Pizza Hut announced its first-ever NASCAR team sponsorship, encompassing five NASCAR races this season. In support of the sponsorship, Pizza Hut has a new commercial starring Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte, and Brian Vickers. The spot features the Family Race Pack™ promotion.
In typical Pizza Hut tongue-in-cheek humor, the commercial light-heartedly shows a Mom causing the entire NASCAR race to come to a screeching halt as she leaves her family that is watching the race on TV, to make dinner. The commercial humorously highlights Mom’s power over the racetrack at dinnertime as the NASCAR drivers are forced to stop racing when Mom leaves the room. When Mom returns with the Pizza Hut Family Race Pack, the drivers pop back in their cars and peel out in the hilarious ending. The spot, created by New York-based BBDO, will begin airing nationally on Sunday, May 1.
“This is our first foray into anything NASCAR. We’re really excited to team with Hendrick Motorsports because they’re a winning team that is family-oriented,” says Tom James, chief marketing officer, Pizza Hut. “We know NASCAR is a family sport—families gather to watch the races, racing teams are family-owned and many drivers have siblings and parents racing with them on the track—so it’s a natural connection for us.”
Pizza Hut is supporting the national introduction of the Family Race Pack promotion with an estimated $12 million marketing plan including national network and cable television advertising, radio, direct mail, online initiatives, and in-restaurant point of purchase materials.