The advertising campaign highlights the various faces of Papa John



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Papa John's International, Inc. has launched a new advertising campaign to go beyond the controversial voice of founder John Schnatter, who has been fighting a legal and public relations battle with management since his resignation in July.

The new "Voices of Papa John's" campaign features some of the 120,000 people who work and manage the pizza distribution chain at more than 5,000 locations worldwide.

The first video of the campaign, now available on the microsite stories.papajohns.com, is directed by Ramaa Mosley, a director and producer, among others, of the 2013 film Girl Rising, which tells the story of nine girls in developing countries. overcome the difficulties to obtain an education.

Papa John's 60-second video features 24 franchisees and executives who have volunteered to take part in the ad, which begins with quick shots of some of the operators, followed by Alaura, a Detroit franchisee: for a long time of Papa John ", a clear reference to Schnatter, who has long been the spokesman for the company, as well as the founder and the largest shareholder.

"It's time for us to hear you all," says Zafira, local marketing manager in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The other performers talk about their involvement in the community and the pleasure that they have in serving pizzas to their customers.

"Pizzas are delicious, especially when you have the best ingredients," says Marco, Del City general manager, Okla, referring to Papa John's long-running slogan, "Better Ingredients." A better pizza.

Other performers tell the audience that everyone is welcome in their restaurants and that consumers will now hear their voices more – presumably – than Schnatter's.

Schnatter resigned as Chairman of the Board following allegations that he admitted to using inappropriate and racist language during a conference call in May. This call came as a result of Schnatter's resignation in January, following a controversy in November during the publication of the results and the decline in sales of the National Football League. .

Papa John's sales continued to decline due to accusations that Schnatter is racist: same-store national sales fell 6.1% in the quarter ended July 1, and fell 10.5% over the same period. the next 28 days.

The stock price also suffered. Shares peaked at $ 89.17 on December 16, 2016 and have been below $ 47 since the end of July.

Since his resignation, Schnatter has stated that his resignation was a mistake and that his comments were taken out of context.

The management, led by his hand-picked successor, Steve Ritchie, whom Schnatter has since disavowed and accused of incompetence, has decided to expel Schnatter – still the company's largest shareholder, with about 30% of his shares and member of the board of directors – from the company Louisville, Ky., offices.

The company is also trying to revoke the founder's agreement, which allows Schnatter to be the spokesperson for the channel.

Schnatter sued the company to prevent these actions.

The 60-second video ends with Papa John's logo change to Papa Daniel's, Papa Kiersten, Papa Nadeem and others.

The microsite said these new faces of the company will appear on the channel's website, on social media networks and elsewhere.

"We are delighted to highlight the many voices that speak for our company," says the site. "Just like the best ingredients. Better Pizza. ', Our staff is the key ingredient of a better business. These are the people who own and operate our restaurants in your communities. They are your drivers, your store managers, the people who make the food you serve to your family and friends. It's time to tell their stories.

The site also refers to an ongoing initiative by the channel's management, launched after Schnatter's departure as chairman, to audit the company's diversity and inclusion practices.

"As we continue to do better, we will strengthen this spirit of unity where all individuals will be respected, welcomed and celebrated as authentic within our walls and the communities we serve," the site concludes.

Contact Bret Thorn [email protected]

Follow him on Twitter: @foodwriterdiary

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