Remember when Sprint tried to convince us that it stole the “can you hear me now?” guy from Verizon? The change was a significant one when it comes to TV commercials, and we may have another major upset coming our way soon. The New York Times reports that pizza franchise Papa John’s will see its chief executive John Schnatter (who appears in the chain’s commercials) step down this month after blaming the store’s struggling sales on the NFL’s handling of its #TakeAKnee controversy.
Schnatter, who first sold pizzas in 1984, found himself in hot water after criticizing the NFL, which has a sponsorship deal with Papa John’s, in November. “The NFL has hurt us by not resolving the current debacle to the players’ and owners’ satisfaction,” Schnatter said in a Nov. 1 conference call with investors. “NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders.”
John Schnatter, who founded the Papa John’s pizza chain in the 1980s, is leaving the chief executive seat https://t.co/kYsNmxDYKo pic.twitter.com/T5LsaIqVAq
— CNN (@CNN) December 21, 2017
His comments led to white supremacists unofficially dubbing Papa John’s pizza as the pie of the alt-right. Peter Collins, the senior director of Papa John’s public relations, was informed of white supremacists’ support by journalists at HuffPost. Writing to the publication in an official statement, he said, “We condemn racism in all forms and any and all hate groups that support it. We do not want these individuals or groups to buy our pizza.”
Although it isn’t clear if Schnatter’s comments about the NFL contributed to his demotion, Collins believes that it’s the right time for change in the company’s leaders. Schnatter will become a chairman of the Papa John’s board, while the president and chief operating officer Steve Ritchie will replace him as chief executive.
With that loss in Papa John’s commercial marketing, do you think Domino’s will pretend to have a “Papa Dom” now?