Better ingredients, better pizza is apparently not enough for Papa Johns.
The Atlanta-based pizza delivery chain on Tuesday revealed a new marketing platform, “Better Get You Some,” that’s designed to build on its longtime tagline by focusing on why people enjoy pizzas.
The platform was created in partnership with The Martin Agency as part of a springtime marketing push designed to build sales. The campaign will feature music from Grammy award-winning rapper Big Boi.
“Better Get You Some captures and champions the role pizza devotion plays in all our lives,” Mark Shambura, Papa Johns’ chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “Whether it’s cheering on your favorite team during the championship, catching up with friends you haven’t seen in a while or capping off a late-night study session, we’re showcasing those moments when the only thing that will make them better is pizza.”
“We’re not just telling you why our pizza is better,” he added. “We’re showing you how the Papa Johns experience is superior.”
The campaign also reveals the evolving business of pizza. The sector had been built on the delivery of high-value pizzas to consumers but the advent of third-party delivery of a broader set of restaurants has changed the game. Pizza chain sales have been slow coming out of the pandemic, largely due to a loss of delivery business, mostly from higher-spending customers seeking out a broader set of options.
That’s leaving chains working to push harder to build sales and set themselves up in a more competitive market.
Rapper Big Boi provided the soundtrack for new Papa Johns ads.
Papa Johns, which has generally outperformed its major rivals coming out of the pandemic, has opted to boost its marketing spending on a national level. Franchisees earlier this year agreed to increase their national marketing fund contribution to 6% of revenues from 5%. But they will no longer be required to spend on local marketing.
Executives believe that will result in more efficient marketing spending and a larger voice nationally.
The campaign also broadens Papa Johns’ marketing strategy. The company has typically focused much of its marketing on quality, while also targeting a sports-loving customer.
“Better Get You Some” instead focuses on the occasions customers enjoy pizzas. One ad features a woman bored on a date who starts daydreaming about pizza to the rapping of Big Boi.
It also gives the company an opportunity to market its latest premium product, the Crispy Cuppy ‘Rony, which features cupping pepperoni. The pizza is available for a limited time and comes on top of previous higher-end pizza offerings such as Stuffed Crust and NY Style pizzas.
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