California Pizza Kitchen names Iris agency of record after its TikTok marketing win

California Pizza Kitchen has announced a new agency roster, with Iris Worldwide as creative and social agency of record. Push will oversee special projects and extensions, while Acadia, which has been working with the chain, will handle performance media. Blue Engine will work on PR for the chain. The pizza chain is looking to breathe new life into the brand through nostalgia. “We have good brand equity, but consumers are not thinking about us,” said Dawn Keller, CPK’s chief marketing officer. “So many people have grown up with this brand and we know nostalgia is having a moment and we could benefit more from that.” The chain did not previously have a creative agency of record. A majority of California Pizza Kitchen’s recent creative has been created internally. Iris’ work will primarily focus on the U.S. market, but some of it will be applied globally, such as branch strategy and positioning, as well as updated brand guidelines, according to a CPK spokesperson. Agency Review Tracker Stay up to date with the latest account reviews Click here The new roster also comes ahead of California Pizza Kitchen’s 40th anniversary next year. “That was part of the urgency, was to give our new partners runway on this,” said Keller. “We want it to be a celebration of our fans, many of whom have grown up with the brand and are now bringing their kids.” The chain ranked 95th in Nation’s Restaurant News 2023 restaurant rankings, which are based on system-wide domestic sales from the previous year. California Pizza Kitchen’s U.S. systemwide sales increased 9% to $583.8 million in 2022, according to the rankings. The chain has 131 domestic locations, according to a chain spokesperson. The review was conducted internally and completed in about two months, according to Keller. She joined the pizza chain in March after serving as CMO at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria. Keller was previously global VP of digital and U.S. VP of marketing for Krispy Kreme. “We have a small internal team, so when you bring in an agency, that really is an extension of us,” she said, noting that CPK had a strong cultural fit with Iris. Keller said she set a goal to complete the review in 60 days, from sending out the RFP to making a decision, excluding the time to finalize contracts. RFPs were sent out in early and mid-June. “We wanted to be efficient and very close to it without that layer in the middle,” she said. “It was so clear that this was an area of opportunity and we wanted a new partner in place this quarter so they can have an impact this fiscal year.” Iris is already making a difference, according to Keller. During the selection process, California Pizza Kitchen turned to the agency for help after it went viral on TikTok for delivering an order of mac and cheese without noodles. @fumptruck I give up 😩 #badday #macandcheese #macncheese #cpk #californiapizzakitchen #omg ♬ original sound - Gremlin 🍉 With help from Iris, the chain quickly reached out to the customer, giving her free pizza and mac and cheese for a year. California Pizza Kitchen’s head chef also posted a sarcastic TikTok video showing how to make mac and cheese, while announcing a 50% off mac and cheese deal for the week. The comments section of the chef video was filled with positive feedback from consumers. “They rose to the challenge and exceeded expectations,” said Keller. “They proved to us a lot of things in that opportunity: their prowess, teamwork and ethic.” Blue Engine also helped with the response. @calpizzakitchen PSA on how to make CPK Mac 'N' Cheese correctly.👨🏻🍳🍝 Use promo code cheeseANDmac for 50% off your Mac 'N' Cheese order available for takeout and delivery. Offer valid July 19, 2024 – July 31, 2024, for take-out or CPK delivery only. No third-party delivery. 50% off order of Mac and Cheese. Use promo code: cheeseANDmac. Only at participating locations in the U.S. (excluding locations in airports, stadiums, universities, Guam, mobile kitchen, and franchised locations). Excludes tax, catering orders and gratuity. No substitutions, modifications, or additions. Cannot combine with other offers or fundraisers. One per customer per day. One per check. No cash or gift card value. Employees are not eligible and will not apply to Dine Out Card. Void where prohibited. Additional exclusions or restrictions may apply, and terms may change without notice. Offer may be canceled due to pricing or other errors. Questions (including list of non-participating locations)? Call (800) 919-3227. ♬ Funny song for video creation - dg cria Iris, which is owned by Cheil Worldwide, last week announced the hiring of Menno Kluin as global chief creative officer. Kluin was Ogilvy New York’s CCO for more than a year before departing in September 2023. Before that, he was the U.S. CCO at Dentsu International and he was previously CCO at 360i. Iris’ client roster includes Samsung, Adidas, Bentley, Beiersdorf, IHG, Samsonite and Pizza Hut. Asked about a potential conflict with Iris working with competitor Pizza Hut, a CPK spokesperson said that the Pizza Hut account is limited to the U.K., while also noting that CPK is not a “pizza primary concept.” “Any remaining concerns about Pizza Hut being somewhat in our competitive set were outweighed by our confidence that Iris is the right AOR partner for us,” the spokesperson said.

California Pizza Kitchen names Iris agency of record after its TikTok marketing win

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