Pizza Hut Looks to Insider to Keep Pie-Reinvention Strategy Going

Brandweek, August 21, 2000 by Theresa Howard

Pizza Hut is betting on an inside-out strategy for its latest menu blitz that will introduce consumers to a stacked thin-crust pizza known as the Insider.

As part of the chain's continued strategy to repackage crust, sauce and cheese that has seen the creation of the Big New Yorker and Stuffed Crust pie, among others, Pizza Hut is set to unveil its latest entry in mid-September backed by an estimated $25 million ad budget weighted toward the Olympic Games.

Ads break Sept. 17, per one source. Pizza Hut declined to comment on the product introduction, but maintained no ads are planned for September.

Testing at $9.99, the pizza features a thin crust, sauce and six cheeses all sealed with another crust and finished off with more cheese and a choice of toppings. In a test market ad, via BBDO, N.Y., that ran in South Bend, Ind., a voiceover claims: "That's not inside, it's insance." Word is, though, that final creative will be less product-focused in favor of a "splashier" approach tied to a still-to-be-determined awareness-building publicity stunt.

Although Pizza Hut scored a hit with the Big New Yorker, it has been unable to duplicate its impact with ensuing launches like the Ultimate Cheese Pizza and the Edge. In the second quarter, same-store sales rose just 1%, versus 9% a year earlier during launch of the Big New Yorker. Nonetheless, parent company Tricon Global Restaurants is expecting same-store sales growth of 3-4% for the second half.

The latest intro slightly tweaks Pizza Hut's tagline of three years, "the best pizzas under one roof," by styling it, "another one of the best pizzas under one roof."