AdAge: Lil Jon to Papa John’s: I’ll Be Your Next CEO

One week after the announcement of Papa John’s CEO John Schattner stepping down, a Twitter user has made a suggestion for the brand. According to a recent AdAge article, the pizza chain received a tweet from Lil Jon saying he would like to be the new CEO, replying to a user’s suggestion. With the brand’s agency Laundry Service, CMO Brandon Rhoten took the opportunity to respond with a witty one-word tweet giving a nod to the rapper’s trademark exclamation, “OKAAAY!” The response received enough attention that the brand and rapper have now been in contact regarding the position and the rapper's involvement with the chain.

"We had a call with Lil Jon yesterday and talked to him about what's possible," says Rhoten. "He's really excited. He likes the brand and wants to get involved."

While Papa John’s has a long way to go to mend its reputation after controversial remarks from Schattner made headlines, Rhoten says the tweet is just the type of fun the brand needs to be having and has helped spur the turnaround. With his previous experience as CMO of Wendy’s, he has a great track record for Papa John’s to learn from since Rhoten was a key player in this year’s viral success of #NuggsforCarter and the brand’s overall social media efforts.

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