Pizza Hut brand needs pizzazz
Pizza Hut’s decision to rebrand some of its restaurants to Pasta Hut to support a new expanded menu and revamp of its UK stores could solidify already steady brand perception, as measured by YouGov’s Brandindex.
The restaurant chain, which is introducing several new pasta dishes across its 700-strong restaurants, has seen its “Buzz” rating, a measure of whether people have heard positive or negative statements about a brand, remain in the black over the past six months.
The restaurant chain’s “Buzz” has remained positive for all but one day, dipping to -1 on 20 June before climbing again to hit a six month high of 4 on 27 August and settling at 3, according to last week’s data.
However, underlying the restaurant chain’s firm “Buzz” is a consistently negative “Quality” rating, a measure of whether people believe a company offers good quality products irrespective of price.
Either side of a six month low of -9 on 18 July, the “Quality” rating has remained negative though has shown signs recent signs of improvement rising to -4 according to last week’s data.
Observers suggest that a combination of old restaurants in unfavourable locations, perceptions that its menu is predominantly unhealthy and a neither here nor there positioning between cheaper fast food restaurants and upscale eateries, have dogged Pizza Hut.
Perhaps recognising its own failings, Pizza Hut, which saw chief marketing officer Hugh Wood resign last month ahead of the rebrand , is to invest £100 million in a six-year refurbishment and expansion programme in addition to the new dishes and moves to change the nutritional content of its menu including a salt reduction programme that kicked off three years ago.
Offsetting the negative “Quality” rating, YouGov data shows that consumers do see Pizza Hut as value for money, which is perhaps indicative of a wider shift towards cheaper food options as cash-strapped consumers stay at home and order in.
The chain’s “Value” rating, a measure of whether people believe the brand offers value for money, remained in the black through the period showing a marked uplift in the past month to rest at 4 last Friday (3 October).
Doubters have already suggested the rebranding is an elaborate and perhaps temporary PR stunt designed to trumpet its refurbishment plans and menu changes or worse, that it could weaken the brand by deflecting attention from its core strength: selling pizzas.
Either way, the message that Pizza Hut is to change and to some degree already has, is out there and will be further amplified by a marketing campaign created by Abbott Mead Vickers. BBDO, which was reappointed to run the advertising account in May, to launch this week.
If Pizza (or Pasta) Hut, can manage to sway a public previously suspicious over the nutritional value of its menus and build upon the shift towards affordable eating then the “Buzz” could move upwards.
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