Papa's In The House: Papa John's To Be Official Pizza Of Super Bowl

By Terry Lefton, Editor-At-Large

Papa John's Pizza has signed a short-term NFL sponsorship deal making it the "official pizza sponsor" of Super Bowl XLIV. Papa John's, the country's third-largest pizza chain behind Pizza Hut and Domino's, will use its new NFL rights to market a Super Bowl XLIV pizza, an extra-large pie with up to four toppings priced at $11.99 and available at its 2,700 domestic locations from January 15-February 15. A sweepstakes overlay, part of what Papa John's is calling "National Football Month," will offer tickets and accommodations for two at the upcoming NFL title game in South Florida to the winner. Papa John's Pizza boxes will feature NFL and Super Bowl indicia. The move is one of the first big marketing initiatives for Andrew Varga, named Papa John's CMO in late August. Varga said Super Bowl Sunday is already one of the chain's five busiest days of the year. "Consumers are already eating tons of pizza that day," he said. "When you add an affiliation with the NFL and Super Bowl, you get the ability to get more share of mind during that big pizza consumption period and spike sales before, during and after the Super Bowl." Media plans for Papa John's new NFL marketing platform are not final. Varga said they could include anything from ads in Super Bowl pregame programming to an ad in the game itself. Papa John's has never advertised in the Super Bowl; rivals Pizza Hut and Domino's have. With 54 restaurants in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area, Papa John's will also have a large local Super Bowl marketing/advertising presence.

I'M GOING HUNGRY: You could say the NFL is hungry for new business. The Papa John's deal, which runs through the Super Bowl, marks the fourth time this season the league has granted marketing rights to a restaurant chain. Earlier this year, there was a deal with IHOP, followed by sponsorships with KFC and McDonald's, which is title sponsor of the Pro Bowl. Papa John's other sports sponsorships include entitlement to a college bowl game in Birmingham, Alabama, since '06, and team sponsorships with nine NFL teams, including the Dolphins. Dolphin Stadium on February 7 will host its fifth Super Bowl.