- California Pizza Kitchen has lined up a new roster of agencies following a competitive review, based on a press release.
- Iris was named agency of record for brand, creative and social. Blue Engine, Acadia and Push will handle public relations, performance media and special projects and brand extensions, respectively.
- The review was handled internally by a team led by the restaurant chain’s newly appointed CMO Dawn Keller, who was most recently CMO at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria and is now charged with “rejuvenating” California Pizza Kitchen because it heads into its fortieth year.
California Pizza Kitchen’s newly appointed agencies have been charged with “doubling down on creativity, culture and craveability” of their work for the brand, which operates restaurants across nine countries and 27 states, based on press details. The timing of the brand’s new lineup is meant to permit the partners to start planning for next year’s anniversary.
“As we approach the most important milestone of our fortieth anniversary next year, we’re reigniting the love, nostalgia and preference that so many consumers have already got for our brand,” Keller said in the discharge. “Our partners at Iris and Blue Engine, together with Acadia and Push, share our vision and drive to place CPK in the midst of culture and conversation.”
Though the formal roster of agencies is new, some have had relationships with the brand previously. Acadia had already been working with the chain, based on Ad Age, and Iris helped the brand reply to a viral TikTok post through which a customer claimed to receive a delivery of only the cheese portion of a mac and cheese delivery order.
In response to that post, CPK offered the unique poster a year of free mac and cheese and pizza and posted a video featuring its head chef demonstrating how the chain makes its mac and cheese. He then offered everyone 50% off an order of the dish for a limited time to make up for the client error.
California Pizza Kitchen filed for bankruptcy in 2020 resulting from pandemic-related business declines. In October 2022, the corporate appointed Jeff Warne its new CEO to steer its growth coming out of bankruptcy protection. Warne outlined a technique that included specializing in loyal customers, using data-driven performance media and loyalty programs to generate sales and partnering with multiple franchisees to drive expansion and open new locations.
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