Pizza Hut, which returns as the official pizza of March Madness 2019, leveraged its NCAA rights ahead of the tournament with the launch of a multi-platform campaign for what it describes as ‘the ultimate comeback’: the return of the P’Zone after a 17-year absence from US menus.
March Madness – an annual college hoops tournament that so often provides dreams and heartbreaks, nail-biters and comebacks – sees the return of the cult-favourite pizza product
You asked. We listened. The P’Zone is back!pic.twitter.com/5VgAEvcvNv
— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) March 18, 2019
and the P’Zone campaign is led by a set of new nationwide TV commercials that depict the rollercoaster of fan emotions so synonymous with the tournament.
The spots reference some of the most well know March Madness reaction memes from recent tournaments: such as the ‘What Just Happened Wail’ featuring dire-hard Northwestern fan John Phillips (a viral sensation from the 2017 NCAA Tournament),
as well as other well-known supporter scenes.
The activation programme also includes a ‘$5 Lineup Bracket Challenge’,
Hut Rewards Members, vote for your favorite $5 lineup item at https://t.co/2ta2T1Blk2 for the chance to score exclusive deals if your pick wins.pic.twitter.com/VZkqd1ukxX
— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) March 19, 2019
plus social support for fans with busted brackets.
Didn’t make the final bracket? You don’t have to talk about it if your mouth is full of pizza. #EmotionalSupportPizza
— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) March 21, 2019
As well as the series of nationwide television commercials, Pizza Hut is also using its competition sponsorship rights to support its commitment to literacy through its iconic ‘Book It! Program and Pizza Hut: The Literacy Project’.
This initiative is the casual dining chain’s global commitment to impacting 100 million lives by enabling access to books and educational resources, empowering teachers and inspiring readers.
This strand also features Wildcats fan Phillips – who comes from a family of ‘Book It!’ alumni and shares the brand’s commitment to education and literacy.
To acknowledge Phillips’ campaign participation and provide equal access to books and educational resources, Pizza Hut is donating an additional $20,000 to First Book (a nonprofit organization Pizza Hut raises funds for annually that provides equal access to quality education for kids).
Comment:
This year’s March Madness campaign follows on from 2018 and 2017’s ‘Pie Tops’ pizza ordering sneakers (see case study) and ‘Pie Tops II’ activations (see case study).
While recent months also saw Pizza Hut activate the first season of its new official NFL partnership with campaigns such as ‘Lines’ and ‘Game Plan’ (see case study)
Links:
Pizza Hut
https://www.youtube.com/user/pizzahut
https://www.facebook.com/PizzaHut/
NCAA March madness
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