Pizza Hut U.K. is deploying a cheeky new campaign with the help of marketing agency Iris Worldwide, declaring itself “The Official Sponsor of Dominoes” — playing on one of its biggest competitors, Domino’s.
The attention-grabbing ad references Pizza Hut being the official partner of the 2024 World Championship Domino Tournament (WCDT).
The ingenious marketing move was prefaced by a DOOH teaser campaign last week which saw a truck with a giant LCD screen flashing the witty slogan, “People who like Dominoes love Pizza Hut.”
The campaign is part of the pizza giant’s brand overhaul, which it released ahead of its new Iris-developed creative platform, “Together We Pizza" and aims to excite a new generation of pizza enthusiasts using humor and a social media-forward approach.
Iris Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Grant Hunter spoke about how the campaign smartly leverages this summer’s sports-centered marketing “with a playful reminder that while the U.K. focuses on the Euros, there's another global championship where Pizza Hut is front and center.”
Most of the leading digital agencies use creative marketing to reach out to their audience and leave a mark, an inventive process that leverages creative thinking and unconventional solutions to advertise products or services.
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The initiative also marks the release of Pizza Hut’s new Handcrafted range featuring a sourdough crust, alongside three limited-edition flavors:
- Chicken Fajitas
- Pepperoni & 'Nduja
- The Spicy GOAT
Running across DOOH, PR, and social media, the campaign will feature content from comedy creators, as well as unboxing videos that highlight Handcrafted Crust pizza.
A Positive Domino Effect
To support local communities, the campaign will also conduct activations and film brand content with real domino players from the Brixton Immortals Domino Club.
Pizza Hut U.K. CMO Jana Ulaite highlighted the “Together We Pizza” platform, which delights and surprises existing fans while inviting new fans to bond over great pizza.
“With this campaign that announces our partnership with the 2024 World Championship Domino Tournament, we’re establishing our taste message and refreshing our tone of voice as part of this brand and product relaunch,” Ulaite concluded.
Meanwhile, WCDT Chairperson Garrett Bowers noted that Pizza Hut and Dominoes are top choices for his family game night, with both encouraging feelings of community and comfort. Pizza Hut is a natural fit to sponsor the WCDT, Bowers asserted.
Domino’s recently launched its own PR stunt in the U.S. involving the company's CEO Russell Weiner going undercover to test the consumer reaction to its New York Style Pizza using the insights derived from a fake research company the brand created for the campaign.
