What Their “Meet the Makers” Campaign Teaches Us About Modern Brand Awareness

Looks like another major brand has finally figured out what small businesses and creators have known for ages: authenticity sells, and nothing feels more authentic than seeing the real humans behind a brand.

Papa Johns just launched their new “Meet the Makers” campaign, and it’s basically a masterclass in how major brands are pivoting to user-generated content (UGC) style marketing. Let’s break down what they’re doing and what your brand can learn from it.

What’s Actually Happening

Papa Johns has just unveiled a new marketing platform called “Meet the Makers” that puts their team members and pizza-making process front and centre. Their approach includes:

• Partnering with their own team members who have social media followings
• Collaborating with food influencers for behind-the-scenes content
• Letting staff take over the brand’s social channels
• Creating TV spots that showcase the “real” pizza-making process

This is the first major marketing push under their new CMO Jenna Bromberg (formerly of Pizza Hut! – yowzer!), and it signals a significant shift in how they’re approaching brand awareness.

Why This Matters For Your Brand

I was scrolling through this news with Ian last night, and we both had the same reaction: “About time!” Major brands are finally catching up to what smaller, more agile businesses have been doing successfully for years.

Here’s what makes this approach so powerful:

1. UGC is Dominating Engagement Across Platforms

The days of glossy, overly-produced ads are fading faster than my patience when a website takes too long to load. According to recent data, content that looks and feels authentic (even if it’s professionally produced to look that way) is generating 29% higher engagement rates than traditional advertising.

I’ve seen this firsthand with clients like Sally, a personal brand expert, who saw her engagement triple when she switched from professional photoshoots to more casual, behind-the-scenes content of her actual coaching process.

2. Employees as Influencers is the Next Big Thing

Papa Johns is specifically partnering with Jacob Bartoli (known as Doughtoli on TikTok), an actual team member who’s built his own following. This employee-as-influencer approach is brilliant for two reasons:

• It feels more authentic than paid celebrity endorsements
• It showcases genuine product expertise and passion

This is something ANY business can implement, regardless of size. Your team members might be your most underutilised marketing asset.

3. It’s a Smart Response to Declining Sales

Let’s keep it real – Papa Johns isn’t doing this just because they love showcasing their staff. Their North American sales declined 4% year-over-year in Q4 2024. This new approach is part of their “Back to Better” initiative to revitalize the brand.

When traditional marketing isn’t working, smart brands pivot to authenticity. I’ve seen this pattern repeatedly with clients who come to me after their polished, corporate-feeling content fails to connect.

How You Can Apply This (Without a Papa Johns Budget)

You might be thinking, “Great, but I don’t have a national TV ad budget.” Good news – you don’t need one! Here’s how to apply these principles to your own brand:

1. Showcase Your Actual Process

Whether you’re a service provider or product-based business, people are fascinated by how things get made. Some ideas:

• Film time-lapses of your design process
• Show the before/during/after of client projects
• Create “day in the life” content showing your actual work

I recently helped a client, Emma, create a simple series showing her website design process from start to finish. That content outperformed everything else on her feed by 3x.

2. Let Your Team Shine

If you have a team (even if it’s small), let their personalities come through:

• Have team members share their expertise through takeovers
• Create “meet the person behind the [service/product]” content
• Showcase different perspectives on your brand values

Even solopreneurs can apply this by being more present themselves rather than hiding behind a polished brand facade.

3. Partner with Micro-Influencers Who Actually Use Your Product

You don’t need celebrity endorsements. Find people who genuinely love what you do:

• Reach out to existing customers who already share about you
• Look for niche influencers in your specific industry
• Focus on authentic connection over follower count

The Bottom Line

Papa Johns’ new direction confirms what I’ve been telling clients for years: today’s consumers crave authenticity over perfection. They want to see the humans behind the brands they support, and they can spot manufactured “authenticity” from a mile away.

The most effective brand awareness strategies in 2025 aren’t about who can create the most polished content – they’re about who can create the most genuine connections.

So before you spend thousands on that glossy brand photoshoot, ask yourself: would showing the real, slightly messy, human side of your business actually connect better with your ideal clients?

What do you think about this shift toward UGC-style content from major brands? Are you incorporating more authentic, behind-the-scenes content in your own strategy?

Do you want help with it? Get in touch and we can work out a strategy that positions you as a UGC mastermind!