Inspired by the millennial and Gen Z adage of being “on the struggle bus” when dealing with life’s obstacles, Pizza Hut offered the young demos a remedy: comfort food aboard an actual struggle bus.
Yep, a bright-red, Pizza Hut Struggle Bus embarked on a road trip beginning with an April 2-3 debut at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four tournament in New Orleans (the brand is the official and only pizza sponsor of the NCAA—and hey, cheering for your favorite team can be stressful).
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The brand targeted a culturally-diverse, millennial and Gen Z audience on the digital platforms that they use most—Instagram, Twitter and TikTok—and aimed to serve at least 5,000 slices on the tour. Fans who located the bus could jump inside to relax and refuel with slices of the brand’s signature pie. The vehicle featured lounge areas, relaxing videos, branded décor, interactive selfie opportunities—and beds for power napping, complete with pepperoni pizza-themed blankets.
Following the Final Four, from April 28-29, the Pizza Hut Struggle Bus offered college students in Athens, GA, a tasty study break during exam week. Fans at this stop could meet Jordana Abraham, co-founder of Betches, a female-founded and led media and entertainment brand, and comedian Jared Freid, who both serve as hosts of U UP?, the comical dating podcast from Betches. The duo recorded an exclusive episode of the podcast from inside the bus to address the struggles of dating, including everything from red flags, to dealbreakers, to awkward moments. Listeners were invited to call the U UP? “Hut-line” during the recording to share their personal dating stories for a chance to be featured on the episode.
With a goal of becoming America’s favorite pizza, Pizza Hut the brand recently shifted to focus more on e-commerce and off-premise business to meet growing consumer demand for home and vehicle delivery, and is planning additional multi-platform campaigns to celebrate its products, introduce new consumer-curated flavors, and tap into realms like the metaverse.
“We always seize the opportunity to be at the center of pop culture moments and engage our youngest customers where they are right now,” says Lindsay Morgan, cmo at Pizza Hut. “Whether it’s engaging with our younger consumers on emerging platforms like Twitch and the metaverse, or finding new ways to authentically connect on other social channels our customers are using, we look forward to continuing to bring more value to our consumers in a way that feels authentic and relevant.” Agency: GSD&M.
The struggle is real. But it’s no match for our pizza. All aboard the #PizzaHutStruggleBus 🍕😅 pic.twitter.com/jbUk06p5yS
— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) April 2, 2022
