Papa John’s Debuts Groundbreaking Augmented Reality Feature Online, Expands to Pizza Boxes June 1

* On Tuesday May 26, 2009, 8:30 am EDT

LOUISVILLE, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The first national pizza company to offer online and text message ordering, Papa John’s is once again breaking technology barriers to provide an unprecedented experience to its customers: augmented reality.

A new frontier for marketers, augmented reality is an online application that allows the user to interact in real-time with computer generated imagery. For Papa John’s, customers can log on to www.papasroadtrip.com, download and print an icon of the 1972 Z28 Camaro that founder John Schnatter sold 25 years ago to open his first restaurant, and virtually drive that same Camaro when the image is recognized by a user’s webcam.

While driving, customers will be granted exclusive discounts to future Papa John’s purchases, displayed on virtual billboards along the virtual road. Next month, the same icon will be available on the bottom of pizza boxes, marking the first time a brand has made augmented reality available at point-of-purchase.


“Augmented reality is consistent with our continued emphasis on exploring technology in ways that provide better value and connection to our customers, as well as enhance our ability to engage them in ways above and beyond the transaction,” said Jim Ensign, Papa John’s vice president of marketing communications. “We were at the forefront of online ordering and text ordering, and augmented reality takes our digital marketing approach to a new dimension.”


An estimated 20 percent of Americans currently own and operate a webcam, while most newer laptops include a webcam as a standard feature.

For those without a webcam, the Papa John’s augmented reality application will also be featured online at www.papasroadtrip.com as an interactive flash demonstration. The site will also include a simple yet comprehensive guide and video demonstration on how to optimize the augmented reality experience.

News, Pizza, Papa Johns