The Rise, Fall, And Comeback Of Little Caesars' Famous Pizza Catchphrase

You've probably seen the quirky little guy in a toga with a pizza slice on his spear adorning the box of a Little Caesars pizza before. And with that image, you might already hear his creaky, nasal voice saying "Pizza! Pizza!" in your head right now. The catchphrase is undeniably iconic, and it really does tell you exactly what you're getting from Little Caesars. However, you may have never realized that, for over a decade, you didn't see that slogan at all. In fact, depending on where you're located, you might still not see it to this day.

From 1998 to 2012, not a single "Pizza! Pizza!" was uttered by the chain. This was one of those things from Little Caesars we desperately wanted to see make a comeback, and luckily, we got our wish. You'll now find the classic slogan in commercials, on flyers, and in their pizzeria locations.  Given that the "Pizza! Pizza!" slogan is one of the chain's most memorable features, even the temporary disappearance of it in their ad media might seem like a massive mistake. Well, that was a lesson Little Caesars execs had to learn the hard way.

Contrary to popular belief, the slogan has never been "piece of pizza" and is instead "Pizza! Pizza!" for a very good reason. It all started in 1979, while Little Caesars was experiencing growing success. The chain decided to offer a BOGO pizza deal, and advertised it with the text "Pizza! Pizza!" to indicate that you'd be getting two pies for the price of one. Almost overnight, the slogan became a massive hit. It was so successful that it tried doubling other catchphrases for new products, such as "Deep! Deep!" for their deep-dish pizzas or "Pan! Pan!" for their pan pizzas. However, none was quite as successful as the original.

Little Caesars has loved experimenting with new products and ad directions like these. The company even used to sell a bucket of spaghetti back in 1994. However, it was this desire for change that led the company astray in 1998. In that year, Little Caesars dropped its advertising agency, Cliff Freeman & Partners, in search of greener pastures. This was the same agency that had gifted the world both the silly cartoon mascot and his slogan.

To put it simply, it was a messy breakup. The chain's new ad company had no interest in the classic "Pizza! Pizza!" tagline, and soon transitioned to just "Hot-N-Ready" instead. Instead of growth, the result was a massive nosedive, with Little Caesars falling from a top national chain into semi-obscurity. Financially, the company was making nearly $1 billion less per year, and many felt like it had lost its identity.

After finding itself nowhere near the top-ranking pizza chain restaurants in the nation for more than a decade, Little Caesars finally came to its senses. In 2012, the pizza company decided to spend more money on media advertising, a practice that the new ad company had neglected in the late 90s. As part of their new ads, Little Caesars made TV commercials that brought back the slogan "Pizza! Pizza!" to the joy of consumers everywhere.

This turnaround delivered immediate results, with Little Caesars climbing into the top three pizza chains in the United States. Sales broke records previously held in the nineties, and the company achieved an all-time high in profits. Given the losses suffered when Little Caesars did away with "Pizza! Pizza!", it's likely not going anywhere anytime soon.

If you live in Canada, however, you might never see that slogan again. This is because the rights to the slogan are owned by Little Caesars in the United States, but in Canada, it's trademarked by a company aptly named Pizza Pizza. This prevents Little Caesars from using it within the country. Instead, you'll still be stuck with things like "Delivery! Delivery!" and "Two Pizzas!" – phrases that objectively lack the same impact.