Get All Access for $5/mo

Brooklyn Pizzeria Nails Viral Marketing With Its Safe, Edible Take on the Tide Pod Challenge Vinnie's Pizzeria jumped quickly on the disturbing trend and came out with PIEd Pods.

By Stephen J. Bronner Edited by Dan Bova

Vinnie's Pizzeria | Twitter

Tide Pods are not food. They clean clothes. They should never go in your mouth.

But, that hasn't stopped kids and young adults from ingesting them anyway, all in a bid for some quick internet fame.

Related: I Tried Out an Exoskeleton That Some Ford Workers Are Using -- and It Was Great

Sean Berthiaume, co-owner of Vinnie's Pizzeria in New York, told Entrepreneur that he had a dream involving an edible item based on Tide Pods. He then created PIEd Pods, mini calzones with the hypnotic colors of Tide Pods. Once he posted an image of them online, "it blew up," he says.

Online fame and the subsequent media coverage it brings is great, but what does it mean for his business? Customers coming to the shop from all over the country, he says.

I spoke to Berthiaume about creating new items based on pop culture and other methods to market your business. Check out the video below.

Stephen J. Bronner

Entrepreneur Staff

News Director

Stephen J. Bronner writes mostly about packaged foods. His weekly column is The Digest. He is very much on top of his email.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

More from Entrepreneur Exclusives

3 Simple Ways to Boost E-Commerce Sales

Why Your First 1,000 Customers Are Your Most Important

How to Grow Your Business By Finding New Customers

3 Stress-Busting Relaxation Exercises You Can Do Anywhere (60-Second Video)

Leadership

6 Effective Tactics for Handling a Toxic Boss

Salvaging your dignity from an abusive boss is a job all its own.

Side Hustle

She Started a T-Shirt Side Hustle as a Recent Grad Working at 'People' Magazine. It Led to a DM From Levi's and $400 Million.

When Michelle Wahler, co-founder and former CEO of Beyond Yoga, moved to California, she went "full steam ahead" on a new venture.

Social Media

How To Start a Youtube Channel: Step-by-Step Guide

YouTube can be a valuable way to grow your audience. If you're ready to create content, read more about starting a business YouTube Channel.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Leadership

Most Problems Fall Into 1 of 3 Layers — Here's How to Effectively Approach Each One

In entrepreneurship, not all problems are created equal. I've found that there are three layers of problems, and each one requires its own type of solution — here's what they are and how to approach each one.