Pizza Hut has made a push in its social media and influencer advertising as of late.
Pizza Hut has appointed Mischief @ No Fixed Address as its social agency of record, the chain confirmed to Ad Age. This is a newly created role in its roster, according to a joint statement by Mischief and Pizza Hut.
The news comes as social and influencer work has become a larger part of marketers’ remits this year.
“We value the creative input of all agencies and believe great ideas can come from anywhere,” Pizza Hut Chief Marketing Officer Lindsay Morgan said in a statement. “Be it partnerships or quickly jumping into hot topics and social conversations, we know Mischief will continue our momentum as we aim to expand our fandom among younger audiences.”
Last year, Pizza Hut spent $244 million on U.S.-measured media, according to data by Vivvix, including paid social data from Pathmatics. Of that total, $62 million was spent on digital advertising including social work. Pizza Hut spent another $62 million on digital advertising in the first half of 2023.
The Yum Brands-owned restaurant has made a push in its social media and influencer advertising as of late.
In October, Pizza Hut launched a social campaign by RQ Agency, its lead influencer agency, that featured TikTok star Anna Sitar. TV ads for the campaign starring “Saturday Night Live” cast member Ego Nwodim were handled by GSD&M, Pizza Hut’s creative agency of record since 2018.
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RQ was also behind Pizza Hut’s partnership with YouTuber Airrack to make the world’s largest pizza to promote the return of its “Big New Yorker” pizza, as well as a social media campaign for the brand starring rapper Yung Gravy.
GSD&M was behind a TV and social campaign in October featuring rap duo Flyanna Boss. Last year, GSD&M launched a campaign for Pizza Hut that promoted its melts by paying people to not post about the food item on social media.
“These are ambitious marketers who aren’t afraid to make some noise,” said Greg Hahn, co-founder and chief creative officer of Mischief, of the Pizza Hut team in a statement.
In the past, Mischief has grown its relationships with big advertisers such as Kraft Heinz, and Molson Coors. The agency also recently launched new campaigns for Chili’s and Peet’s Coffee.
This is the latest account move for Pizza Hut, which in March named Alison Brod Marketing + Communications as its U.S. PR AOR after previously working with Zeno Group. Other agencies on its roster include Tracey Locke, which leads shopper marketing, and Spark Foundry, which handles media.
