmaps and user analytics (Hotjar) to refine engagement strategy.
Today, Proper Pizza’s digital presence continues to drive both customer sales and franchise growth, transforming a once word-of-mouth brand into a digitally scalable global business.
Takeaway
Convincing a team that’s been successful without digital tools to change their approach is never simple. When a business grows mainly through word of mouth, investing in new systems or subscriptions can feel unnecessary or risky.
The key is to spot a clear opportunity that shows why digital matters. In our case, I focused on scalability, explaining that to grow beyond Kosovo, we needed to be visible outside our borders. By building one platform that served both goals — online sales for customers and visibility for investors — we proved that digital could deliver real business impact.
It took persistence, testing, and showing results through data, but eventually the shift spoke for itself, proving that innovation isn’t about replacing what works, but expanding what’s possible.
Other Work
Created and designed brand guidelines for Proper Pizza that are now being used worldwide as a base framework for consistent brand identity across all markets.
Created the entire franchise deck, from concept to final design, now used by leadership as the core blueprint for selling and pitching the global franchise model.
CASE STUDY 2
CASE STUDY 2
Taping Into New Territories: Launching Kosovo’s First Gluten-Free Pizza
Proper Pizza has always been known for innovation, but as a brand that mainly sells traditional pizzas, we wanted to explore a new market, one that aligned with growing interest in healthier and inclusive food options.
Challenge
Kosovo’s market lacked genuine gluten-free alternatives. Although some restaurants claimed to offer them, they weren’t truly gluten-free, leaving customers with intolerances unable to enjoy pizza safely. Entering this space meant solving not just a marketing gap, but a product and supply chain challenge, as gluten-free ingredients were not available locally.
Strategy & Execution
It all started with our recent experiment with activated charcoal dough, a detox-inspired, visually striking “black pizza.” Despite its health benefits and unique look, sales were disappointing. Through customer comments and feedback, we discovered the real unmet need: a trustworthy gluten-free pizza.
From there, focus shifted completely. Together with our food technologists, we began researching ingredient availability across neighbouring countries. After connecting with a flour manufacturer in North Macedonia, we sourced gluten-free flour and began months of testing and recipe development to match the original Proper Pizza flavour and texture.
After two months of experimentation and refinement, the product was ready - Kosovo’s first authentic gluten-free pizza.
Results & Impact
The launch was an instant success. It opened the door to an entirely new audience that had long felt excluded from enjoying pizza. Customers shared testimonials describing how they could finally eat pizza without discomfort, and some even approached me personally to express their gratitude.
The gluten-free pizza became a 2% year-on-year sales increase for Proper Pizza and generated significant media and community buzz. Even members of the Kosovar diaspora in Finland reached out to purchase the recipe, highlighting its unique market value.
Takeaway
This experience taught me that innovation starts with listening. The charcoal pizza failed not because it wasn’t creative, but because it solved the wrong problem. True innovation comes from identifying what people actually need and translating that insight into something tangible.
By combining customer feedback, experimentation, and persistence, we turned an initial failure into a breakthrough, creating a product that didn’t just sell well but genuinely improved people’s lives.
