ST LOUIS, Mo. (June 28, 2010) – Papa John’s International (NASDAQ: PZZA) and its public relations agency of record, Fleishman-Hillard International Communications, have been honored by the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival for the pizza company’s 25th Anniversary Camaro Road Trip campaign – “Riding Shotgun with Papa” – which won the Gold Lion for Best Integrated Campaign Led by PR and the Silver Lion for Best Retail and E-Commerce Campaign.
Executed last summer, the Camaro Road Trip campaign chronicled “Papa” John Schnatter’s quest to be reunited with the 1971 Z28 Camaro that he sold in 1984 to save his father’s struggling bar and ultimately start Papa John’s.
The 57th International Advertising Festival – Cannes Lions – is the largest gathering of worldwide advertising professionals and advertisers, as well as the most prestigious annual advertising awards. The Cannes Lions panel of judges reviewed over 575 public relations entries in 24 award categories, awarding only 12 Gold Lions.
“Our partnership with Papa John’s has allowed Fleishman-Hillard to work in tandem for more than five years now to plan and implement campaigns that truly drive results,” said Jim Woodcock, Fleishman-Hillard senior vice president and senior partner. “Last summer’s anniversary campaign represented an exciting opportunity to showcase the strength of this strategic relationship and we’re thrilled to share in the honors and awards the program has received.”
The winning program zig-zagged Schnatter across the country, making stops in cities like Dallas where he delivered more than 2,000 pizzas to construction workers finishing Cowboys Stadium; Chicago, where he attempted to set a world record by delivering pizzas to the Willis (Sears) Tower Skydeck; and St. Louis and Los Angeles, where he threw out the first pitch at professional baseball games, all in an effort to raise awareness of the search for his Camaro.
Schnatter met thousands of customers and delivered pizzas and special offers during each stop. Papa John’s chronicled the entire trip via social media. Then, just before the search was set to end, the Camaro was located in Flatwoods, Ky., and the car’s owner received a $250,000 reward for reuniting Schnatter with this treasured part of Papa John’s history.
“Traveling cross-country to share the story of Papa John’s history and core values was rewarding in itself, and to see John reunited with his car was more than gratifying,” said Papa John’s president and co-chief executive officer, Jude Thompson. “What a tremendous honor to have the campaign and Papa John’s acknowledged alongside some of the world’s most elite brands.”
About Cannes
The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival is the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in communications. As the most prestigious international annual advertising awards, over 24,000 entries from all over the world are showcased and judged at the Festival. Winning companies receive the highly coveted Lion trophy, honoring the most creative film, film craft, print, outdoor, interactive, radio, design, sales promo & activation and integrated advertising, as well as the best media, direct marketing, PR and Titanium ideas. The Festival is also the only truly global meeting place for advertisers, advertising and communication professionals. Over 8,000 delegates from 90 countries attend seven days of exhibitions, screenings, as well as over 50 high-profile seminars, 30 workshops and master classes presented by renowned worldwide industry leaders. As the networking and learning opportunity of the year, Cannes Lions is the must-attend event for anyone involved in brand communication.
About Fleishman-Hillard
Fleishman-Hillard Inc., one of the world’s leading strategic communications firms, has built its reputation on creating integrated solutions that deliver what its clients value most: meaningful, positive and measurable impact on the performance of their organizations. The firm is widely recognized for excellent client service and a strong company culture founded on teamwork, integrity and personal commitment. Based in St. Louis, the firm operates throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America through its 80 owned offices. For more information, visit the Fleishman-Hillard website at www.fleishmanhillard.com.
Fleishman-Hillard is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com). Omnicom is a leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, interactive, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to more than 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.
About Papa John’s
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John’s International, Inc. is the world’s third largest pizza company. For 10 of the last 11 years, consumers have rated Papa John’s No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the prestigious American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John’s also was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment and was named 2007 Pizza Today Chain of the Year. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John’s at www.papajohns.com.
