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In an industry often associated with frozen ingredients, Pizza Hut wanted to remind everyone that their pizzas are never frozen, as many assume their dough is frozen. Therefore they decided to debunk that myth.

That’s when their creative agency, Publicis Middle East, decided to humorously call out the fact that even when Pizza Hut does frozen pizzas, they don’t.

So the multinational pizza restaurant cain in the Middle East --a subsidiary of Yum! Brands-- decided to introduce a surprising element to its product lineup with the launch of their first-ever frozen pizza, now available in select supermarkets across the region.

While the launch itself caught many off guard, the true surprise awaited inside the box. Customers found that there was no pizza inside the box, but rather a note explaining the reason why the box was empty.  The note reads: “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.”

Augusto Correia, Creative Director at Publicis Dubai, shares how the idea came to life: “Like most people, at first I assumed Pizza Hut’s dough was pre-made and frozen. It then became clear to us that we needed to prove the public wrong with something just as surprising as the fact itself. So, the reason behind the stunt wasn’t just about poking fun—it was a way of cutting through the noise and debunking a common misconception about the Quick Service Restaurants industry.”

The frozen pizza stunt is part of a larger effort to educate customers while reinforcing the brand’s dedication to quality.

Pizza Hut’s message here is that they can make the conversation around quality not only informative but fun through their new platform ‘What’s in the Box’, which aims to shed light on the pizza’s freshness and other quality practices such as ingredient sourcing and partnerships.

Beverley D’Cruz, General Manager - Middle East and Pakistan at Pizza Hut says of the idea: “In today’s world, consumers are overwhelmed with information, especially around food quality. We wanted people to be engaged. This stunt allowed us to showcase our commitment to freshness. When people are surprised, they pay attention—and they remember.”

The frozen pizza stunt even got the attention of the likes of Rataj Khajah (@ratajini), Youssef Said (@youseef.saiid), Saaed Alwahbi (@lo.vxl), Alex Augusti (@justfooddxb), and Ahmad Al Hindi (@ahmad.jpeg)––some of the region’s influenctial personalities who posted their discovery on social media, which piqued the interest of the wider social community.

CREDITS

Communication Consultancy:

• Maya Khammar – Business Lead
• Kareem El Hajj – Senior Manager
• Varun Karani – Associate Business Director
• Elissa Bou Jaoudeh - Manager
• Sameh Younan – Account Executive

Strategy:

• Anna Sadykova – Associate Business Director

Creatives:

• Aunindo Sen – Executive Creative Director
• Augusto Correia - Creative Director
• Aliza Siddiqi – Associate Creative Director
• Nicolas Richard - Senior Copywriter
• Jorge Yoshida – Senior Art Director
• Andre Sakai – Senior Art Director
• Hussein Mostafa – Art Director
• Eline Allaart – Senior Copywriter

Agency Producer:

• Shereen Mostafa – Head Of Production
• Upasana Kumar – Senior Producer

YUM (Pizza Hut):

• Bev D’Cruz – General Manager
• Fausto Pellanti – Head Of Marketing
• Ahmed Sabri – Marketing Manager
• Caroline Wylie – Marketing Manager
• Ahmad Hassan – Marketing Manager
• Alistair D’Cruz – Assistant Digital Marketing Manager