Our Work

Michelin Guides

Keeping Food News Fresh for The Michelin Guide

Widely considered the bible of gastronomy and a must–have for foodie travelers around the world, the Michelin Guide entered the United States culinary scene in 2005 after more than a century of awarding its prestigious stars to restaurants across Europe. After launching the San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles editions, Allison & Partners needed to keep the release of the updated editions in all three cities relevant in the face of two challenges:  generating interest in results that did not differ significantly from the previous years', and keeping the high-end Guides (read: primarily pricy selections) relevant in a rapidly souring economic climate.

To combat these challenges, our team developed sensitive, customized messaging for the Guide debuts each of the three cities, including an emphasis on bargain options already included in the Guides, which had never been a focus of coverage. In San Francisco, the team was successful in its focus on securing long–lead placements in each of the high–impact luxury regional publications timed to debut with the Guide's release before dissemination of any news, while in Los Angeles the team developed a blogger–outreach strategy designed to combat criticism that the Guide did not incorporate the local perspective. The Allison & Partners team partnered with one of Las Vegas' top destinations, the Wynn Hotel, to throw a cocktail gala celebrating all chefs awarded stars nationwide that was attended by top tier media such as the Associated Press and E!.

News about The Guide has generated coverage on every major network station, in myriad magazine and newspaper articles and in hundreds of blog postings discussing the Guide's impact on the local dining scene. More importantly, the books were non-fiction best sellers for weeks after their debuts and eclipsed the prior year's sales figures. American journalists are increasingly referencing the Michelin Guide when describing various top restaurants, reinforcing the brand as the international benchmark in dining and cementing its place as the definitive resource for American diners of all price points.