Restaurants
Papa John’s Continues to Reach Unprecedented Sales
According to a QSR Magazine article, Papa John’s North American same-store sales rose by 33.5 percent in May after already breaking a company record in April. This new number is four times higher than the January sales and six times higher than February.
“Our teams continue to meet the needs of new and returning customers and their communities while making health and safety our top priority,” said CEO Rob Lynch in a statement in the above QSR Magazine article. “We entered the pandemic with strong growth and momentum and are fortunate that our delivery and carry-out model has enabled us to meet an essential need for high-quality food, safely delivered to consumers’ homes. Everyone at Papa John’s takes this responsibility seriously and is committed to supporting our neighbors in their time of need."
Social Media
Sports Leagues Helping Fans Escape Through TikTok
Due to the lack of live sports, fans have been looking for different ways to consume content from their favorite leagues and players. One of the most outward leagues on the platform is the MLB, and some of its players like Mike Trout, Yasiel Puig, and Freddie Freeman.
“We do focus on trying to follow, comment on, and like our followers’ post as much as we can – when of course, when it makes sense,” Barbara McHugh, MLB senior vice president of marketing said in the above Front Office Sports article. “Even for our followers who aren’t necessarily part of our core like baseball or softball communities, meaning like the major league level or minor league level, but we’re paying a lot of attention to high school teams and players as well as the younger audience that is engaging with baseball and softball.”
Partnerships
Ben & Jerry's Launches Ice Cream into Stratosphere for Netflix Tie-In
Ben & Jerry’s has partnered with Netflix and its new show Space Force to introduce a new ice cream flavor “Boots on the Moooo’n.” This flavor contains milk chocolate ice cream with fudge cows and toffee meteor clusters around a sugar cookie dough core.
"I'm excited to join forces with Ben & Jerry's on this Space Force flavor launch. How cool is it that we have our own ice cream?! Especially because it's super delicious. Can't wait for everyone to try it and watch Space Force at the same time," Actor and comedian Jimmy O. Yang said, who plays Dr. Chan Kaifang the lead scientist on the Space Force team, in a Ben & Jerry’s press release.
Instacart Starts Self-Serve Ad Platform to Connect Brands with Shoppers
Instacart has launched a self-serve advertising platform that allows brands to promote their products in search results. Multiple brands have already tested this platform, such as Proctor & Gamble, Unilever, and Pepsico. This new service is available from about 350 retailers like Costco, Gelson’s, and Kroger, making up about 250,000 stores in North America.
“This service in partnership with Instacart utilizes an innovative model with our team members performing the picking and delivery to cars,” said Jack Sinclair, Sprout’s CEO, in the MediaPost article.
Customer Experience
MAPCO Takes 'Full Service' to a New Level
Mapco has announced Full Service+, which is a new touchless service full-service experience for the fuel as well as in-store items.
This new “experience” works:
- From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day
- Customers will drive into a Full Service+ fuel pump
- The associate will provide customers with a mobile card machine, letting them make the purchase from inside their car. Then, the associate will get their items from the store
The associate is also responsible for cleaning car window, wiping down fuel pumps as well as any other services.