Long-sleeve white shirt with a graphic design featuring the text "Matty vs. Action" and two photos of men's faces, one with beard and one with a hat, in red, along with a logo at the top with a palm tree in a yellow diamond shape.

“Free Radicals helped us create a unique launch strategy for our quarterly product releases, going way beyond typical partnerships and activations to boost awareness effectively in our category.”

Scott Hargrove
Chief Marketing Office

Logo of California Pizza Kitchen featuring a red palm tree inside a diamond shape with the restaurant's name below.
The image features a black background with white text overlaid. The text reads: 'Making CPK relevant in the minds of younger foodies.'

To refocus the California Pizza Kitchen brand and win relevance in the minds of young foodies, we unlocked the power of cultural collaboration with two of the world’s most exciting chefs: Matty Matheson and Action Bronson. We were hell-bent on inspiring culinary creativity within the CPK team and its customers, leading us to partner with RVCA and Vans for an exclusive line of merch and the most enviable staff uniforms in the most Californian way possible.

A billboard advertising a pizza showdown between Matty's Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza and Action's Santa Fe Chicken Pizza, featuring colorful visuals with headshots and text, located in an urban setting with a parking garage, pedestrians, and buildings in the background.

Shake shit up and re-ignite CPK’s culinary creativity.

Since its founding in the eighties, CPK has developed a reputation for being the most creative team in the culinary game, hence its almost immediate growth. Over time, the world caught up with CPK, so it was time for them to lead again.

Poster featuring a man's face with a chef's hat and a yellow background, showcasing a sign with a palm tree at the top. The text reads 'MATTY' and 'Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza'.
Poster with a large smiling man's face in the center, over a yellow radar-like background, with the text 'ACTION' in bold red letters and 'Santa Fe Chicken Pizza' underneath.
Two smartphone screens displaying limited edition pizza packaging with cartoon faces. The left features Action Bronson with a smiling face and the text 'Santa Fe Chicken Pizza,' while the right features Matty Atheon with an angry face and the text 'Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza.' Both have yellow backgrounds with a palm tree icon.
Two Instagram posts side by side, each featuring a man. The left post shows a close-up of a man with a beard, short hair, and tattoos on his chest, with a slightly serious expression. The right post shows a man with tattoos, wearing a purple beanie and a white T-shirt, smiling in a kitchen.
Close-up of white text on black background that reads 'ENGAGING.'
White long-sleeve shirt with 'RVCa' logo, and portraits of two men shouting, labeled 'Matty vs. Action'
Yellow beanie hat with a patch featuring a red heart, yellow warning sign, and red lips. White bucket hat with a tropical graphic pattern of palm trees, black arrows, red lips, and the word 'ROCA' with a yellow star.
Close-up of a man's face and upper chest wearing a beige and white striped collared shirt with two pins, one of which has a palm tree and the other shows the letters RVCA.

CPK X RVCA X VANS Merch and uniforms were a directly connected to the Matty Vs. Action collab, deepening the partnership while solving a business need.

Close-up of a person holding a pair of Vans shoes with yellow and black palm tree pattern, against a sandy outdoor background with a blue sky.
Two people, a man and a woman, standing outdoors in front of palm trees under a clear blue sky. They are wearing light-colored shirts and white aprons.
Two models standing side by side against a plain background. The woman on the left is wearing a black jumpsuit with rolled-up sleeves, a yellow pin, and yellow and white checkered sneakers. The man on the right is wearing a light blue button-up shirt with rolled-up sleeves, black pants, a yellow pin, and matching checkered sneakers.
The word 'PERSONALITY' written in large, bold, white text on a black background.
A pizza with cheese, grilled chicken, onions, and green herbs on a white plate. There is a red banner across the pizza with the text "F*CK, THAT'S DELICIOUS".

Fuel.

In response to guest feedback and the need to refresh the pizza menu with a constant stream of fresh, creative offerings, CPK relaunched the old favorite, Santa Fe Chicken PIZZA, and the new Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza creation.



Spark.

Connect CPK to popular culture and unlock the culinary collaboration trend to create buzz for the new menu launch, but make it suitable for CPK and not simply transactional. 

Fire.

We love competition, who doesn’t? The fun, the spectacle, and the choice of sides are the reasons sports are so prevalent in our culture–but unlike sports–pitting two world-class chefs against each other results in something we can all agree on–delicious pizza. Like Frasier Vs. Ali or Federer Vs. Nadal, Matty Vs. Action promises to bring the heat and excitement to a CPK near you.

Text that reads '#NOW WE'RE COOKIN'' in white, bold letters on a black background
Logo of California Pizza Kitchen with a palm tree inside a diamond shape and the text 'California Pizza Kitchen' underneath.

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