Why California Pizza Kitchen launched a fake rebrand to celebrate 40 years

No, California Pizza Kitchen is not having a midlife crisis. After three days of intriguing and angering fans with what seemed like a streetwear-inspired rebrand, the chain admitted today that it was all a stunt. It began on Monday, with social videos that heralded a radical new look, featuring black backgrounds, a chromed palm tree, strobe lights and the taglines, “Fresh to death” and “Devour the doubters.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by California Pizza Kitchen (@cpk) The stunt culminated with a video released today, starring actress and former CPK hostess Busy Philipps, who confirms the 40-year-old brand is not changing. It depicts her visiting a California Pizza Kitchen location, saying the brand has been “acting insane.” Inside, the restaurant is dark, with loud house music playing. Philipps sits with “Dave from Corporate” over a table of the chain’s new menu items and explains that “people don’t come to CPK for really loud music or an aura” but for the food. Dave then announces the brand is going to “pivot away from the whole club thing.” The head fake was aimed at connecting with Gen Z and millennials, said California Pizza Kitchen Chief Marketing Officer Dawn Keller. “Our brand still has high awareness and positivity, but we aren’t top of mind,” she said. “We don’t need to become something different, but needed to rejuvenate.” California Pizza Kitchen CEO Jeff Warne is “empowering those of us driving growth to take calculated risks, to think differently and be bold,” Keller added. “Our food is bold, so why not our marketing? We have built an environment of ‘think big and bring the scary ideas.‘” The brand’s 40th anniversary presented a moment to test that. Keller said the brand knew that this milestone would matter only internally and potentially to loyal customers. “We care, but the general population probably doesn’t care,” she said. “So we flipped it. How can we turn 40 in a relatable way, especially if you are in California? You might deny your age and maybe have a bit of a midlife crisis. At our core, we are still fresh, but used the humor of a feigned mid-life crisis that resolves into a celebration that people can relate to.” The faux campaign was inspired by streetwear culture, according to Keller, “but a bit ‘off’ to play into the joke of someone in midlife trying to do that, but not well.” Keller added that one team member said it reminded them of an actual campaign by Balenciaga in 2019. The streetwear idea came from California’s Pizza Kitchen’s agency of record Iris. The agency was also behind a real-time marketing effort last year that deftly handled a consumer complaint about a mac and cheese delivery order that was missing the noodles. The new look got mixed reviews on the brand’s social media pages. Some fans actually liked it, some were confused and others wondered if it was an April Fools joke (it’s not). Others hated the change. One user on Instagram wrote, “This rebranding is very disturbing. I would never buy your food now!! Food should be life-giving, not death. Very dark. Whoever did your marketing strategy should be fired.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by California Pizza Kitchen (@cpk) But Keller said the reactions were all anticipated. “I was not concerned, but we were monitoring it to make sure it does not go too far to the negative,” she said, adding that the team will reach out to distressed or upset fans to make sure they see that the rebrand isn’t real. Still, the brand leaned hard into the charade, even rebranding its website and marketing emails, Keller said. There were also a few out-of-home ads that featured the fake taglines. One surprise was consumers’ positive reactions to the hoodies featured in the rebrand posts, with many asking to buy one. The black hoodies say “Fresh to death” on the arm and “(Serve)” on the hood with a California Pizza Kitchen logo on the front. The brand made a limited amount to shoot the rebrand, so the hoodie is listed as “sold out” on its website. Keller said they are “figuring out” if they want to make them widely available. Also: Yahoo, at 30, looks back to help forge its new ad identity The real California Pizza Kitchen As for the decision to partner with Philipps, Keller said it was “looking for someone in their 40s. She’s 45, having a career renaissance and knows how to embrace her age.” Keller said the media plan for the second phase of the campaign is broader than the first to make sure that fans see that the brand is staying the same. “It will be a lot of paid and social, and we’re also buying heavily on YouTube, where the long-form Busy ad will live,” she said. “On Hulu, we will sequence the ads to show both parts of the story, so the first will be the fake brand, then content, then the next ad will show Busy bringing it to its resolution.” There will also be out-of-home ads. To celebrate turning 40, the chain is bringing back four limited-time menu items that were chosen by the brand’s founders, head chef, staff and customers: rosemary roasted potato and grilled chicken pizza, chicken Milanese, Waldorf chicken salad and tortilla spring rolls. CPK is also bringing back its “thank you card” promotion, which it last ran in 2023. Every adult guest will get a thank-you card with a hidden prize that is revealed during their next visit. Prizes include meal discounts, gift cards to other brands and cash prizes up to $40,000. The chain is also encouraging rewards sign-ups by offering new members $5 off and a chance to win a five-day cruise.

Why California Pizza Kitchen launched a fake rebrand to celebrate 40 years

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