Dive Brief:
- Pizza Hut has launched a multi-faceted holiday-themed campaign featuring Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen to support the return of its Triple Treat Box and its value-oriented messaging, according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
- The Triple Treat Box offers a selection of menu items and comes in limited-edition holiday-themed packaging. When scanned, consumers can access content, including a white elephant gift game later in the holiday season. Players will have the chance to win prizes such as promo codes, gift cards and more.
- The campaign includes comedic video shorts along with exclusive merchandise from holiday sweater maker Tipsy Elves. Additionally, the pizza chain is working with digital media and events company Bucketlisters to give creators the chance to attend a Holly Jolly Bar pop-up to celebrate the holidays and pizza.
Dive Insight:
As consumers ramp up for the busy holiday season, Pizza Hut is looking to give consumers the gift of value and ease with its latest campaign. The Yum Brands chain’s Triple Treat Box — which is priced around $20 and includes two medium one-topping pizzas, five breadsticks and a dessert — provides consumers with a value deal during a time marked by both economic uncertainty and increased spending for holiday gift-giving and parties.
In one 15-second spot, Allen takes on a prominent role as he talks about the advantages of the box while wearing a sweater from Tipsy Elves at a holiday party. In a 30-second spot, a father surprises party-goers with a live reindeer, to disastrous results.
Helping consumers celebrate the season is a common theme across Pizza Hut’s digital and in-person activations. In addition to the Bucketlisters tie-up for access to seasonal bar pop-ups, the pizza brand is also partnering with iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball to send consumers to holiday events and celebrations across the country as part of the Triple Treat Fan Pass.
Value has become a key marketing message for many restaurants as consumers continue to feel economic strain and rising prices. Chili’s has accredited its success with both advertising and value menus such as the $10.99 3 For Me, while McDonald’s was able to preserve same-store sales growth through offerings like Extra Value Meals.
The holiday push comes at a difficult time for Pizza Hut, which has seen seven consecutive quarters of same-store sales declines in the U.S. Yum Brands announced earlier this month that it is exploring strategic options for the chain. The goal is to better take advantage of Pizza Hut’s strong brand equity and scale to reclaim leadership in the fragmented pizza category.
