Papa John’s is educating consumers on how to use their mobile devices and desktops to place orders with a new sweepstakes that rewards pizza lovers.

The pizza chain is offering a prize package to the upcoming Super Bowl XLVIII for consumers that make online orders this month. To promote the sweepstakes, Papa John’s sent out a push notification to app users earlier this week.

“Push notifications are a great way for marketers to reach their most loyal customers,” said Josh Schiffman, senior vice president of strategy and operations at Xtify, New York.

“Consumers will download the Papa John’s app to their mobile phone for one primary reason – they love Papa John’s pizza,” he said.

“Whether they have already ordered a pizza or have yet to, these individuals and their families and friends are probably the most likely of any segment to respond to any promotional campaign.”

Mr. Schiffman is not affiliated with Papa John’s. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Papa John’s did not respond to press inquiries.

Mobile deal
The Papa John’s mobile and online ordering sweepstakes is meant to educate consumers on the benefits of placing digital orders.

Through Aug. 31, consumers who make a mobile or online order are entered into a sweepstakes to win two tickets to Super Bowl XLVIII that is scheduled to take place on Feb. 2, 2014 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

Consumers who place an order via Papa John’s mobile site, applications and Web site for pick-up or delivery are automatically entered to win the tickets.

The order is then time-stamped and consumers can enter as many times as they want during the promotion period.

The winner will then be notified via email, per Papa John’s.

To make a digital order, consumers need to create an account that can be linked with the company’s Papa Rewards loyalty program, which is one of the main ways that Papa John’s markets its app.

Therefore, the sweepstakes is also a smart move from the pizza chain to bolster app downloads.

Papa John’s mobile app is available for iPhone and Android devices.

A call-to-action for the sweepstakes on Papa John’s Web site

Capturing online sales
Pizza chains are some of the most active brands in mobile ordering, likely because marketers want to increase loyalty and consumers want to simplify the ordering process.

Most recently, Papa John’s leveraged its email database to promote its loyalty program and highlight its partnership with second-screen mobile app Viggle (see story).

Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa Murphy’s are also active in mobile and have used campaigns similar to Papa John’s initiative to drive adoption for online and mobile ordering.

For example, Domino’s recently teamed up with the MLB on a campaign that offers consumers free pies whenever a no-hitter game is played (see story).

In this case, sending out a push notification is a smart way for Papa John’s to spread the word about the sweepstakes to a group of consumers who have shown an affinity for the brand via an app download.

“Couponing is extremely prevalent across the pizza-chain category,” Mr. Schiffman said.

“The sweepstakes approach will be a telling test, but we’d expect that for the consumer who needs just that little bit of a push to get them to order a pizza tonight, this may be the winning ticket,” he said.

“Others in the casual dining space have been successful with similar promotions. And Papa John’s will benefit from the viral buzz of the campaign as new customers are acquired.”

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York