Pizza Hut is kicking off its first year as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL with a trio of activations. There’s the season-long “Game Plan” program, which will include exclusive gameday deals, weekly prizes and NFL kickoff reminders, new national television commercials featuring Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receives Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster and special-edition NFL pizza boxes with Augmented Reality integration.
In addition to its role as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, Pizza Hut has also created local partnerships with the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams. The Steelers’ Brown and Smith-Schuster were tapped to star in Pizza Hut’s first national television campaign as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the NFL, which will begin airing this fall.
Marianne Radley, Pizza Hut’s Chief Brand Officer, said the brand knew what it was looking for as it scouted for the first players to feature in its television ad campaign.
“We look for players who ignite fans’ love of the game, whether it’s through unforgettable plays or touchdown celebrations on the field…and players who love our food.”
Brown and Smith-Schuster were obvious choices because of their personalities on and off the field.
“No duo fuels the passion of game day better than Antonio and JuJu,” said Radley. “For us, they were the perfect pair to show fans how to bring the energy and excitement of the stadium right into fans’ homes. Plus, they both love our pizza. It was a win-win!”
Beyond the traditional ad campaign, Pizza Hut has integrated technology into the partnership in a couple of ways. Within its Hut Rewards app, a new digital platform called Game Plan will give fans access to special deals, weekly prizes and even kickoff reminders for their favorite NFL team.
Teaming up with fellow NFL sponsors Bose and New Era for the first giveaway, fans who join Game Plan will be automatically entered to win the “Homegating Kickoff Kit” during the first week of the season, which includes a Bose SoundLink Revolve speaker, New Era Official Sideline Home 9FIFTY hat, $100 Pizza Hut gift card and $50 NFL Shop gift card. Additional weekly prizes will be announced every Thursday for the remainder of the season.
“Pizza Hut has evolved into a delivery- and digital-centric business,” said Radley. “Just as people have changed the way that they access our pizza, the vast majority of NFL fans are enjoying the game at home and on their mobile devices.
“Connecting our brand with the NFL, its teams, partners and properties, is going to deliver incredible experiences for fans, and make at-home watching more exciting than ever.”
For fans who do decide to order Pizza Hut, they’ll notice new special-edition boxes that feature the logos of all 32 NFL teams. The boxes will be available in all stores during the regular season and will have one additional feature – the limited-edition boxes will integrate with Pizza Hut’s new Beanbag Blitz app via Augmented Reality technology.
“We tapped into technology to deliver a truly immersive gameday experience to fans – specifically combining what they’re most passionate about: their team, the spirit of competition, and of course, pizza,” said Zipporah Allen, Chief Marketing Officer, Pizza Hut, U.S. “Incorporating this AR component into our lineup of new experiences is broadening our digital portfolio and engaging fans in a completely new way.”
The Beanbag Blitz app is available on Android or iOS device. Fans can unlock the Augmented Reality component by lining their camera up with the top of the special-edition box. From there, the game is played as a team of two taking turns tossing beanbags onto the virtual cornhole board with the flick of a finger.
On gameday, Pizza Hut will also offer large two-topping pizzas for $7.99 all season long.