Pizza Hut is a well-known chain that’s been around since 1958! Pizza Hut has over 16,000 restaurants, 350,000 team members and restaurants in over 100 countries! To stick around for 64 years and have that many chains, they must be doing something right, right? We could just chalk it up to good pizza, but there’s way more to it!

What can you learn from Pizza Hut’s successful marketing strategies? Here are three key things you should know! 

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The Nostalgia Factor

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Let’s start with the most obvious thing Pizza Hut has going for it: the nostalgia factor. For a chain that’s been around for as long as it has, it shouldn’t be surprising that Pizza Hut is well-known and well-loved! The chances of having some kind of fun or cherished memory associated with Pizza Hut are pretty high. Maybe it’s the themed plastic cups you used to get as a kid, the classic Pizza Hut chandeliers, or maybe you really like their food! Pizza Hut knows they’re a well-known, iconic brand, and they cleverly use it to their advantage! 

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One great example is their “Newstalgia” campaign, which featured limited-edition PAC-MAN-themed boxes with a QR code with an AR version of the classic game, plus a chance to win a custom PAC-MAN game cabinet. The whole campaign is pretty freaking cool and very smart! The campaign appealed to older individuals who loved Pizza Hut as a kid and remembered playing the tabletop arcade games in the restaurants and the new generation by combining old classics with new tech. 

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Deals and Promotions

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If there’s one thing that I associate Pizza Hut with, it’s the deals. Pizza Hut’s the place to if you want a lot of good food for a reasonable price. Pizza Hut’s regular deals, like the $5 Favourites and the Triple Treat Box, on top of their other sales promotions, like coupons or limited-time discounts, have been proven as an important and beneficial part of raising their sales figures. This is likely because they’re always fighting against the competition and trying to give people a reason why they should choose Pizza Hut over another chain. Discounts and deals are a great way to do that because everyone wants to save money! 

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Ads that don’t feel like ads

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Pizza Hut’s social media use is a perfect example of putting out ads that don’t always feel like ads. People are constantly bombarded with ads, whether it’s commercials on TV, streaming, social media, or the radio. So, it makes sense to assume that people are sick of them, right? Pizza Hut uses social media not just to interact with customers/fans but also to share their posts. They collaborated with celebrities and social media influencers to share how they enjoyed their Pizza Hut pizza and used hashtags to get other people to share theirs. This is a great way to get people involved in the ads, which removes the feeling of ads being forced on viewers because they can be part of it! This strategy has been super effective for Pizza Hut, with the results being a huge boost in followers.

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The Takeaways

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1. People love nostalgia! No matter what your niche is, you can likely find something to relate to people and give them that warm and fuzzy nostalgic feeling. 
2. People love a deal! If your company is in the position to do so, offering discounts and promotions is a great way to catch people’s interest. If not, are your prices lower than your competitors, or do you offer a better deal? Focus on why people should be choosing you over someone else.
3. Not everything needs to be an ad! You don’t necessarily need to have a big campaign with celebrities and influencers, but making things feel less like a forced, cheesy ad will make people more interested in reading your posts or watching your video.

Are you ready to create content that builds a community and loyal brand following? The kind of content that feels fun and approachable rather than salesy and aggressive. Give us a call today to see how we can work together to make this a reality.