National Pi Day––celebrated today in honor of the number 3.14, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter––also offers a prime opportunity to explore the sponsorship data of a favorite circular snack: pizza. 

This savory slice of the pizza industry spans more than 300+ brands with sponsorship or media deals globally, each averaging around 4 sponsorships each. TV visible signage and social media posts rank among the category’s most popular sponsorship activations, included in over 30% of all pizza partnerships. 

With more than 5K locations in 45 countries, Papa Johns holds the title of most active pizza brand worldwide with over 100. Notably, 30% of the company’s sponsorships are within NCAA Division 1 college sports, where the pizza powerhouse partners with the Virginia Cavaliers, Louisville Cardinals, and Memphis Tigers. The brand’s sponsorship savvy extends well beyond US borders with more than 15 international deals, including 3 within the English Football League and another with Spain’s Baloncesto Fuenlabrada basketball team. Domino’s, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars, and Pizza Pizza trail Papa Johns (in that order) to round out the top 5, with over 30+ sponsorship deals each. 

Social media plays a pivotal role in pizza marketing, with more than 760 deals garnering over 6M total engagements in the last 12 months. Little Caesars’ link-up with the Detroit Lions scored the highest total engagement of a single deal over this period, tallying nearly 500K engagements across various platforms.