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Zipporah Allen, chief marketing officer, Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut chief marketing officer Zipporah Allen is charged with keeping the 60-year-old brand relevant against a backdrop of ongoing disruption in the pizza category.
Amid new technology, heightened delivery competition and evolving customer expectations, she is working to take the longstanding emotional connection that customers have with the Plano, Texas-based brand, and bring it into the future.
A key step in realizing that goal was Pizza Hut’s first year as the official pizza sponsor of the NFL, replacing rival Papa John’s.
To launch the first national campaign for this major sports sponsorship, Allen and her team worked meticulously to find the right creative agency — one that would align with their vision in helping consumers relate to the brand on a more personal level. Their search led them to hire Austin, Texas-based GSD&M in June. The campaign kicked off in September with a focus on elevating the gameday experience, including new initiatives such as “Game Plan,” a new digital platform within loyalty app Hut Rewards, special-edition pizza boxes designed with all 32 NFL team logos, and special deals for the football season.
