A branding disaster

In an effort to cope with the fact that people aren’t eating out as much, Pizza Hut decided to rename their restaurants to the “The Hut”. Andy Morris from GQ Daily has explored this rebranding disaster.

You don’t need to be Don Draper to work out that, as rebranding exercises go, it was a disaster. Last year Pizza Hut decided to rename their UK restaurants “Pasta Hut” in a bid to convince people to set aside their prejudice and step inside their red plasticky eateries. They talked of changing tastes in health-conscious times and how their renaming represented a seismic shift from the bad old days of slabs of dough and cheese. They talked of fresh salads and delicate pasta dishes – and the general public could not have cared less. In January, they quietly reverted back to the original name, under the guise of a public vote.

The PR stunt had failed comprehensively. Think about it – when was the last time you went into a Pizza Hut? And why is this? People still love pizza and the chain has never had a full-blown crisis – certainly nothing comparable to McDonalds around the time of Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me documentary. It’s just that their restaurants seem like a refuge from a bygone time.

Everything about them seems dated – the horrid carpets, the faux-Americana – and unfortunately the menu seems similarly uninspired (exemplified by the Terminator pizza, seemingly seeking to cover all the food groups by including steak, pepperoni, chicken, ham and bacon). Given the financial crisis at the moment, everyone is looking for an excuse not to eat out – unfortunately Pizza Hut offer half a dozen seemingly designed to deter you.

So Pizza Hut’s owners recently announced that they’ve come up with a bold new initiative to lure people in. And what is this awe-inspiring new idea? They’ve decided to rename their restaurants “The Hut”. Not “Pizza”, no “Pasta”, just “Hut”.

It reveals a lack of awareness that is simply breathtaking. The head of marketing called it a “vocabulary word” (is there any other kind?) and felt that the shorter brand name would appeal more to the impatient youth market (who clearly are so busy tweeting that they won’t go to a restaurant of more than one syllable).

The final touch? They’ve announced televisions showing “Hut TV” will be installed in restaurants to tell customers about current offers and play clips of TV shows. Because that was what was putting you off before – you thought Pizza Hut wasn’t chavvy enough – but they’ve managed it.

Although it won’t kill off the brand entirely (and I suspect some customers might not even notice), “The Hut” is exactly the opposite of what they should be doing. All that modern customers care about now is whether the food is tasty and if it’s good value. If the food is ethically sourced from local ingredients, then so much the better. If these three basic requirements are met, you’re in business, regardless of how short or long your name is.

 

Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au. 

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