Pizza Nova is keeping moviegoers who are in line for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) from going hungry this year by providing samples of  its new Focaccia Barese pizza.

The freebies are a part of the pizza chain’s sponsorship of the fest, which it has done for the past six years. Stephanie Angelone, VP sales & marketing, Pizza Nova, tells MiC that each year it highlights its newest product and targets different high-traffic venues at the film fest, such as Roy Thomson Hall and the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

The pizza chain has used outdoor billboards to promote its TIFF sponsorships, but this year it’s relying more on sampling stops as a result of a smaller budget as it prepares for the brand’s 50th anniversary next year. “Whenever we’re sampling we [generally] see an increase in sales,” she says. “When you hear a commercial or see a flyer it’s hard to convey the taste of a product, but sampling executions [do just that]. TIFF provides a great opportunity for us to sample to a more targeted audience.”

She adds that since many TIFF venues don’t provide refreshments to consumers waiting in line for films, the brand can differentiate itself by handing out full slices and large party squares of its pizza to hungry festival-goers rushing to the fest after work.

The brand has also increased its print spend this year with the placement of full page ads with TIFF-specific creative featuring a Pizza Nova box on a film reel  in print publications including Now magazine and Metro. It also has an interstitial running on CHCH. Media and creative for the campaign were handled in-house.