Re-Invigorating a Namesake Brand

After 20+ years of dabbling with design changes, Papa Murphys (PMI) was finally ready to jump in with two feet. Legacy stores needed refreshed, and the overall brand just needed a refresh. Enter VGS/Studio D.

Working hand in hand with both Marketing and Store Development, Studio D was able to get to the heart of what Papa Murphys is—excellent take & bake pizza. The exercise included everything from a logo revamp to exploring more powerful messaging, helping the customer understand and validate why Papa Murphys is so special.

However, once design was completed, Papa Murphys new it would have challenges selling the remodel expenditure to the franchisees. So, VGS and PMI worked together to develop a multi-tier, multi-investment-level strategy for the remodels. Utilizing its creative and engineering expertise, VGS was able to develop fixtures, millwork and graphics that could all be hung/set by unskilled labor if needed—no need for a GC. Paint the walls, hang the signs, set in place the new front counter and pizza pickup station, and you’re back in business. Higher tier, full scale remodels are also in the playbook (for those that either want to spend the capex, or need to replace equipment) but the franchisees felt heard and included considering they now had options. In this case, VGS fabricates and stocks all graphics, the modular front counter, and the pizza pickup station across the US.

The logo and branding pieces have already been executed in various channels, with the stores catching up in waves of hundreds of stores at a time. The program has been a wild success, and VGS/PMI plan continue the great partnership as more franchisees sign on for remodels & new stores alike.