Papa John’s switches agencies again, hires Camp & King
Papa John's plans to feature Shaquille O'Neal in its ads starting this fall.
Papa John’s has hired Camp & King as its new creative agency after parting ways with Endeavor Global Marketing after only one year.
The latest agency switch comes after Chief Marketing Officer Karlin Linhardt joined the No. 4 U.S. pizza chain in March and as it prepares to launch advertising featuring brand ambassador Shaquille O’Neal.
Papa John’s is still trying to overcome sales declines largely pegged to the comments made by its founder and now former executive John Schnatter. The company dealt with a torrent of negative publicity in the wake of his comments about the NFL’s handling of player protests in the fall of 2017, which he pegged to the company’s sales weakness since it was an NFL sponsor at the time. In July 2018 Forbes reported on his use of the n-word on a training call with Laundry Service.
Last week, Papa John’s said this year’s decline in sales at longstanding locations shouldn’t be as steep as it had anticipated, in part thanks to the optimism it has about O’Neal’s work as a brand ambassador. The company said it would spend an additional $40 million on marketing in the second half of 2019 and in 2020.
Camp & King is starting on its work as Papa John’s creative and strategic agency partner immediately, the pizza chain said in a statement. Camp + King’s Chicago office will lead the work, headed by Kristin Barbour, managing director, Chicago, with support from its San Francisco headquarters. Production of the campaign featuring O’Neal will be lead by Amir Farhang, a filmmaker who works with Hungry Man Productions and has worked with the former NBA player in the past.
Camp & King becomes Papa John’s third creative shop in less than two years. Papa John’s hired Endeavor Global Marketing as its creative agency of record and strategic marketing partner in August 2018, soon after Laundry Service left the account after less than a year. The appointment was seen as a big win for Bozoma Saint John, who had joined Endeavor weeks earlier as its CMO. Endeavor's work on the brand included a campaign called "Voices" focusing on employees' stories.
Laundry Service was chosen under Papa John’s CMO Brandon Rhoten in October 2017. Rhoten left the chain in May 2018. Papa John’s CEO Steve Ritchie led marketing in the interim until Linhardt joined in March.
Grey had Papa John’s creative account from 2014 until 2017. Before that, it was handled by Zimmerman.
Camp & King's appointment was reported earlier today by Campaign.
