Papa John’s, the technology leader in the QSR pizza category, today is launching a television commercial starring iconic sportscaster Jim Nantz, and Papa John’s founder, chairman and CEO, John Schnatter, touting the company’s online ordering platform. The commercial also reminds consumers that Papa John’s was the first national pizza company with online ordering at all of its U.S. delivery restaurants in 2001.

“This commercial does a great job reminding consumers that Papa John’s has been, and continues to be at the forefront of technological advances that meet the rapidly evolving demands of tech savvy consumers,” said Bob Kraut, Papa John’s chief marketing officer. “As a visionary, our founder recognized very early on that customer ordering habits were likely going to change with the rapid growth of the internet. As a result, we were not only the first with online ordering, but a slew of other technological advances that continue to help drive the category.”

Some of those other technological firsts include the first national pizza company to offer SMS text ordering in 2007; the first to launch a nationwide digital rewards program in 2010, Papa Rewards, which remains the only program of its kind in the category; and earlier this year the first national pizza company to offer mobile-optimized gift cards. All of these technological advances have helped the company generate more than 45 percent of its orders through its digital channels, a higher percentage than any other national pizza company.

“Papa John’s eCommerce business in the US has grown as fast, if not faster, than any of our larger competitors,” said Tony Thompson, Papa John’s president and chief operating officer. “With more than 45 percent of our sales currently coming through our digital channels, we are confident we will be the first pizza company to hit 50 percent this year, which is a major industry milestone.”

To celebrate, Papa John’s is offering consumers a free pizza. By simply placing an order for $15 or more between today and April 7 using promo code STATS at www.papajohns.com, Papa John’s fans will get a free pizza on their next order.

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third largest pizza delivery company. For 12 of the past 14 years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John’s is the Official Pizza Sponsor of the National Football League and Super Bowl XLVIII. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com, or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PapaJohns, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PapaJohns.