Papa John's is "evaluating" its NFL sponsorship in the "wake of declining television football viewership, which the company has blamed in part on the national anthem protests," according to Jargon & Beaton of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Top execs at the QSR said that they are in "weekly discussions with the NFL about the returns their advertising dollars are generating and that they will see how the rest of the football season plays out before making any big decisions." The Papa John's execs also noted that a consumer shift to digital channels is "leading them to completely rethink the way they advertise." Papa John's CMO Brandon Rhoten said, "We have to evaluate our reliance on partnerships that are TV-focused, like the NFL." Papa John's President & COO Steve Ritchie said of the NFL, "If the viewership decline continues, we will need to shift into things that work more effectively for us." Jargon & Beaton noted Papa John’s has another "close connection" to the NFL in Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, who "owns more than 100 Papa John’s franchises either individually or in partnerships." The company said that it has "not discussed the anthem issue" with Jones (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/4). Jones said Papa John's Founder & CEO John Schnatter is "one of the great Americans." Appearing Friday on his weekly radio show on KRLD-FM in Dallas, Jones said, "Papa John's was named by all of the people that look at the NFL, Papa John's was named as the product most associated with the NFL, and it was named that a year ago by a survey of our viewers. So he is quite an American story. He was not cavalier about showing he's got data. ... So when he speaks, I listen" (DALLASNEWS.com, 11/3).
