Recently surpassing 800 stores and recognized as America’s favorite pizza company, Marco’s Pizza announced marketing innovator Steve Seyferth as its Chief Marketing Officer. Seyferth, with over 30 years of experience working in key executive positions at major advertising and media companies, along with establishing his own highly regarded consultancy practice, will serve as the driving force to elevate Marco’s communications across all platforms.

Seyferth’s unique skill set included leading communication initiative’s for “blue-chip” marketers like Domino’s, General Mills, Kraft, Coors, Gatorade and Ford Motor Company, while also being at the forefront of the digital movement in Vice President roles at AOL Time Warner and AT&T AdWorks. Additionally, Seyferth was owner of SSG Marketing from 2006—2009 where his company, built off the Six Sigma platform, played an integral role in helping establish Marco’s strategically on the national landscape, as well as overseeing their Public Relations efforts. After selling SSG, Seyferth continued at the forefront of the digital media landscape as part of the AT&T AdWorks Senior Leadership Team that grew “three screen” (On-Line, Mobile, TV) revenue from zero to over $350 million in the six years prior to AT&T’s acquisition of DIRECTV.

While on the agency side, Seyferth led the development of numerous award winning advertising campaigns, including the renowned “Be Like Mike” campaign for Gatorade that featured Michael Jordan. This campaign, created in 1991, was recently named the “Best Sports Commercial” of all time by USA TODAY in November 2016.

“Marco’s Pizza is on fire right now, opening a new store every three days. The product is top notch. The management team is exceptional, and the support staff is the most passionate and committed I’ve ever seen. This is a pivotal time to leverage Marco’s growth, its reputation, and its strong Italian positioning to battle fierce competition on all fronts,” says Seyferth.

As the only national franchise chain founded by a native Italian, Marco’s Pizza has carved out a niche in the industry as the expert in authentic Italian pizza. It is known in markets around the country for its fresh never-frozen dough made daily on site, a proprietary cheese blend—also fresh never-frozen—and a secret pizza sauce recipe. Marco’s Pizza’s continued growth is attributed to consistent unit-level profitability, high Italian food standards, selectivity in awarding franchises and ability to top-grade talent at the corporate level.

“Steve is the precisely the right person, in the right position, at the right time for Marco’s Pizza,” says president Bryon Stephens. “With Steve’s experience building digital strategies across all platforms both in and out of the restaurant industry, he offers the perspective and leadership we need right now as Marco’s continues to roll out nationally.”