Papa John's "American Premium Series, Only at Papa John's!" (With Leeseo) — Behind-the-Scenes Ad & Key Points for Fans
Papa John's "American Premium Series" campaign features IVE's Leeseo as its model, emphasizing the image of "premium delivery pizza" with a youthful and trendy sensibility. Both the short teaser and full-length ads are crafted around visual impact and sound hooks, designed to pique consumer curiosity and lead to the main story and a visit to the store. Below, we'll sequentially summarize the brand message, video concept, music and sound design, filming locations and set direction, costumes, hair and makeup, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and other key details for fans.
1. Brand Positioning and Campaign Concept
Through this series, Papa John's presents a clear positioning: "American Premium." The core strategy is to highlight high-quality ingredients (such as special sauces, premium cheese blends, and premium toppings) and emphasize differentiation with the exclusivity message, "Only at Papa John's." The hiring of IVE's Lee Seo directly targets the MZ generation and K-pop fans, clearly aiming to rapidly expand the brand's youthful and trendy image. The ad aims to create a memorable experience with visual and audio hooks.
2. Video Direction and Storytelling Points
The teaser video captures attention with a powerful opening cut (close-ups of toppings, scenes of cheese stretching, etc.), then hints at the product's "taste" through Lee Seo's concise gestures and facial expressions. The fast-paced yet rhythmic editing maximizes the teaser's impact. The main video reinforces credibility by adding close-ups of the product's ingredients and the cooking process, while Lee Seo's reactions (sampling, smiling, and expressing her gaze) naturally convey the message, "This taste is enough."
3. Background Music (BGM) and Sound Design
Music is key to setting the tone of an advertisement. This campaign likely used brass riffs or funky guitar riffs that evoke an American sensibility, or incorporated modern pop and electronic elements to create a cheerful yet premium mood. Specifically, the Foley (the sounds of cheese stretching, sauce sprinkling, and the crunch of the crust) was intentionally emphasized during product close-ups to stimulate the viewer's gustatory imagination. Editing likely utilized the music to momentarily lower the volume when Lee Seo's words or copy appeared, highlighting the vocal impact.
4. Filming Location/Set Design — Where Was It Filmed?
Due to the nature of food advertising, the main filming likely took place on a controlled studio set. Studios allow for precise lighting and camera movement to optimize the shine and texture of the toppings, cheese, and sauce. The set design likely utilized a modern dining look or a modern diner (American restaurant) concept to visualize the image of "American premium." If some exterior scenes (such as terraces or city night views) were included, this could be interpreted as a directing attempt to suggest a "fun dining out/delivery lifestyle."
5. Clothing, Hair, and Makeup — Lee Seo's Style Key Points
Lee Seo's styling likely adopted a "casual yet sophisticated" concept to harmonize with the brand's tone. She likely utilized simple tops (white, ivory, soft beige) or accent colors (red, deep brown, etc.) to create a visual connection with the pizza colors. Textured jackets, leather accents, and simple accessories likely added a trendy touch. Hair was styled in natural waves or neat straight lines, and makeup was applied in front of the camera with a healthy glow and vibrant lip color to maintain a vibrant feel on screen.
6. NGs/Making-of-the-Movie Episodes During Filming — Imagining the On-Set Atmosphere
Food photography often results in NGs due to the delicate physical properties of food. For example, reshoots may have been necessary due to imperfect timing of cheese stretching or insufficient glossiness in the sauce. Additionally, in the bite-sized scenes, reshoots are frequent if the actor's expression becomes stiff or subtle changes occur due to the food temperature. The making-of likely involved Lee Seo improvising with the staff, or the prop team adjusting the topping placement and gloss at the last minute. Fans will likely enjoy Lee Seo's natural smile and the human moments revealed behind-the-scenes.
7. Content Ideas IVE Fans Can Create
Still Cut Analysis: Capturing still images from the commercial and analyzing the costumes, colors, and layering can be a great way to expand into a "lookbook" content.
Sound Clip Utilization: Sample the Foley sounds from the commercial (cheese stretching, sauce pouring) to create a short ASMR reaction video.
Menu Reproduction Challenge: Creating a "Home Premium Pizza" at home with similar toppings and reviewing it will increase fan engagement.
Making-of-the-making ... Conclusion
Papa John's "American Premium Series" "With Lee Seo" campaign is a classic strategy that simultaneously emphasizes product quality and appeals to a younger demographic. The sophisticated image of Lee Seo and the audiovisual presentation of the ad effectively convey the brand message, encouraging fans and consumers to experience the product through the ad.