Papa John’s To Focus On Digital Marketing

Papa John’s To Focus On Digital Marketing

Is traditional marketing working for Papa John’s? Founder John doesn’t think so. Slumping sales came as a shock to John Schnatter, the founder and CEO of the Louisville-based pizza chain, and company President Steve Ritchie. The company threw more money into their NFL advertising campaign this season with the expectation better ratings might precipitate higher earnings. However, according to Ritchie, “Instead, we got headwinds.” Given the numbers, Schnatter believes their NFL strategy was a failure, prompting the company to shift their marketing dollars to digital avenues, which are more efficient than their traditional counterparts. Smart move when also considering more than sixty percent of their orders are received via online platforms – same goes for their competitor Domino’s Pizza Inc. Papa John’s isn’t the only company to shift focus from traditional marketing campaigns, such as television or print ads, to the digital arena. The company’s planned expenditures signify a growing trend of a heightened focus on online marketing – the growth in internet ads, for instance, will likely exceed television ads seven-fold, thirty-five percent to five percent, in the next four years. Why is digital marketing outpacing traditional forms of advertising? Targeted marketing at a fraction of the cost. Unlike traditional marketing strategies, digital outreach provides companies of all sizes corporate influence on a small business budget, not to mention immediate access to consumer data. In other words, online marketing evens the playing field, allowing small companies to reach targeted audiences at a fraction of the cost. Facebook and Google, who bring in more than two-thirds of all online marketing dollars combined, generate infinite springs of consumer data that businesses can leverage to reach specific audiences – as opposed to blindly broadcasting their message via television, print, or billboard ads. Because of the precise nature of digital advertising, online mediums are significantly cheaper. Social media, in particular, is the only form of advertising that can reach more than one-thousand people for less than three dollars. Instant opportunity: consumers can shop as soon as they see an ad. The immediacy of digital marketing can’t be beat. While television, magazine, newspaper, direct mail, and billboard ads might influence future purchasing behaviors, online ads create instant shoppers with a simple click of a well-placed link. Social media advertising, specifically, allows companies to market their products and services in a way that is less intrusive than the forced-to-watch ads on TV and fits seamlessly into a consumer’s online experience. For example, Pinterest allows businesses to upload Buyable Pins, which will organically show up upon search or on the feeds of those who have shown interest in similar products and can be used to make a purchase directly within the Pinterest app. Whether you operate a multi-billion-dollar corporation like Papa John’s or own a mom-and-pop shop, businesses of all sizes can benefit from shifting their ad dollars from pricier, less-efficient modes like television to precise digital forms such as Google and social media. Want to make the transition? Contact Social Spice Media. We offer a full range of inbound marketing services to get your business the attention it deserves.