Why Pizza Hut’s ‘Melts’ Aren’t for Sharing
When it comes to Middle Eastern culture, sharing is most certainly caring. The region tends to show its love through food and shared meals, but Pizza Hut decided to break the cultural boundaries with a new product. Proudly encouraging solo indulgence, the ‘#Not4Sharing’ campaign was cooked up.
Embracing the ‘treat yourself’ mantra, this hand-slapping campaign video set out to flip the script for those who don’t actually like sharing and would like to enjoy a meal to themselves. With pizza naturally being a sharer meal, the new Melts feature is for one. With two slices of pizza – inverted to create a sandwich-like structure – filled with toppings and plenty of oozy cheese, it’s a mouthwatering option when you need a snack.
By batting unwanted hands away, the campaign video plays on the hand-slapping sounds to create a backing track which syncs perfectly with the concept. Combined with bold packaging and bright colours, the aim was to engage the gen z demographic at the heart of the campaign. As viewers are taken through several different scenarios, one thing is clear – don’t touch someone else's Melt!
Sharing how the spot was created is creative director Augusto Correia at Publicis Middle East, who tells LBB’s Nisna Mahtani about how the campaign champions individualism.
LBB> You flipped the script on this #Not4Sharing campaign. Talk us through how the idea first came about.
Augusto> Pizza Hut is known for its pizzas and the great innovations they release time and time again. And pizza is the kind of food you usually share with others. But the new Melts are designed as a single meal, a strategic launch to compete on more occasions than just large group gatherings. That itself was interesting enough to get us going. Instead of just saying, “Ok guys, now we have something that you can eat by yourself,” we preferred to say, “Hey, it’s not for sharing.”
LBB> In the Middle East, where sharing is a given, how did you strategise this campaign to make it effective?
Augusto> Telling people not to share their food is, of course, precisely the opposite of what people in the region are taught to do. But that doesn’t mean everybody loves to share their food, right? So, the whole point was to create this kind of funny feeling about it, turning the slap on its head to become a device to convey the message that it’s ok not to share, which is not expected and makes it more interesting and eye-catching. And, therefore, more effective.
LBB> Hand-slapping turns into a catchy little tune to go behind this spot. How did you create it?
Augusto> This film is not a regular ad, where you can craft each part separately. Everything must work together from the beginning, the soundtrack, the slaps and the editing. We always wanted to turn the slap sounds into the beat of the soundtrack. To make it happen, we had to work on the soundtrack before the film. So, when we went to shoot, we had a pretty good idea of what we needed and how we would capture the moments to create this funny, chaotic sequence of slaps.
LBB> What demographic did Pizza Hut want to engage with, and how did you incorporate this into the spot?
Augusto> We wanted to go after a younger generation - the gen z-ers. Our research showed that in this part of the region - a collective society - individualism was gaining prominence, and it's no longer about ‘we’ but also about ‘me’. For Pizza Hut's Melts, that was a perfect pairing; we invited our audience to go solo. After all, it's not a pizza, it's not for sharing, and so it's just for you. Our spot looked to break down the barriers of sharing food by positioning Melts as a solo indulgence. Whether you're an avid gamer or padel aficionado, our spot gave permission when it came to slapping greedy hands away.
LBB> How did you go about casting the spot? Talk us through the bright and bold colours of the set and its design. What was the inspiration and how did you decide on the aesthetic?
Augusto> Even though Pizza Hut is an iconic brand with a rich heritage, they’re young at heart. And we want to connect more with gen z. So, the sets and the cast were carefully discussed between us and the production house to get that fresh vibe. And that was one of the reasons we opted to create this kind of film idea in the first place.
LBB> Crispy, cheesy and loaded. How has the market reacted to the new offering?
Augusto> So far, the new Melts range has had an incredible response. Across the GCC, we hear that people love that it’s crispy on the outside but still has delicious, melted cheese on the inside. Our loaded claim is spot on too, as the fillings are super abundant, all topped off with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and herbs and paired perfectly with a dipping sauce. Our favourite part is that customers love that it’s handheld and perfect for on-the-go.
LBB> Will this product become available in other regions or is it a Middle East exclusive?
Augusto> This is one of many innovations coming out of Pizza Hut. Melts has launched in the US, UK, and the Middle East and will soon roll out to other markets.
LBB> Are there any hand-slappingly funny stories from the filming process? Can you share them with us?
Augusto> Of course, there was stuff that didn’t make it to the final cut that we loved. But that’s how it works. The process itself was fun. I mean, I never imagined that we would be ‘giving lessons’ to actors on ‘how to slap’ gently on set. The director had lots of fun with it too, and dropped in a few easter-egg style surprises for audiences to find.
