Pizza Hut adds digital duties to Havas partnership in Hong Kong

Havas (formerly known as Euro RSCG) has been the creative AOR for Pizza Hut in Hong Kong and Macau for over two years. Havas’ digital tasks will include managing Pizza Hut Hong Kong’s Facebook page and launching interactive initiatives via social media. The brand is currently working with Mindshare as media partner.

Catherine Chak, digital brand manager of Pizza Hut's Hong Kong franchisee, the Jardine Restaurant Group, told Campaign Asia-Pacific that consumers in Hong Kong are well-aware of the Pizza Hut brand, "but we want to drive further product awareness through the digital and social media arena through different technologies".

This digital appointment came after a pitch among two agencies at the end of last year, in advance of Pizza Hut's Christmas Grand Menu digital campaign. Chak praised Havas for kick-starting a mobile and digital campaign (including a mobile game app and QR codes to allow customers to enjoy special offers) and for integrating offline materials into a digital presence.

"The feedback was really good," she said. "Traditional advertising is still our bread and butter, but we want an extra push on digital to raise our brand positioning—as a social hub for family and friends’ gathering occasions."

In the extremely crowded Western casual dinning sector in Hong Kong, Chak said their brands are competing with Simplylife, Shakey’s Pizza, Pizza Express and Pepperonis.

Chak acknowledged that one of challenges for Pizza Hut is that consumers in Hong Kong are spoilt for choice for dining-out options, "that is why a changing customer mindset is important. Pizza Hut is not only offering pizzas, we are constantly come up with new products, including Risotto, Russian salads, lobster soup, cheese fondue, and even an upgraded new delivery service with premium products," she said.

“Unlike our high-end competitors, which only have chains in high-end shopping malls, our positioning is more ‘affordable premium’, comfortable, casual Western dining for family and social gatherings for mass consumers."

However, a senior marketing boss at a local newspaper commented that: "Pizza Hut is not targeting me or my peer group. It offers value for money, big portions... [and] is targeting big family gatherings. It is not suitable for the current market, as family sizes are down," the source added.

Ken Cheung, associate director of digital communications at Media Palette Hong Kong, added: "It seems to me that Pizza Hut is losing its uniqueness. When ordering a takeway pizza, I find that Pizza Box and PHD come more easily to mind.

"Pizza hut, to me is very similar to Spaghetti House—the image is very localised, and a good choice is to revamp the brand, or even open another label," Cheung suggested.

Pizza Hut has 80 retail outlets (including restaurants and takeaway outlets) in Hong Kong, and has one restaurant and four take-away counters in Macau, although it is planning further expansion there.