Papa John’s Has First Social Media Ad Campaign Since Founder Left

Papa John’s has had a hard summer what with the company’s founder and chairman, John Schnatter, being ousted from the company after he said a racist remark on a call.
The stock suffered as headlines hit Wall Street and after the company reported a dismal quarter.

The pizza maker just released its first new advertisement on Facebook and Twitter since Schnatter left last month and it’s pretty interesting.

It’s a video that has actual customer tweets calling out Papa John’s over Schnatter’s remarks and demanding that the company change its policies.

CEO Steve Ritchie also wrote a letter to customers about his commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Ritchie said that he and other leaders at the company had visited the cities of Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, Detroit and Chicago to meet with franchisees and employees to determine what they could be doing better for its people and its brand.

The video says, “You expected better from Papa John’s. So did we.”
“Right now, we’re reviewing our culture from top to bottom and meeting with our communities to learn how we can be better,” Papa John’s wrote on Twitter. “We fully intend to earn back your trust through action.”

According to Terry Fahn, Schnatter’s spokesman, the ad was misleading.

“The video produced by the company represents another example of the company attempting to hide the true facts,” Fahn stated.

“It omits the avalanche of comments made by customers, employees and others who support John Schnatter and feel that the company is wrong.”

Disclaimer: We have no position in Papa John’s Int’l, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) and have not been compensated for this article.