A Huge Slice Of Business News Coverage For Papa John's

Papa John’s Pizza hit the headlines recently after Haslimann Taylor was tasked with communicating the leading pizza and delivery chain’s Q4 results.

Haslimann Taylor secured an interview with Papa John’s UK Managing Director Ian Saunders on Radio 4 Today and also achieved coverage of its trading success on Sky News online, the Financial Times online and in The Times.

The leading pizza and takeaway delivery chain has achieved a two year like-for-like sales growth of almost 20 per cent after a reality TV powered fourth quarter helped cap off a record 2009.

Senior account executive at Haslimann Taylor Charlotte Pettitt said: “Papa John’s trading success followed a number of record weekends fuelled by the popularity of the X-Factor and Strictly Come Dancing. The media’s love of reality TV gave us the ideal platform to communicate Papa John’s excellent fourth quarter results and engage business editors with a positive news story.

“We’re now working on ensuring 2010 tops last year with a series of campaigns to celebrate Papa John’s 40 new store openings, as well as the launch of its Quality Control Centre in Milton Keynes, following a £5m investment.”

The company, which was founded in the USA in 1984, achieved an 8.6 per cent increase in like-for-like sales in Q4. This is the 16th consecutive quarter of comparative sales growth and helped Papa John’s end the year in 9.8 per cent growth.

Papa John’s overall performance has been recognised by industry body the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association, who named Papa John’s as the Delivery Chain of the Year for the second consecutive year ahead of shortlisted rivals Domino’s and Pizza Hut.

Making Insurance Fun? 'Simples'...

Bron Eames, managing director at Haslimann Taylor, writes:

A new year, of course, brings the breaking of a new round of TV campaigns. My favourite from this current crop is Comparethemarket.com’s latest adventure with Aleksandr the meerkat.

Financial services has never been my bag – professionally or as a consumer – and traditionally I have been the typical apathetic customer who happily lets my bank/building society/insurer treat me like a moron because I can’t be bothered to look at the alternatives.

Not only are the meerkats achieving legendary status, with ‘simples’ becoming part of our vernacular, but I have used Compare the Market to buy car insurance. And next time I have any other insurance needs, I will compare the market again. I love the meerkats – and they are so strategically appropriate. Competitive brands are clearly trying out all sorts of tactics to rescue share of voice from Aleksandr and Sergei, but it is going to take some doing!

Comparethemarket.com is now ranked as the 4th most visited insurance website – up from 16th in 2008 – and overall sales have doubled year on year. Alexandr has 600,000 Facebook fans and 32,000 followers on Twitter.

Good work, Mr Meerkat, you have truly won me over – and apparently there could be a single on the way!

This meerkat needs no introduction...