How Food Marketing Partnerships and Sponsorships Drive Restaurant Sales: The Little Caesars Playbook

 

With back to school it’s the perfect time to begin comminating fall food marketing programs according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. In 2024 more than in past years, marketing partnerships and sponsorships have become critical tools for driving sales, particularly in takeout, delivery, and meal pick-up options. As the Grocerant Guru®, it's clear that these strategies can exponentially increase a brand’s visibility and customer base, directly translating into incremental top-line sales. Little Caesars, as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, exemplifies how leveraging high-profile partnerships can lead to significant growth, especially as they gear up for the 2024-2025 football season.

The Impact of Marketing Partnerships on Takeout and Delivery Sales

Marketing partnerships, particularly with major sports leagues like the NFL, offer restaurant chains an unparalleled platform to reach millions of consumers. For takeout and delivery services, these partnerships create a direct association between a popular brand and a convenient dining option, encouraging fans to order in during games. This association is particularly potent in the pizza segment, where game days are synonymous with pizza nights.

Sponsorships also provide opportunities for targeted promotions, such as limited-time offers and gamification, which can further drive sales. For instance, Little Caesars is not only offering fee-free delivery for the season kickoff but is also engaging fans with its Pizza!Pizza! Pregame challenge program. These initiatives are designed to boost customer engagement, encouraging repeat orders and fostering brand loyalty.

Five Ways Little Caesars Will Garner Incremental Sales and New Customers

1.       Fee-Free Delivery Promotion: By eliminating delivery fees, Little Caesars is removing a significant barrier for customers who might otherwise hesitate to order. This move is particularly strategic, as it taps into the convenience factor that drives takeout and delivery orders. Free delivery not only encourages first-time orders but also increases the frequency of repeat purchases, leading to incremental sales.

2.       NFL Star Power and Advertising Campaigns: Partnering with NFL stars like George Kittle and Amon-Ra St. Brown allows Little Caesars to tap into the fan bases of these athletes. Featuring these players in commercials creates a strong emotional connection between the brand and football fans. Additionally, Justin Jefferson’s involvement in a primetime advertisement through the Pepsi partnership amplifies Little Caesars' reach. These high-profile endorsements are likely to attract new customers who are fans of these athletes and the NFL.

3.       Pizza!Pizza! Pregame Challenge Program: The gamification of the customer experience through the Pizza!Pizza! Pregame challenge is a brilliant way to engage customers beyond just the purchase. By incentivizing fans to participate in challenges and earn rewards, Little Caesars is creating a fun, interactive experience that keeps customers coming back. This program not only drives repeat orders but also enhances customer loyalty, resulting in sustained sales growth.

4.       Localized In-Game Activations: Little Caesars’ partnerships with several NFL teams for localized branding and in-game activations create a personalized experience for fans in different markets. By aligning with local teams, Little Caesars strengthens its presence in key markets, fostering a sense of community and loyalty among fans. This localized approach is likely to attract new customers who feel a stronger connection to the brand through their favorite team.

5.       Community Engagement through the Love Kitchen: The Love Kitchen initiative, which serves pizza to communities in need, is more than just a charitable act; it’s a powerful marketing tool. By partnering with the NFL to roll out the Love Kitchen in key event cities, Little Caesars is reinforcing its brand as one that cares about the community. This positive brand image not only attracts socially conscious consumers but also fosters goodwill that can translate into long-term customer loyalty and incremental sales.

Think About This

Little Caesars' strategic use of food marketing partnerships and sponsorships demonstrates the power of aligning a brand with cultural touchpoints like NFL football. By offering value-driven promotions, leveraging star power, and engaging in community-focused initiatives, Little Caesars is poised to not only drive incremental top-line sales but also attract a new generation of loyal customers. As the NFL season kicks off, Little Caesars' playbook of fan-centered promotions and activations will undoubtedly reinforce its position as a leader in the pizza industry, particularly in the grocerant niche takeout and delivery segments.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday than tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Little Caesars Partnership Success Clue

Success does leave clues and you don’t get to be the third largest pizza chain in the world without picking up some good clues.  One of the best clues for a food retailer to learn is that the right partnership can drive top-line sales and bottom-line profits while creating new electricity for your brand; according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Everyone that reads this blog knows that Little Caesars, is the home of the famous HOT-N-READY pizza, and the NFL today announced a multi-year partnership that names Little Caesars as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League. As one of Little Caesars highest-profile partnerships to date, the collaboration will continue to build on Little Caesars momentum of growth over the past several years.

Now when you are thinking brand relevance in an evolving world, what will edify brand value with relevance and new electricity? At Little Caesars it is the NFL. According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.” 

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, smaller footprint, developing brands, fresh flowers, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable according to Johnson.

Growing a Larger Share of Stomach

with Partnerships Works

There is no doubt that eating pizza and cheering on the home team combine to make the perfect weekend social activity.  Little Caesars plans to be a special part of those game-time meal occasions.  The brand, which revolutionized the pizza industry with HOT-N-READY pizzas for convenient pickup and launched the pizza industry’s lowest priced delivery at the 2020 Super Bowl. 

This partnership makes a perfect match for the over 100 million NFL fans who regularly watch football games and want their gametime meals quickly and easily -- whether they choose delivery, exclusive Pizza Portal pickup, or carry-out. Little Caesars is known for unique product offerings and promotions like the Pretzel Pizza, Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pizza, the Batman Calzony, and now offers 33% more pepperoni on its Classic pizza.

Renie Anderson, Chief Revenue Officer and Executive Vice President of NFL Partnerships, stated, “We’re thrilled to welcome Little Caesars to the NFL family,” says. “With a focus on quality and convenience, Little Caesars offers unmatched value for our fans, and we look forward to working together to positively impact communities across the United States.”

Expanding visibility to its target demographic the deal comes about a month before the start of team training camps, the annual unofficial kickoff of the NFL season. The agreement will offer Little Caesars a set of exclusive marketing rights designed to connect the pizza brand with the NFL.  There will be some exciting new components like social media games, new products, new packaging, and unique promotions will be revealed before the start of the 2022 season and continue throughout the course of the sponsorship.

Dave Scrivano, president and CEO of Little Caesars, stated, “This partnership aims to enhance the fun of game day by bringing the quality and convenience Little Caesars is known for to NFL fans across the country,”… “And because we’re the value leader in the pizza industry, hungry fans can enjoy weekly gametime meals at a very affordable price during a time when food prices are on the rise.”

Looking for success clues of your own? Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced food marketing and business development ideations. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities, technology, or a new menu product segment.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter 

Subway Edifies NFL Partnership Too Drive Sales

Fall is in mid-swing and winter is on its way.  Basketball is over, Baseball is about finished, as consumers move from the backyard BBQ too food delivery, Microwave, and stove they will also be spending more and more time watching NFL Football and Subway is aiming to drive new electricity into the brand with and expanded NFL commercial with Deion Sanders and it will work according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Regular readers of this blog know that according to Johnson, differentiation does not mean different it means familiar.  That said NFL Hall of Famer Sanders is familiar, liked and leaves some “interesting” autographs at a meet-and-greet. The commercial promotes the Footlong Season offer of a free footlong when you buy two and the new Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.

When you balance the familiar with discovery aka a new product both Gen Z and Millennials will line-up for to try the product according to Johnson. So, for the discovery Subway released its new LTO Collection of chicken sandwiches inspired by game day staples:

The new Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Chicken: This sub includes our tender chicken strips and new Buffalo sauce, made exclusively with Frank’s Red Hot sauce, toasted on your favorite bread and topped with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and ranch dressing.

The new BBQ Chicken: Stuffed with tender chicken strips toasted with sweet BBQ sauce, Subway recommends getting this sub topped with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and pickles. 

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply chain and includes such things as fresh foods, online ordering, delivery, plant based foods, sampling, toy’s, cereal, developing brands,  grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All food and beverage retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food and beverages that are portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  Does your retail path forward look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Why?

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit us on our social media sites by clicking one of the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter 

Subway Big Picture Marketing Kick’s Off with Deion Sanders

If you’re a large chain and you want to be an industry leader, you have to have marketing messaging that edifies leadership.  Subway’s new big picture marketing is a prime example on how industry leaders lead according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Today the battle for share of stomach, share of food dollars has never been more intense Subway stepped-up and they are an Official Sandwich Sponsor of the National Football League.

They will be bringing players and fans together through a friendly competition to get them dancing on-the-field and on social to raise money for a worthy cause. With choreography led by NFL legend and notorious high-stepper, Deion “Primetime” Sanders, Subway dubbed his iconic two-step the “Footlong Shuffle” to benefit the NFL PLAY 60 youth health and wellness programs which brings the ‘halo’ of better for you that is core to Subways brand front and center.  

Recently, Sanders demonstrated the official moves of the Footlong Shuffle on his Twitter and Instagram pages @DeionSanders), and then, Sanders and Subway are challenging select players to celebrate big game moments with an on-the-field Footlong Shuffle. For every on-the-field Footlong Shuffle performed by an NFL player this football season, Subway will donate $50,000 to NFL PLAY 60 programs, up to $1 million.   

Sanders stated, “When I was headed to the endzone, I would break out my signature high step,”… “Big time plays deserve a celebration and even more so when they benefit a good cause like NFL PLAY 60 programs. I’m excited to help teach the new cats a little something about smooth moves with the Footlong Shuffle and see them try to recreate it on the field.”

Regular reader of this blog knows that food marketing that is interactive and participatory drive sales and long-term brand engagement. The Footlong Shuffle is the latest example of engaging ways fans can turn football season into Footlong Season. In October, Subway will encourage football and sandwich fans to share their own version of the Footlong Shuffle on social and will make an additional donation on behalf of each participant*. 

Battle for Share of Stomach

Carrie Walsh, Chief Marketing Officer of Subway stated, “Our guests and athletes of all ages come to Subway when they want to make better choices to fuel their days and their play. Expanding our long-term partnership with the NFL by supporting the NFL PLAY 60 commitment fits perfectly with what Subway represents as a brand that offers better-for-you choices,” … “We are excited to see the players and fans do the Footlong Shuffle to celebrate their big moments, and to join PLAY 60 to help create active and healthier generations for years to come.”

So, all funds raised through the Footlong Shuffle will support NFL PLAY 60 programs. NFL PLAY 60 is the NFL’s national youth health and wellness program that encourages kids to get physically active for at least 60 minutes a day.

Starting in October, Subway will be supporting Fuel Up to Play 60, a leading national in-school health and wellness program co-created by the NFL and National Dairy Council, to support two local initiatives. How are you making your marketing messaging memorable?

Foodservice Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line profits. Are you looking a customer ahead? Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued success. 

Family, Chicken Wings, Super Bowl, Snacking Heaven

This weekend in the U.S. it Superbowl time.  Superbowl has become a family food day and Superbowl Sunday in the US is the second most popular day for food consumption after Thanksgiving and according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

In truth Superbowl Sunday should be called Grocerant Day because the top five foods consumed will be Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food that is handheld for immediate consumption. 

Here are the top five foods consumed on Superbowl Sunday:

1.       Chicken Winds

2.       Potato Skins

3.       Pizza

4.       Pigs in a Blanket

5.       Cocktail Meatballs  

Get this, Americans to consume a record-breaking 1.4 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl LIV weekend. So, just how many winds is that?  Every player in the NFL, including the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, would have to consume 825,000 wings each to reach 1.4 billion

·         175 million pounds of wings weighs 1,500 times as much as the entire 49ers team and three of their team buses

·         1.4 billion wings could circle the circumference of the Earth 3 times

·         1.4 billion wings are enough to give every attendee of every Super Bowl since 1967 each 342 wings

·         1.4 billion wings laid end to end would stretch the entire Florida coastline, home of Super Bowl LIV, more than 9 times

·         If each of the 1.4 billion wings were counted as one second, they would equal about 45 years

No matter what you eat on Superbowl Sunday one thing is for sure 9 times out of ten it will be a handheld food for immediate consumption. That’s right Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food will rule the day.

For international corporate presentations, regional chain presentations, local educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit www.GrocerantGuru.com , www.FoodserviceSolutions.us or call 1-253-759-7869

Pizza Hut Hopes Football Kicks-Up Sales

NFL football is back college football is in play and Pizza Hut is leveraging its new partnership as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL with the NFL to create an interactive participatory NFL-themed branded invitation for consumers that will drive top-line sales and bottom-line profits according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

This is the year season that Pizza Hut plans to pick up customers after Papa Johns fumble according to Johnson.  With a food sales focus to drive franchisees top line sales the program is simple, Buy. Play. Win. Buy Pizza Hut. Consumers can play the brand-new interactive NFL-themed game Hut Hut Win, and earn the chance to win once-in-a-lifetime NFL experiences and millions of instant win prizes.  

Here is how Hut Hut Win works: consumers join Hut Rewards, spend just $5 at Pizza Hut, and visit HutHutWin.com to register for the game. For every $5 spent at Pizza Hut, earn one of the 32 NFL team virtual game pieces and a chance at millions of instant win prizes, like official NFL merch, free gameday grub, Hut Rewards points, and bonus plays....

Fill half a game board (16 NFL teams) for a chance to score prizes like a once-in-a-lifetime experience with an NFL player, 2020 NFL Draft Weekend tickets and more. Collect all 32 NFL teams for a chance to win one of three grand prize trips to Miami for Super Bowl LIV with an exclusive opportunity to go on the field during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show.   

Marianne Radley, chief brand officer, Pizza Hut  stated “In our second season as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, we’re taking our partnership to the next level for fans with the launch of Hut Hut Win,”  “Our game plan is simple—create unforgettable experiences that connect our fans to their favorite sport—like no one else can. Because we don’t just make pizza, we make memories.”  

In order to garner attention Pizza Hut’s NFL player partners are joining in on the action too, and fans playing Hut Hut Win will have the opportunity to win unbelievable experiences with none other than JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyler Lockett, Todd Gurley, and Pizza Hut’s newest player partner, five-time Pro Bowler and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Aaron Donald.

Once again interactive an participatory the experiences include making pizzas with JuJu at Pizza Hut Global Headquarters, unlocking an escape room with Lockett, a game night with Gurley and a ping pong pizza party with the titan of table tennis himself, Aaron Donald. Each player, and their unique activity of choice, will be highlighted in four new Pizza Hut TV commercials airing this season.  

Radley  continued “We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Aaron join the Pizza Hut family,” …“His personality is a perfect fit for our brand and he raises our roster to a new level. We’re also psyched to bring back our dynamic players (on and off the field) and fan-favorites Todd, JuJu and Tyler for their second season with team Pizza Hut.”  

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Pizza Hut is Building Consumers Top of Mind and Share of Stomach

Looking a customer ahead, Pizza Hut is building top of mind brand relevance with the fastest growing sport and some may argue most valuable customer sub-set of any sport today according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® while creating new electricity for Pizza Hut’s customers and brand.

Once again Johnson give Greg Creed and his team credit for not only looking a customer ahead but doing it with in a way that integrates Pizza Hut’s brand of virtual restaurants with the first official Virtual Stadium rights deal in Esports.

Electronic Arts Inc. the National Football League (NFL) announced the launch of the EA SPORTS Madden NFL 20 Championship Series. This year’s MCS enhances the connection to the sport as all four Madden NFL Major tournaments occur during key NFL moments – the NFL Kickoff, the NFL playoffs push, the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft. Additionally, official NFL partners Pizza Hut and SNICKERS will serve as official MCS sponsors, heightening the connection to the League.

Rachel Hoagland, NFL Vice President, Head of Gaming & Esports  “We view esports as a key accelerant to growing the NFL. It enables new ways for young fans to engage in the sport through Madden NFL competition,” “Competitive Madden unlocks great potential as the authenticity it provides enhances engagement and the connection between our 32 NFL Clubs and football fans around the world.”

MCS Major live tournaments will occur in Pizza Hut Stadium—the new home of competitive Madden NFL. Pizza Hut Stadium is the first-ever official virtual stadium rights deal in esports. SNICKERS will return for another season after its impactful Madden NFL 19 highlights integration and MCS Moment of the Year Award voted on by the Madden NFL community. SNICKERS will continue to surround the biggest plays and most memorable moments of the MCS.

Marianne Radley, chief brand officer at Pizza Hut "Pizza and sports go hand in hand, and esports is no exception. Pizza Hut has always been a trailblazer in the gaming space, from the days of tabletop Pac-Man in our restaurants, to now, becoming the first-ever brand to have an official virtual stadium rights deal in esports,"  "The goal of all our partnerships is to create 360 fan engagement and we are thrilled to join forces with EA sports to create memorable experiences that connect fans to their favorite sports like never before."

So, is your brand looking a customer ahead?  Are you looking to grow business like you did yesterday or do you want tomorrow customers? Just where is your brand headed? Are you building a larger share of stomach or a larger share of Top of Mind or both?

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply chain and includes such things as fresh foods, plant based  foods,  sampling, toy’s, beer, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All food and beverage retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food and beverages that are portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different.  Does your retail path forward look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Why?

If you are looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Battle for Share of Stomach

Branding Success at Pizza Hut Delivers

There are fewer tears when your favorite team loses as there are more beers on the way.  When Pizza Hut began delivering beer with pizza Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® did not hear from anyone that did not think it was a great idea who’s time had come.

Johnson continued Pizza Hut’s online ordering and updated App are outstanding Hand Held Food Marketing tools that are the undercurrents driving incremental brand adoption putting a new electricity in brand relevance for many younger consumers in Pizza Hut.

Today, new partnerships can drive sales in foodservice today as your brand is searching for the new electricity to help drive the brand forward. So, just what is your brands new electricity? According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.”

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, beer, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, Fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different. 

More than a year after first testing beer delivery in Arizona, Pizza Hut is now expanding the pilot program to 300 restaurants in seven states by mid-January.

Restaurants in Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Ohio will add delivery of popular domestic beer labels such as Budweiser as part of a second phase expansion of the program. In May, the division of Yum Brands added beer delivery to 100 locations in Arizona and California. Those states will also see more restaurants adding beer delivery in the coming weeks.

“The rollout is a brand priority with Pizza Hut aiming to grow beer delivery capabilities to 1,000 restaurants across new markets by summer 2019,” the company said.  Pizza Hut, based in Plano, Texas, said the company timed the expansion to meet the demands of the Super Bowl, a popular day for pizza delivery.

Pizza Hut Chief Brand Officer Marianne Radley stated “As the official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, we’ve been celebrating football fans all season long, so it only makes sense for us to bring more customers the beloved combo of pizza and beer ahead of the Super Bowl,” …“We are proud to be pioneers of beer delivery and are well-poised to take on more markets in the coming year.” What is your new electricity?

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.