Papa John's: The official pizza of Six Flags

So Papa John's gets to pay for the privilege of putting Six Flags on their boxes and distributing their coupons. OK.

I don't get these kinds of arrangements. I'm almost certain that Cedar Fair pays almost nothing for Pepsi, but what does it really get Pepsi? This will be the ninth straight year I'll have a Cedar Point season pass, and I haven't switched to Pepsi.

I think it's seen as another form of advertising. A billboard or TV or radio spot doesn't make you switch to Pepsi either, but they still pay for those.

Shapiro sold this as "SF parks deliver 35 million captive advertisees across the country" - I mean anyone who goes to a SF park this summer will see the Papa John's name - on the actual places in the park, on the plates/napkins of people carrying a slice around the park and someone might even be in the mood for pizza, buy a slice and be converted.

In the end it's advertising that's pretty much guaranteed to be seen by X number of people each year.

*** This post was edited by Lord Gonchar 3/30/2006 2:00:28 PM ***

I guess the chances of ever getting a decent pizza at Six Flags are now totally out the window.

This is also another way to screw the customer.
Instead of paying $16.00 for a whole pizza, Six Flags now can justify charging maybe $18.00 to $20.00 for a whole pizza due to the fact they now have a "brand name" to associate this with...

It's also interesting the way they use the word "official" as if this has some deeper meaing aside from just marketing. Beware of all that "unofficial" pizza out there!

When my college signed one of these deals with a "major soft drink" company. I derived great pleasure from deliberately drinking the competitor's stuff, and leaving the empty cans on top of the drink machines. I wonder if I should try smuggling in a Pizza Hut pizza to Six Flags.

Actually, even being the general pizza snob that I am, I'm glad with this arragnement. Granted, I'm much more likely to get a corn dog than a slice at a park, I at least think that Papa John's pizza is good. Though my guess is that I wont be able to get my favorite from PJs: sausage and pineapple!

This is a 1000% improvement over their current pizza !

If they have Papa John's at the park, hell, I'd go to SFGA just to get the pizza since there is no Papa John's near me in Yardley! HURRAY!

To me, it's all about product recognition. When you go to a park, and you're going to pay good money for food, you at least want to be sure that what you're getting you're going to like. SFA has a Chik-fil-a, several Subways, and a Panda Express... if I go to SFA and want to get good chicken nuggets, I know to look no further than Chik-fil-a because I know how great their chicken is from prior experience. If I want a soda, I'll take a "Pepsi" over a "Generic Cola" anyday. And now that there will be Papa Johns at my local SF, I can be assured that the pizza will at least be good, even if I have to pay a little extra (granted, for the most part, prices for corporate food at parks arn't THAT much higher than they are at stand alone stores, and are MUCH less expensive than the same food from the same chains at an airport or a highway rode-side rest foodcourt). As far as I'm concerned, the only place in theme parks where corporations on the food is bad is at a park like Knoebels for items like their pizza, where the food item is just as good, if not better than corporate competitors.

I glad this happend.

It will only make Cesari's pizza at Knoebels taste so much better.

Nothing they put into gadv will be able to compete with best of the west lol

If your food is good, you don't need brand names to know it. The good food becomes part of the park's brand. See: Kennywood, Busch Gardens, etc.

I would also consider myself a pizza snob (I live just 30 minutes north of the pizza mecca that is New haven, CT) but seriously, I'm more than happy to hear that I can get a slice of PJ's at my local Six Flags park, considering the other options that I've seen at various Six Flags.

Hey, it at least it isn't Dominos or something, right?

One of the few decent food items at SFGAM was pizza at the Firehouse Rest. But now that option is likely gone and will be reeplaced with a inferior product that will just cost more. I guess this will just mean more trips outside the park to eat and the eating of more muchies that we bring in the park ourselves.

Gonch said: "In the end it's advertising that's pretty much guaranteed to be seen by X number of people each year."

Exactly, no different than the click-thru rate on web-vertising...

DOES advertising really "work"? DO people change brands when they see that Pepsi instead of Coke is now UF's *official* soft drink? SERIOUSLY doubt it....but the fact remains that advertising *sells itself* to those who make/sell products of ALL kinds... ;)

Bob O, your def. right. That was some pretty decent pizza. I'm going to miss it... Oh well
*** This post was edited by Blink3020 3/30/2006 9:00:21 PM ***

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Jeff said:
I'm almost certain that Cedar Fair pays almost nothing for Pepsi, but what does it really get Pepsi?

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Isn't it the same thing you have mentioned a few times that web advertisers haven't caught on to yet? It's about establishing brand recognition, not about prompting instant sales or clicks.

Say you're 12 years old and you get your allowance and decide to purchase your first ever self-purchased cola-flavored carbonated beverage at your local convenience store. You've been surfing your favorite websites that promoted Pepsi in banner advertisements. You spent a day at Cedar Point a few weeks ago and shared a Pepsi with your girlfriend while waiting in line for Magnum.

But, wait. There are both bottles of Coke AND bottles of Pepsi in the cooler! Such decisions. Well, you've got so many positive experiences associated with the Pepsi brand that you go ahead and get the good stuff.

That's exactly why Pepsi is in Cedar Fair parks. The parks make a killing off the stuff and Pepsi gains priceless brand recognition and loyalty.

DawgbyteII, apparently you don't buy a whole pie at a regular amusement park. It's already been $20 and up for a quite a while, and I'm referring to Paramount as well. I'm for one am really glad that they're adding Papa John's pizza. It's damn good stuff, and like it or not, I do like the dipping sauce. This is totally not suprising after they got in at FedEx Stadium and threw Dominoes out a couple of years back. The customers spoke up and said they didn't like Dominoes as much as Papa John's and so they got the boot.

The only decent pizza I've ever had a themepark was suprisingly at SFNE in 2004. We got a whole pan pie at a place in front of the stairs that lead down towards Poison Ivy's Twisted Train and almost couldn't finish it.

Understanding the arrangement is pretty simple. Anyone who wants pizza while in a Six Flags park has to eat Papa John's. That is a benefit to Papa John's.

Papa John's will be distributing coupons offers for Six Flags on their pizza boxes. That is a benefit to Six Flags.

For the records, I'm also a pizza snob but think Papa John's is the best of the chain pizza. However, keep in mind that most kids (and SF is trying to attract families) are not pizza snobs and when a kid wants pizza the parents will buy pizza in the park. Pizza is sometimes the only option for the vegetarians of the world.

I have never tried the old pizza at SFGAm but of all the other park pizza I have tried I only like DelGrosso's better than Papa John's. For the record, I'm not a huge fan of Cesari's.