Pizza delivery driver hot bags — but make it fashion.
That's the basis for Papa John's International Inc.'s first collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which aim to be a must-have accessory for the metaverse.
The company's collection of 19,840 NFTs will drop nine bag designs inspired by the pizza delivery hot bag, on several dates throughout early March, according to a news release. The total number of 19,840 is inspired by the date that Papa Johns (Nasdaq: PZZA) was founded in 1984.
The NFT release is a part of Papa Johns’ Papa X Cheddar marketing campaign that's promoting its new Cheddar range, launching in several international markets including UAE, Qatar, Spain, Ecuador and El Salvador, the release continued. Papa Johns has U.S. headquarters in both Louisville and Atlanta.
“There is so much global hype surrounding NFTs right now, but not everyone understands what they are or how to get one," said Jo Blundell, vice president of international marketing at Papa Johns, in the release. "That’s why Papa Johns is delighted to be bringing NFTs into the mainstream, making them available for pizza fans, digital art collectors and meta-professionals alike. In the short time it takes to order a pizza, people can get their hands on one of nine uber-cool NFT hot bag designs.”
The NFTs were created by professional NFT designer Tom Hoff, based in Spain, and artist Ash Sketch from London’s Central Saint Martins, who both took cues from the delivery driver hot bag and last year’s Papa X Cheddar campaign, which gave cheddar cheese its own streetwear collection.
An exclusive range of upcycled delivery driver uniform garments and accessories were sold via international fashion marketplace Depop, in 2021.
The NFT Hot Bags are the second fashion drop from Papa Johns, as a limited-edition number of real-world hot bags will be sold via Depop, with one available to win on the NFT microsite by one person who redeems an NFT between now and April 12.
Papa Johns NFT Hot Bags have been minted on Tezos, an energy-efficient blockchain, the release continued. Redeeming the NFTs will vary by market via three mechanisms: Scanning a QR code on a pizza box leaflet, scanning a QR code in the delivery confirmation e-mail or clicking onto promotional social media posts by local Papa Johns.
Papa Johns is not the first — nor will it be the last — big brand to get in on NFTs. AdAge has been keeping a continually updated list of different NFT campaigns, but just a few examples include "Adidas for Prada re-source," Cameo Pass and Taco Bell's "Transformative Taco" that's on sale for 11 Ethereum ... roughly $28,465.
