MIDDLE EAST – Pizza Hut Middle East has surprised its customers with its first-ever frozen pizza, an empty box with a note inside, a surprise initiative meant to reiterate its commitment to freshness.
Customers found a note explaining the reason why the box was empty.
“Sorry, we don’t do frozen pizzas.
Our dough is freshly made every single day.
But don’t worry, here’s a voucher to get a fresh one on our app.”
The unexpected launch was available in select outlets across the region.
In an industry frequently associated with frozen ingredients, Pizza Hut aimed to highlight that their pizzas are never frozen. Their creative agency, Publicis Middle East, humorously emphasized that even when Pizza Hut offers frozen pizzas, they do not use frozen ingredients.
This frozen pizza initiative is part of a broader effort to educate consumers while reinforcing the brand’s commitment to quality. Pizza Hut is demonstrating that discussions about quality can be both informative and entertaining through their new platform, “What’s in the Box.”
This initiative focuses on their fresh dough, which is prepared daily, their freshly made sauce, the fact that each pizza is made to order, and other quality practices, including ingredient sourcing and partnerships.
Augusto Correia, the Creative Director at Publicis Dubai, explained that, like many people, he initially assumed Pizza Hut’s dough was pre-made and frozen.
He noted that it became evident to them that they needed to surprise the public with something equally surprising to counter this misconception.
The creative director added that the purpose of the stunt was not merely to poke fun but to cut through the noise and debunk a widespread misconception in the Quick Service Restaurants industry.
Beverley D’Cruz, General Manager for the Middle East and Pakistan at Pizza Hut, commented that today’s consumers are overwhelmed with information, particularly regarding food quality.
She emphasized that they wanted to engage people through this stunt, which allowed them to showcase their commitment to freshness. She remarked that when people are surprised, they tend to pay attention and remember the message.
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