Most people know May 5 as Cinco de Mayo. But this year, thousands discovered a new reason to celebrate — National Hoagie Day.

The goal was to make the holiday officially Primo. On May 5, every PrimoHoagies location rewarded free hoagies to its first 100 customers. With nearly 100 locations from New Jersey to Florida, that totaled nearly 10,000 free hoagies! And to keep the celebration going, they offered $5 hoagies all day long.

With help from Agency|51, PrimoHoagies spread the word through PR, radio, e-blasts and most noticeably via social media. By May 5, the PrimoHoagies Facebook page saw a 10% increase in page “likes” and nearly a 322% increase in engagement. That means over 27,000 people actively “liked,” commented, and shared the National Hoagie Day boosted posts in anticipation for the big day.

As soon as PrimoHoagies opened their doors on May 5, the response across the nation was overwhelming. Even with additional ingredients on hand, many stores sold out of PrimoHoagies’ original seeded bread within hours. Not surprisingly, May 5, 2014 became the BIGGEST day in Primo history. The PrimoHoagies team made over 47,000 hoagies — each sliced to order with gourmet Thumann meats and cheese. In fact, Agency|51 created so much buzz and momentum that the following day was the biggest Tuesday in Primo history as well!

“Who better to celebrate and completely dominate National Hoagie Day than PrimoHoagies?” said Agency|51’s Executive Creative Director Tony Serna. “For over 25 years, they’ve perfected the authentic flavor of South Philly. Their dedication to the product runs so deep that they treat every day like National Hoagie Day.”

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