Profile
Pizza Hut is one of the flagship brands of Yum! Brands, Inc. , which also has KFC, Taco Bell, A&W and Long John Silver’s under its umbrella. Pizza Hut is the world’s largest pizza chain with over 12,500 restaurants across 91 countries In India, Pizza Hut has 137 restaurants across 36 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chandigarh amongst others. Yum! is in the process of opening Pizza Hut restaurants at many more locations to service a larger customer base across the country
Pizza Hut Story
- 1958: The legacy of Pizza Hut began, when two college-aged brothers from Whichita, Kansas, Frank and Dan Carney opens first Pizza Hut restaurant after borrowing $600 from their mother.
- 1959: Pizza Hut is incorporated in Kansas and the first franchise unit opens in Topeka, Kansas.
- 1968: International market entered with opening of Pizza Hut restaurant in Canada.
- 1969:Red roof adopted for restaurants.
- 1972:Pizza Hut, Inc. isted on New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PIZ.
- 1977:Pizza Hut, Inc. stockholders overwhelmingly approve merger with PepsiCo, Inc. for an undisclosed sum.
- 1986:Delivery service, as a new concept, is initiated
- 1996:Pizza hut comes to India with a dine in restaurant Banglore that has special vegetarian pizzas.
- 1997:Pizza hut opens a dine-in restaurant in Delhi.
- 2007 Pizza hut brought out our Thick n Thin Pizza and began to re-franchise our dine-in restaurants.
Promotional Strategies
Promotion is a form of corporate communication that uses various methods to reach a targeted audience with a certain message in order to achieve specific organizational objectives. Nearly all organizations, whether for-profit or not-for-profit, in all types of industries, must engage in some form of promotion.
Such efforts may range from multinational firms spending large sums on securing high-profile celebrities to serve as corporate spokespersons to the owner of a one-person enterprise passing out business cards at a local businessperson’s meeting.
Like most marketing decisions, an effective promotional strategy requires the marketer understand how promotion fits with other pieces of the marketing puzzle (e. g. , product, distribution, pricing, target markets).
Consequently, promotion decisions should be made with an appreciation for how it affects other areas of the company. For instance, running a major advertising campaign for a new product without first assuring there will be enough inventory to meet potential demand generated by the advertising would certainly not go over well with the company’s production department (not to mention other key company executives).
Thus, marketers should not work in a vacuum when making promotion decisions. Rather, the overall success of a promotional strategy requires input from others in impacted functional areas.
Types of Promotion
- Advertising
- Sales Promotion
- Events/ Experiences
- Public Relations
- Personal Selling
Pizza Hut Promotional Strategies Product
Worldwide and in India, Pizza Hut has come to become synonymous with the ‘best pizzas under one roof’. This is because at Pizza Hut the belief is that every pizza has its own magic, thus making it a destination product – which everyone seeks.
It is this belief that has ignited the passion to create, innovate and serve the finest product the industry has to offer, while setting standards for others to strive to replicate. Pizza Hut is committed to providing uncompromising product quality, offering customers the highest value for money and giving service that is warm, friendly and personal.
A critical factor in Pizza Hut’s success has been its unique dining experience. Crewmembers at Pizza Hut strive each day to provide ‘customer mania’ – the kind of service that ensures that every visit of the customer is a memorable one. In fact, to ensure stringent international bench-marks in the quality of products and services at all its restaurants across the world, Pizza Hut has a mystery shopper program in which an unknown official visits a restaurant and evaluates it on certain defined parameters called C. H. A. M. P. S. that stand for Cleanliness, Hospitality, Accuracy, Maintenance, Product quality and Speed.
Based on the report submitted by the official, the restaurants are rated and in the rare case of finding under performers, they are kept under strict vigil A critical factor in Pizza Hut’s success has been a menu that has constantly evolved and expanded to cater to the changing needs and specific preferences of customers in different parts of the world. In having understood the pulse of the customers in India, Pizza Hut has clearly established itself as a brand with an Indian heart.
Besides offering an extensive range of vegetarian pizzas, it was the first pizza chain to open a 100% vegetarian restaurant in India in Surat and later in Ahmedabad and Chowpatty, where it offers a Jain menu sans all root-based ingredients. Over the years Pizza Hut has also developed and successfully introduced a range of products especially suited to the Indian palate.
These products like Chicken Tikka, Spicy Korma, Spicy Paneer and the Masala and Tandoori pizzas have been a tremendous success. What has also given Pizza Hut a competitive edge is that in addition to an extensive range of internationally renowned pizzas like The Italian, the proprietary Pan Pizza and Stuffed Crust, in India the menu offers the option of a complete meal.
It includes appetizers, a Salad Bar – where the customers can make their own fresh salads, a range of soups, pastas and desserts.
Market
Pizza Hut was among the first multinational brands to enter the food retail sector in India. When the first Pizza Hut restaurant opened in Bangalore the quick service industry was at a nascent stage and the pizza category was dominated by a sole regional player who had a marginal presence. Pizza Hut went on to play a significant role in pioneering and developing this category in India. Since then the market has sustained considerable growth.
A dramatic shift in lifestyle trends, substantial increase in disposable income, a burgeoning middle class and the entry of a significant number of international and national players has contributed to a boom in the industry. The market has become greatly competitive and the customer has become more discerning and adventurous. This however has not affected Pizza Hut’s comfortable reign over the Indian pizza industry and the ever-increasing number of loyal customers who have made it possible for Pizza Hut to aggressively extend its presence.
Promotional Of Pizza Hut
The strength of Pizza Hut’s success globally lies in a marketing strategy that builds connections with customer’s everyday in different parts of the world. Many customer service initiatives have been uniquely developed for India and have been greatly instrumental in building an emotional bond with the customer. For instance the crewmembers at Pizza Hut break into a Boogie at restaurants in Delhi and Mumbai and do the Bhangra in Chandigarh and Amritsar.
While a bell hangs at each Pizza Hut restaurant, which is rung by customers who as they leave wish to thank the servers for yet another memorable visit.
In India, eating out is perceived as a form of entertainment. Which is why Pizza Hut servers not only serve our customers great food, they also sing and dance for them. And many of Pizza Hut’s customers would, we are certain, love to participate in this process. Giving them an opportunity to showcase their talent – they conceived the Jig n Jeeto contest.
Organized in Delhi for the first time, it received a phenomenal response with super star Fardeen Khan judging the show. Pizza Hut hopes to continue this contest as a tradition for the years to follow.
Pizza Hut’s communication has also always struck a chord with the Indian customer. Its very first television commercial in India featured a boy and girl, who meet at a Pizza Hut restaurant in a traditional arranged marriage setting. They lose their inhibitions when the pizza arrives.
When the sequel went on air featuring the same couple, now married, with the girl’s father consoling her over a pizza as her bridegroom waits outside the restaurant to escort her after their wedding – the customer’s involvement was so complete that several wrote in to inquire whether the couple had children
The more recent campaign that was launched with the introduction of the Tandoori pizzas featured a typical Indian wedding procession abandoning the bridegroom when enticed by delicious aromas from a Pizza Hut restaurant.
While the famous ‘Good times start with great pizzas’ slogan has been prominent in the communication, the focus has remained on the best and most distinct pizzas.
- Pizza Hut laid more emphasis on its “restaurant dining experience”.
- Pizza Hut localizes it menu to capture local Indian Market.
- In 2000 Pizza Hut launched its innovative Pizza Pooch menu and Pizza Pooch Birthday Party package exclusively for kids in the 6-10 age groups.
- It positioned itself as family restaurant and also concentrated on wooing kids.
