After seeing its business bounce back in 2020, Papa Johns has been working to keep hold of new and younger customers. But that can be a challenge when pizza lovers can be a “promiscuous customer,” according to Jaclyn Ruelle, VP and head of brand for Papa Johns.

“With that often comes a challenge to make sure we're staying competitive in the marketplace. But oftentimes, it does mean that we command a bit of a healthier price point that we're asking people to pay for,” she said on the latest edition of Ad Age's Marketer's Brief podcast, adding that the brand has tried to focus on quality ingredients.

The brand’s most recent push has been its Doritos Cool Ranch Papadia, a kind of folded pizza sandwich dusted with Doritos Cool Ranch seasoning.

The product was born out of Papa Johns’ existing beverage partnership with PepsiCo, which owns Doritos marketer Frito-Lay. Ruelle says that the new product idea also came from consumer data that revealed Gen Z as a fan of the triangular chips. TBWA\Chiat\Day is the agency on the assignment. Camp + King remains Papa Johns’ agency of record. 

“We looked at where the growth opportunity would be,” Ruelle said. “We're constantly thinking about who our pizza customers are that might eventually be aging out. And what is that new audience that we need to bring in? ... And so when we identified Gen Z as a growth target, and one that we really needed to wrap our arms around, it quite quickly got us to a brand like Doritos who so iconically knocks the Gen Z audience right on the head.”

The campaign has targeted various subcultures on social media, tapping celebrities including Kris Jenner, DJ Khaled and Josh Hart, who all claim that the new Papadia was their idea. This week, Papa Johns will kick off out-of-home activations. Ruelle declined to reveal details but suggested it would be “in the vein of a little bit of street style.”

In May, Papa Johns named Mark Shambura chief marketing officer, citing his “digital-first, analytics-led approach” to marketing. Shambura previously worked at Mod Pizza and Chipotle. The chain also reported flat first-quarter comparable sales at North American restaurants.

On the podcast, Ruelle also talks about giving customers customization and personalization of their pizzas, and the intersection of food and fashion.