• by Teresa Buyikian , April 1, 2025

 This week California Pizza Kitchen turns 40, and, like many 40-somethings, appears to be having a bit of a comical identity crisis in its latest marketing effort. Thankfully the chain learns to embrace its age and experience, with a little help from actress (and former CPK hostess) Busy Phillips, in its new “We’re 40 & Fine with It!”  campaign.

CPK, which operates approximately 184 locations globally, began commemorating its 40^th birthday last month with a faux younger “rebrand” across all its digital channels. Taking cues from hipster-focused streetwear fashion and culture to “stay fresh with today’s consumers,” CPK’s reboot included themed “preposterous”  videos, and images that left the brand’s fans “scratching their heads,” according to a release.

Enter 40-year-old actress Phillips in the campaign’s online video, seen here, who walks inside what appears to be some sort of very dark club with a too-loud live DJ and a lot of neon.  As the mist from the club’s fog machine clears to reveal the location to be a “rebranded” CPK, Phillips encounters a faux agency creative director who takes responsibility for the very off-brand rebrand. Then Phillips reminds the audience what they love about the real CPK.

The mockumentary style video was created by Iris Worldwide and is now running on Hulu and other paid online outlets in addition to social platforms.

CPK’s CMO Dawn Keller told QSR Insider more about the campaign, and how else the brand is commemorating its milestone.

QSR Insider:What was the inspiration behind this campaign and the whole midlife crisis angle? How does it target your demographic?

Keller: Our 40th anniversary presented us with the perfect opportunity to rejuvenate the brand and show up in a creative, nontraditional way highlighting our fun, irreverent personality coupled with a sense of cultural relevance.

We wanted our guests to remember why they always loved us in the first place after 40 years, while at the same time doing something that would showcase what is relevant and differentiated about our brand between then and now.

Leading with a very relatable human moment -- the feeling of turning 40, having a true midlife crisis and denying it -- then pivoting to realize there is actually no need for reinvention, was the core of this “40 & Fine with It!” campaign. It also allowed us to interact with new and existing brand fans across many different demographics.

QSR Insider:How did Busy come up as a spokesperson?

Keller: Busy is a former employee and long-time brand fan. We’ve floated the idea of working with her before, but this moment was the perfect opportunity to bring her into the fold. No one wants to turn 40, especially a stereotypical Californian, but Busy has done it --realistically, yet gracefully –--and it created a very relatable moment to bring her in as the hero to save CPK from its pseudo midlife crisis.

 QSR Insider:What was the reaction to the faux "new branding" across digital channels?

 Keller: We loved watching everyone’s reactions, and it played out exactly as we expected. Across all our socials, many people were very confused, others were completely trashing the “rebrand,” and some were cheering it on!

It was a spectrum of negativity and total confusion, but our goal was to spark conversation, and that’s exactly what happened. We genuinely enjoyed watching other brands jump into the conversation or guests make reference to our posts as an April Fool’s joke, ChatGPT rebrand and other comical one-liners.

QSR Insider:How does this campaign fit into your overall marketing mix?

Keller: It’s very clear that CPK still has a lot of brand equity, but we just aren’t top-of-mind for people. Our goal here was to rejuvenate the brand by doubling down on what people love about us -- what makes us unique and deliciously different -- and to do it in a way that would get people to think and talk about us again.

Our 40th anniversary gave us the opportunity to fuel this objective, but we also knew we shouldn’t approach it in a traditional way, but to show up with personality and a sense of cultural relevance. This is how we landed on our magical moment of the fake “rebrand” and “midlife crisis” as we turn 40 -- because to deny it would be the relatable and “California” way. Then having Busy Philipps step in to save us from ourselves and remind us what makes CPK so great was the perfect happy ending to get us back to the core pillars of the brand.

QSR Insider: Will there be more 40-themed promos this year?

Keller: Fully embracing 40 delicious years and counting, CPK is celebrating by bringing back a limited-time menu of some of its most iconic dishes from the past four decades. These retired favorite items were selected by CPK guests, team members, Executive Chef Paul Pszybylski, and even CPK’s founders, Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax. They include: Rosemary Roasted Potato & Grilled Chicken Pizza, Chicken Milanese, and Tortilla Spring Rolls.

We’re also always thinking about how to bring more people into our marketable ecosystem, and knew the Thank You Card promotion was a great way to do this. Now through May 11, every adult guest receives a Thank You Card containing a hidden prize to be revealed at their next visit. From CPK meal discounts to gift cards at major brands and cash prizes up to $40,000, every guest is a winner.