PizzaExpress Goes Psychedelic with Two Campaigns from Truant

PizzaExpress is this week launching not one but two campaigns to promote new market leading propositions: ‘The PizzaExpress Club’ – the brand’s first ever rewards scheme; and the all-new lunchtime pizza wrap.

Both campaigns, as devised by Truant London, mark the launch of a newly developed look and brand positioning for PizzaExpress called ‘Expressly for Everyone’. Crafted in collaboration with VB&P, the positioning marks the start of a new direction for the popular high street brand, where pizza is the most delicious expression of you in any situation. The campaigns also kick off a long term collaboration with actor, writer and comedian David Mitchell who will be the voice of the brand.

The PizzaExpress Club is the brand’s first foray into the world of loyalty. Unlike other schemes, it is particularly generous as it rewards customers every time they visit, regardless of tier. The club will be promoted via a TV and social campaign and features a humorous array of pizza-loving misfits doing mischievous things, embodying the fact that it doesn’t matter why a customer is there, they will be rewarded regardless.

Truant selected Spindle’s Daniel Lundh to direct the TV ad in a wonderfully hyper real way, while celebrating the fact that ‘My PizzaExpress Club’ rewards everyone no matter who they are or how they enjoy pizza. In a similar vein, the stills photography, captured by Ilk & Franz, uses a colourful and playful style to echo the TV campaign’s high fashion styling.

The media strategy, crafted by the7stars, sees PizzaExpress launch their first major AV campaign in over a decade. The media outreach combines peak-time scheduling across ITV, Channel4 and Sky, with the best of online, including BVOD, online video, and a social media outreach that uses first-party data to target existing customers who have not downloaded the app.

PizzaExpress’s chief customer officer, Shadi Halliwell, said: “Together with all our talented partners, we are reinvigorating one of the nation's favourite brands. Initially with two exciting propositions, the launch of the PizzaExpress Club, the first Loyalty programme that rewards you every time you dine, and our innovative lunch wrap. Your favourite pizza in a wrap for under 600 calories. Both propositions sit alongside a new look that feels stand out for the casual dining sector.”

Truant’s co-founder and executive creative director, Simon Labbett, added: “We felt a weight on our shoulders when working to reimagine PizzaExpress. It’s an institution on the high street, and a brand that everyone at Truant has deep love and respect for. This new direction is an unexpected and playful twist in the brand’s story, one which will hopefully make customers double-take the brand.

“The loyalty towards the brand is fierce, so it makes complete sense for the brand to go hell-for-leather with one of the most generous loyalty clubs around. PizzaExpress doesn’t care why you’re there enjoying pizza. They don’t judge. If you love pizza, you can reap the rewards. That’s it. That was a fun angle for us to focus the creative on.”

The second campaign celebrates the launch of ‘Wrap for Lunch’: a light on-the-go pizza wrap designed to draw lunchtime crowds. Launching on 1st March 2022, the radio, OOH, social, digital and POS campaign – which was also captured by Ilka & Franz alongside food photographer Chelsea Bloxsome – echoes the ‘off the wall’ nature of the loyalty campaign by celebrating the weird and wonderful ways people wrap for lunch: whether you got the kids to school on time or slept in until 11AM, everyone needs to wrap for lunch.

Truant’s co-founder and executive creative director, David Gamble, commented: “PizzaExpress doesn’t spring to mind as an obvious lunchtime destination, so we had to come up with a campaign that wouldn’t be overlooked as ‘just another ad about pizzas’. Truant is all about getting clients an unfair share of attention and ‘Wrap for lunch’ does just that through iconic photography that really pops, alongside topical headlines that will resonate with our audience, ensuring PizzaExpress flourishes in the crowded lunchtime market.