Papa John's cut a nice slice of the NFT market with this award-winning work

Papa Johns and Highlight PR have won NFT of the Year The Drum Awards for Metaverse. Learn from the award-winning case study.

Papa John's International aimed to promote the re-run of the 2021 'Papa X Cheddar' campaign, targeting Gen Z across multiple international markets. The campaign focused on the Cheddar range and had the objectives of generating $750k+ sales of Cheddar pizzas over eight weeks, ensuring maximum market participation from global franchisees, and achieving international media coverage with a reach of 900 million. Strategy: The strategy involved building on the success of the 2021 campaign by incorporating an innovative and globally relevant PR angle. The 2021 campaign elevated Cheddar as a premium ingredient with a fashion collaboration, creating a cult status for the cheese. To maintain the momentum and engagement of Gen Z, the 2022 campaign introduced the concept of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) in the form of a unique metaverse accessory – the NFT Hot Bag. Tactics: Design: Nine eye-catching NFT designs inspired by Papa John's pizza delivery hot bag were created by professional artists. NFT Creation: Each design was minted as an NFT on the Tezos blockchain, known for its energy efficiency. Real-world Bags: A limited edition of real-world bags based on the NFT designs was produced for the PR campaign. Redemption System: QR codes on pizza boxes provided a gateway to a website for redeeming the NFT Hot Bags. The campaign offered the bags for free with the purchase of a Cheddar pizza. Creative Assets: One of the NFT Hot Bags was integrated into the campaign's film and multi-channel assets, creating buzz around the Cheddar 'drop.' Results: Sales: The campaign generated c$1 million in incremental sales in the first six weeks, accounting for 6% of all pizza sales in participating markets. Customer Acquisition: The campaign attracted 54,000 new Gen Z customers globally. NFT Giveaway: A total of 39,680 NFTs were given away, making it the world's biggest free NFT promotion to date. NFTs were redeemed in 150+ countries. PR Coverage: Over 600 items of coverage/content were secured, with a total online readership of 1.14 billion. Media Recognition: Papa John's NFT Hot Bags were featured by notable publications, including Ad Age, Campaign UAE, Retail Times, and TrendHunter. Impact: The integration of NFTs into the campaign met and exceeded both commercial and creative objectives. Papa John's successfully introduced NFTs to a mainstream audience, drove sales, attracted new customers, and generated widespread media coverage. The innovative approach created cultural currency for Gen Z and showcased Papa John's as a brand embracing emerging trends.