Social Media Strategy | Organic Social | Paid Social
California Pizza Kitchen Social Media
THE SITUATION
From legendary pizza to a global brand, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) is uniquely built on innovation. Born in Beverly Hills in 1985, CPK has a strong history in both California and beyond, yet needed support to identify their target audience of diners and produce a unique social media strategy that engaged consumers in a way to support on premise dining.
The Challenge
CPK has established a passionate fan base. But over the last few decades, the average consumer age has continually increased. The brand is in a fight for market share against new dining concepts and the established casual dining players like Cheesecake Factory, PF Chang’s and Pizza Hut. So how can we identify and entice a new generation of devotees?
Consumers who grew up in families passionate about CPK do recognize it for its high quality innovative and non-traditional pizza options. After all, CPK introduced the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza, and didn’t stop there.
To those who know, CPK has the triple threat: delicious affordable food, an inviting atmosphere, and excellent customer service.
Gen Z has little interest in CPK. Only 7% consider it as an option for their casual dining, according to YouGov.
Restaurant data indicates that Millennial moms comprise a large percentage of their clientele.
The Inspirational Insight
When fond memories of the CPK experience are triggered, it can again be time to consider returning to recapture those wonderful moments and make new memories.
The Concept
Bringing in the elements of history, nostalgia, the tastes people grew up with, and the California feeling, Inspira strategized a content plan and social media tone that was the basis of an entire social media turnaround.
Through concept testing, we understood what content the audience would best engage with. This led us to build a robust strategy over a short amount of time. We tapped into the nostalgia of visiting CPK restaurants as children. Inspira creative delivered the messaging with trending content types that would resonate with a younger audience, such as reels, branded memes, humor, and a bright color palette. Our goal was to entice consumers to return to CPK with their families.
Notably, our team recognized the importance of continually testing and refining the content to ensure high engagement. We accomplished this in collaboration with the CPK Test Kitchen where all new menu items were conceived.
