Papa John's Airs ''Spicy'' Spot During Last Night's Episode of ''The Apprentice''
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Apr 01, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Viewers tuning in to last night's episode of "The Apprentice" on NBC saw a "spicy" ad from Papa John's International, Inc. (Nasdaq: PZZA). With one of the other national pizza chains featured on the show, the company posed the question to consumers, "Why eat a pizza made by apprentices when you can call the pros at Papa John's?"
The 30-second spot, which ran in 64 markets representing roughly two-thirds of U.S. households, featured Papa John's Founder and Chairman John Schnatter in a boardroom setting asking consumers to tell the competition "they're fired" as he introduces Papa John's new Spicy Meatball pizza. The television spot is complemented by a full-page ad in today's USA Today, including a special offer for consumers who order online at www.papajohns.com.
"While we don't know much about reality TV, we do know a thing or two about making a superior-quality pizza," commented Schnatter. "If last night's episode left you craving a meatball pizza, don't worry - Papa John's delivers with our new Spicy Meatball pizza, now available throughout our system."
Whether in the dining room or boardroom, up in the suite or down on the street, street smarts or book smarts, we think you'll like Papa John's new Spicy Meatball pizza. Launched this week, the pizza is a tasty combination of Italian-seasoned meatballs, fresh-sliced onions and green peppers, on a new bold and spicy tomato sauce and topped with Parmesan garlic seasoning. The limited time promotion offers consumers a large Spicy Meatball pizza for only $11.99.
The television spot is available for viewing at www.papajohns.com.
About Papa John's:
Celebrating its 21st anniversary, Papa John's remains focused on using the highest quality ingredients to make its customers a superior-quality pizza. Papa John's makes the crust of every traditional pizza with fresh dough (never frozen) prepared with clear-filtered water in the company's regional quality control centers. Papa John's uses only fresh-packed tomato sauce made from vine-ripened tomatoes, which go from the vine to the can in an average of six hours; cheese made with 100% mozzarella; and other high quality toppings.
In the five most recent surveys (1999-2003, as published in The Wall Street Journal), Papa John's received the highest ratings among all national fast food restaurants in The American Customer Satisfaction Index survey conducted by The National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan Business School. Papa John's was rated above the national average for all industries and ranked the highest in the retail sector. Papa John's also continues to receive local market Best Pizza wins in various cities across the country.
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc. (Nasdaq: PZZA) is the third largest pizza company in America. As of February 20, 2005, Papa John's had 2,832 restaurants (570 company-owned and 2,262 franchised) operating in 49 states and 20 international markets. Papa John's also franchises an additional 117 Perfect Pizza restaurants in the United Kingdom. For more information about the company, please visit www.papajohns.com.
SOURCE: Papa John's International
Papa John's International, Louisville
Chris Sternberg, 502-261-4934