Papa John's Meet Facebook

Facebook, the wildly popular social networking platform, was originally started exclusively for college students to stay in touch and network. Now everyone uses it, from average people like you and me, to politicians, celebrities and businesses. And we're not just talking small businesses, but large companies like Papa John's. Business First of Louisville has the story:

Papa John’s International Inc. has cooked up a new promotion to reach the tech savvy.

Beginning today, any Facebook user who becomes a “fan” of the official Papa John’s Facebook page will receive an online redemption code for a free medium pizza with any online pizza order.

Louisville-based Papa John’s (NASDAQ: PZZA) also will provide the deal to the more than 10,000 Facebook users who already have signed up as “fans” of the brand.

It’s the latest attempt by Papa John’s to reach computer users. Earlier this year, Papa John’s launched an online ordering widget and text-message ordering.

I know it probably seems funny that Papa John's is trying to reach computer users. When you or I think of computer users, especially those who use Facebook, we're probably thinking of a slightly younger generation. I know that when I was in college, I worked at a place in my dorm that sold Papa John's pizza. But I think that this shows us that we can never underestimate or assume who we can or cannot reach through the use of new media. By the way, I'm now waiting for my free offer code for becoming a fan of Papa John's on Facebook. They certainly got my attention.