PAPA JOHNS
Building brand preference through community sport
Four years of strategic consultancy, sponsorship negotiation and award-winning activation, connecting Papa Johns with grassroots football and rugby communities across the UK.
THE BRIEF
Help Papa Johns grow market share, encourage repeat purchase and build brand preference by bringing the brand and its local franchise stores closer to the communities they serve.
FINDING THE RIGHT PARTNERSHIPS
We began by assessing the UK sports market to identify partnerships that could deliver against Papa Johns’ commercial objectives.
We then brokered title naming rights to the EFL Trophy, creating the Papa Johns Trophy, alongside a league-wide partnership spanning all four divisions of the Scottish Professional Football League.
TURNING SPONSORSHIP INTO
LOCAL IMPACT
We built and delivered an activation programme that gave grassroots clubs tangible reasons to engage with Papa Johns and their local stores.
Clubs could win kits, grants and funding for projects that mattered to their communities. Support ranged from paying heating bills for warm post-match showers to buying groundskeeping equipment and replacing a clubhouse roof.
We also secured Jimmy Bullard, Harry Redknapp and Ally McCoist to front campaigns, extending their reach and bringing the programme to life.
The result was an award-winning approach that connected national sponsorship rights with local participation, brand engagement and sales.
PUTTING CONTENT & CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT AT THE HEART OF THE PARTNERSHIP
EXTENDING THE STRATEGY INTO RUGBY
We subsequently secured partnerships with England Rugby, Scottish Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union, applying the same community, and content-led approach.
These included title sponsorship of England Rugby’s Community Cup, naming rights to Scottish Rugby’s Tartan Touch programme and a lead partnership with the WRU’s Road to Principality tournament.
FROM STRATEGY TO DELIVERY
Across four years, Six Sport advised on the opportunity, negotiated the partnerships and built and delivered award winning activation programmes, turning sponsorship into a sustained platform for community engagement and commercial growth.
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If you would like to learn more about partnerships tailored to growing your business, get in touch with the Six team.