Saturday, April 02, 2005
Papa John's Pulls Off Major Advertising Coup During Donald Trump's Apprenctice
Mama mia! Talk about a case of mixed messages. Although Domino's was the sponsor and taskmaster on Thursday's "The Apprentice," in which both the Net Worth and Magna teams created and sold meatball-topped pizzas, it was a meticulous and well-timed ad for a Spicy Meatball Pizza from competitors Papa John's that caught the attention of viewers in several markets.
"When we learned about Domino's being featured, we thought it would be a fun opportunity to tell our `better ingredient, better pizza' story while the nation was focused on pizza," Papa John's Vice President Chris Sternberg told The Associated Press Friday. "In a cluttered marketplace, we always look for unique ways to get the consumer's attention."
After reading a press release about Domino's involvement with the NBC reality show last week, Kentucky-based Papa John's quickly launched their Spicy Meatball Pizza on Monday and filmed an ad featuring founder and chairman John Schnatter in a boardroom setting asking, "Why eat a pizza made by apprentices when you can call the pros at Papa John's?"
