Taco Bell, Pizza Hut extend reach of Super Bowl advertising

Pizza Hut's can't-miss promotion

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Pizza Hut chief marketing officer Kurt Kane said in the Dallas-based chain’s press release that the brand of more than 10,000 restaurant in 90 countries would offer any customer a free sample of its “next big innovation” on Tuesday, Feb. 5, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The giveaway will result from a “big, easy” promotion that depends only on the word “hut” being said on the field at the Superdome in New Orleans during the Super Bowl broadcast, Pizza Hut said. Because “hut” is one of the most commonly said words during a football game — Pizza Hut cited a study from Stats Inc. that said the word is uttered about 90 times during a typical contest — the chain is sure to execute its giveaway.

“Anyone can give away a pizza, but not just anyone can offer up a new product that’s a true category breakthrough," Kane said. "We are the recognized leaders in innovation, and this product is definitely going to be a crowd pleaser.”

The stipulation that fans would be rewarded only if somebody says “hut” on the field could be a thinly-veiled jab at rival Papa John’s Pizza, the official restaurant sponsor of the NFL and the Super Bowl. The past three years, Papa John’s has given away free pizzas under conditions like the Super Bowl going into overtime, the pregame coin toss coming up “heads,” and, this year, if a fan correctly guesses the coin toss in an online vote.

Pizza Hut’s next product to be given away will be revealed in its separate commercial scheduled to air during CBS’ pregame show.

“This giveaway will be one of the largest in Pizza Hut history,” Kane said. “It’s our ‘thank you’ to our customers who always make the right ‘Hut’ call on game day and every day, because anything less than great just doesn’t cut it.”

Contact Mark Brandau at mark.brandau@penton.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @Mark_from_NRN