• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, March 16, 2009

Papa John's is encouraging consumers to sign up as fans on its Facebook page via an NCAA-themed co-op promotion with Coca-Cola. This is the pizza chain's second Facebook drive in recent months.

This time, those 18 or older who sign up to be Papa John's Facebook fans become eligible for a chance to win two tickets to this year's NCAA Men's Final Four in Detroit April 4-6, courtesy of Coca-Cola.

In addition, Papa John's is offering all customers a large Ultimate Pepperoni pizza for $11.99. Those who order online and add two 20-ounce Coca-Cola beverages to an order for $2.39 get a free 20-ounce Coke Zero.

To promote the campaign, Papa John's will advertise on Facebook the Monday after the Division I Men's Basketball Championship field is announced.

Papa John's is the "official pizza of NCAA March Madness," which is one of its busiest times of the year. Coca-Cola is the "official refreshment of the NCAA."

Late last year, Papa John's added 170,000 new Facebook fans by offering a free medium pizza for sign-ups. As of Monday, its fans stood at more than 234,000.

Papa John's--the first national pizza chain to offer online and text ordering--views Facebook as a key tool for consumer research and customer loyalty-building, as well as driving immediate online and in-store orders.

The chain particularly values the "first-hand feedback" and "uncut rhetoric" that Facebook users provide on promotions, product launches, customer service and the brand as a whole, noted Jim Ensign, VP of marketing communications, in a statement.