Pizza Hut Heats Up With First Official NFL Activation 'Doorbell Dancing' At Draft
NYSJ Sports-Entertainment Business News Service
April 23, 2018: That didn’t take long to bake.
In its first activation as an official NFL sponsor, Pizza Hut has unveiled a multi-level effort focused on the NFL Draft this week, anchored by a “Doorbell Dance’ campaign led by JuJu Smith-Schuster, wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The NFL Draft is being held in AT&T Stadium, home for the Dallas Cowboys, located in Arlington, Texas.
Pizza Hut, which signed as a league sponsor in February, replacing Papa John’s, is based in Plano, about 40 miles northeast.
Pizza Hut said that Smith-Schuster would appear as a social media correspondent on the NFL Draft Red Carpet on April 26.
Leading to that event, Smith-Schuster will front a “Doorbell Dance” platform in which he will “demonstrate ways he celebrates when the doorbell rings — meaning Pizza Hut pizza has arrived.”
The effort directs people to “submit their best doorbell dances for a chance to win a trip to an NFL regular season game during the 2018 season of their choice."
People can submit their “Doorbell Dance” on Instagram April 26-28, tagging @PizzaHut, #PizzaHutHut and #sweepstakes. (Details here.)
In addition to working with Smith-Schuster, Pizza Hut said it would recognize the 78th pick in the Draft — the 14th pick in the third round (3.14), aka “Pi Pick" — with free pizza for one year and an invitation to a pizza party in his honor in the new hometown that selects him.
The Pi Pick will receive other additional perks from Pizza Hut, including retro brand swag and gift cards for teammates.
"The NFL Draft is a moment of hope and anticipation for players and fans alike, and our mission at Pizza Hut during the Draft is to help fans celebrate the start," Zipporah Allen, CMO for Pizza Hut, U.S., said in a statement.
“From inviting fans to show off their best doorbell dance for a chance to win some great prizes to recognizing the Pi Pick draftee, we want Pizza Hut to help feed the passion and excitement fans have for their teams."
Onsite at the Draft, Pizza Hut will be part of the NFL Draft Experience presented by Oikos Triple Zero outside AT&T Stadium.
People can “showcase and record their doorbell dance moves in a 360-degree camera, compete in a delivery shuttle obstacle course, hang with friends in the Pizza Hut lounge and enjoy a few slices of free Pizza Hut pizza before the main event.”
According to Renie Anderson, svp-NFL partnerships, sponsorship and consumer products, “One of the things we love about Pizza Hut is that as a new partner, they are committed to bringing even more excitement and entertainment to the NFL Draft, one of the marquee events on the NFL calendar.
"Pizza Hut wants to leverage the Draft as a national platform to bring more value to the home watching experience, and we are thrilled to see them activating in new and unique ways."
One day after Papa John’s departed as the league’s official pizza sponsor, Pizza Hut moved in with a multi-year agreement intended to “connect the brand with the NFL and its teams, players, events, partners, properties and the many NFL experiences that capture the passion of consumers and football fans from all over the world.”
Financial terms of the deal, which runs through 2021, were not shared.
"As a new partner, Pizza Hut is committed to bringing even more excitement and entertainment to the NFL Draft."
The Pizza Hut partnership with the NFL includes collective use of all 32 team marks and involves the NFL working closely with Pizza Hut to facilitate local, exclusive team partnerships. Pizza Hut has the opportunity to leverage game tickets and unique fan experiences to all NFL games in marketing and promotional campaigns throughout each year.
"We know many of our fans enjoy pizza while watching NFL games and we are thrilled to have Pizza Hut, an industry leader and one of America's favorite brands, as an official league sponsor," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
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