- Pizza Hut is touting two menu items for the second week of the NCAA basketball tournament with a new campaign that introduces a new character who is allegedly a delivery legend.
- The new character, “Peter Zahut,” will be the central element of a new brand campaign for the QSR chain as it brings back a fan-favorite menu item, Cheesy Bites Pizza, and introduces a trio of ranch-flavored dipping sauces to go with it.
- The character, whose name obviously shortens to “Pete,” is described as a person who embodies “the energy and excitement that comes with every Pizza Hut order” and “making every moment bigger, better, and a lot more fun.”
In the first new spot, Zahut pulls up to a pickup basketball game to incredulous looks from the players until he rips off his breakaway pants to show off a pair of cutoffs and, according to a voiceover, “his A-game.” The remainder of the spot depicts Zahut joining the game, passing both pizzas in delivery boxes and alley-oop setups with equal amounts of flair. When the game is over, the players ask for the character’s name, to which he replies, “Peter Zahut, but you can call me Pete.”
The campaign is intended to reintroduce the Cheesy Bites Pizza, which features 28 pull-apart cheese-filled bites in place of a traditional crust. To go along with those bites, the brand is also introducing what it is calling a “Ranch Lover’s Flight,” a trio of ranch-flavored dipping sauces (Chipotle Ranch, Ultimate Ranch and Pepperoni Ranch) as a limited-time menu item.
“This campaign is about more than just shining a spotlight on our great pizza; it’s about spotlighting the good times and big and small moments of joy that come with adding pizza to any occasion,” said Melissa Friebe, chief marketing officer at Pizza Hut, in a statement shared with Brand Innovators. “Just like our campaign, our latest culinary innovations are equally as fun. As we launch Cheesy Bites Pizza and the Ranch Lover’s Flight, it’s more than great pizza and dip. It’s about letting basketball and pizza fans dip, dunk and have fun with our iconic Original Stuffed Crust and bold flavors.”
