Little
Caesar - Diminutive toga-clad Roman wearing sandals and a
laurel wreath who portrayed the corporate mascot for the
Little Caesar's pizza franchise - one
of the world's largest pizza chains. The slogan for the company
is "Pizza! Pizza!" which the Little Caesar character recites quickly. The slogan
originated when the company advertised their ”buy one, get one free”
concept namely "Two great pizzas! One low price. Always! Always!" The
vocal talent behind the trademark
"Pizza! Pizza!" catchphrase was supplied by advertising guru Cliff Freeman who
took over the LC ad account in 1987. Jackson Beck, the voice of Superman on
radio supplied voice-overs for a number of Little Caesar spots).
In the 1990s Cliff Freeman and Partners, an
award-winning New York City agency created a number of memorable TV commercials
for Little Caesars (as well as the classic "Where's the Beef" ad campaign
for Wendy's). On May 17, 1990, Freeman summarized his creative missions for the
Los Angeles Times saying
"Not much advertising
touches people. We try to create ads that enter their souls -- and never leave."
The company's 1991 LC spot entitled "High Chair"
featured a little girl sitting in a high chair who grabs onto the tautly
stretched piece of Mozzarella cheese from a slice of pizza and is then slingshot
throughout the house to end up in the arms of her grandparents on the other side
of the house.
In 1995, in the spot "Training Camp" that
touts Little Caesars' new
delivery service, we see a training camp somewhere in the Gobi
desert populated with determined pizza delivery trainees. Motivated by the
screams of a drill sergeant, they learn how to how to walk up and down stairs, knock on a door
("Bell,
knocker, hand,"), say "Pizza, Pizza!" close a car door with a
kick, and maneuver through an obstacle course of lawn sprinklers and mechanical
dogs.
In 1999, the Little Caesar character turned 40. To celebrate
his mid-life crisis, the
Bozell Worldwide, Southfield, Mich. created a new
campaign titled "The Big 4-0," The spot begins with the LC character
driving an older car. Suddenly a young blonde pulls along side and says.
"Nice car, pops." Feeling his age, the embarrassed LC quickly trades his old car
for a sporty red Dodge Viper. He then encounters the same blonde, who notices
not only his new car, but also a pizza on the car seat. This time, she accepts a
ride.
Over the last few decades, the Little Caesars
pizza chain has gone through a number of ups and owns . A few year
ago, in an effort to save
money, the company "tweaked the ingredients (added frozen the cheese) to get things cheaper,"
according to Mike Scruggs, Little Caesars’ Senior Vice President of Global Operations Despite cost savings, their frozen cheese
substitute was difficult to
thaw and
didn't taste as good. Luckily in early 2001, Little Caesar Enterprises Inc.
switched back to its original cheese recipe and business picked up.
Other changes to create a better product included
redesigned stores, dough made fresh daily at each store, and a new Kidz
Krazy Bread, where flavored pizza dough comes in various colors (blue and green
Parmesan). Also a new certification program for managers, now requires
franchisees to put their employees through the program to get their license.
The privately-held Little
Caesars company is based in Detroit, Michigan, It was founded Mike and Marian Ilitch who opened their first
restaurant in
suburban Garden City, Michigan in 1959.
In 2004, Ilitch Holdings, the owner of Little Caesars
Pizza, announced
the appointment of Christopher Ilitch to President and Chief Executive Officer.
Ilitch
assumed all responsibilities that previously were shared with his sister Denise Ilitch.
TRIVIA NOTE: In the classic crime drama film
Little Caesar (1930) Edward G. Robinson played a man
who rises through the ranks of organized crime only to be killed at his zenith
of corruption. His dying words ask the question "Mother of Mercy! Is this the end of Rico?"
Of course, the "big" Caesar was Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) the ruler
of the Roman empire. He was killed on the Ides of March (March 15) by a pack of
angry politicians who each thrust a knife into their Emperor's body. Caesar's
famous last words (in Greek) to Brutus were "Et tu, Brute? ("and you too, child?"). Brutus,
of course, being Caesar's supposed friend and supporter.
