Diccicco Battista Communications - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Diccicco Battista Helps Applebee’s Raise Over $1 Million for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation

Young Alex Scott’s dream was to find a cure for childhood cancer by selling cups of lemonade.  And this dream is now $1 million closer to reality due to the efforts of Applebee’s Restaurants and its brand communications agency, Diccicco Battista Communications.  Since 2005, Diccicco Battista has been tasked with the development and execution of public relations and media strategies for one of the country’s leading Applebee’s franchisees. A significant portion of that effort was to develop and execute a major community relations campaign aimed at solidifying the organization’s connection to the neighborhoods it serves.

A few years ago, Diccicco Battista and Applebee’s created an annual fundraising campaign in support of the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national charity dedicated to continuing Alex Scott’s cause to battle cancer, one cup of lemonade at time.

By selling cups of lemonade and paper lemons at their restaurant locations, Applebee’s rallied their employees, customers and partners in the community, and raised $166,000 in the program’s inaugural year. In the following years, Diccicco Battista expanded the program to include a local television media partnership with CBS3, the sponsorship of "A Stand for Hope" telethon, a grassroots program that saw a branded 17-foot mobile lemonade stand visit dozens of summer camps throughout the region, and a contest that awarded a brand new Volvo C30 to a lucky restaurant patron.  And as the program grew, each restaurant location got into the act and hosted their own local fundraising efforts like coloring contests, bake sales, fairs and carwashes.