I was watching the Today show this morning and I saw a great marketing ploy.
With the upcoming debate tonight and the town hall style where people in the audience ask questions, Pizza Hut came up with a campaign that said if someone asks the candidates “sausage or pepperoni?”, that person would get free pizza for life. What a backlash Pizza Hut received as a result of this campaign. They had to take the advertisement off their website. People complained that this is a serious debate with serious issues, and who cares what the candidates prefer as pizza toppings. Really? It would take 30 seconds to ask and answer that question. Are people so up tight that they can’t take a little humor in the debate? This is the same country where someone asked Bill Clinton “Boxers or Briefs?” during a town hall meeting when he was campaigning and people in the audience laughed. That’s a much more personal question than “sausage or pepperoni”
What’s the big deal? People need to settle down. We’re not asking for the nuclear codes here. It’s a fun, creative, advertisement for Pizza Hut. They should be applauded for coming up with this innovative way to get their product through. It’s not like they asked someone to run on stage with a pizza, and create Secret Service chaos. It’s a simple question.
Are we really that into ourselves that we can’t take a step back, and have a little humor in these debates? For those who complained to Pizza Hut and said things like, “I’ll never have Pizza Hut again”, give me a break. If you are that offended by one silly question that is clearly just that, you need to re-assess your sense of humor. I’m no Pizza Hut fan, but I thought this was a great way for Pizza Hut to stand above their competition. Kudos Pizza Hut.