Pizza Hut plays on the love of cheese for new offering

Pizza Hut has launched a campaign for its ‘So cheezy’ pizza, a product launched in December nationally. The TV campaign has been conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather.

A 30-second film shows actor Vinay Pathak apologising for something to his kid in a restaurant. The son is unrelenting and answers through his sock-muppet. Pathak urges his son to eat the pizza, as the child’s mother looks on. The kid continues to answer through the muppet: “Mujhe aapka pizza nahi khaana” (I don’t want to eat your pizza). The man confirms with the kid if he is sure of not having the pizza. On hearing his response, they happily announce that they will finish all of the pizza with a high-five. The kid looks at the pizza as his father highlights the good points – that it has cheese on the inside, and takes a bite. The kid excitedly says, “Peeche bhi cheese” (cheese behind too). The kid reaches out to pick a slice with his muppet hand. When Pathak reminds his son that he did not want the pizza, the kid responds that he hadn’t said so - the muppet had. All three share a good laugh. A super announces, ‘New ‘So Cheezy’ – India’s Cheesiest Pizza’, ‘Starts at Rs 149’, while the voiceover announces that the pizza has flavoured cheese behind, creamy cheese in the middle, and mozzarella on top.

A 10-second film opens with introducing ‘New So Cheezy – India’s Cheesiest Pizza’, ‘starts at Rs 149’, while a voice over announces the cheesy proposition. The film then shows Pathak happily asking, “Kitna cheese maangta hai tereko, hain? (How much cheese do you want?)”. The ad ends with a super and voice over announcing the home delivery number.

Sanjiv Razdan, brand general manager, Pizza Hut India, said, “Pizza Hut has always had innovation and value at its core and we’re truly excited to launch the new ‘So Cheezy’ pizza starting at just Rs 149. Cheese is what makes the pizza great and consumers just love more of it. Our communication brings alive the love for cheese with all the product attributes in a relatable, endearing and lighthearted way that reflects the Pizza Hut essence. The endearing yet fun ads and engaging performances by Vinay and the child will certainly tempt the viewers to try the amazingly tasty ‘So Cheezy’.”

Ajay Gahlaut, ECD, Ogilivy & Mather, added, “The ‘So Cheezy’ is an exciting new pizza from Pizza Hut with three different kinds of cheese in it. Now the fact that this pizza sounds so appetising was something, we felt, was begging to be translated on-screen. The challenge was to tell an interesting story to the consumers, a story that is relatable, fun and endearing and at the same time not lose out on the immense lure value of the product. So we put together, the right mix of ingredients, as it were, to bring alive the story - The father (a role essayed brilliantly by the inimitable Vinay Pathak), the son (you can't help but fall in love with), and a sock puppet. How they all come together to bring alive the drool of the product? You'll have to tune in to find out.”

Credits:
Brand: Pizza Hut
Creative agency: Ogilivy & Mather

Creative

Executive Creative Director: Ajay Gahlaut
Senior Creative Director: Krishna Mani
Senior Creative Director: Pulak Bisht
Associate Creative Director: Kingshuk Dey
Associate Creative Director: Vishnudas Kunchu

Account management

President - Branch Head, Ogilvy North: Kapil Arora
Client Servicing: Antara Suri
Management Supervisor: Samir Gokhale

Planning

President Planning: Neeraj Bassi
Vice President Planning: Sarabpreet Bedi
Director and production House: Sainath Choudhury from Purple Vishnu Films