In 1991 Kentucky Fried Chicken officially made the switch to the name KFC. (Despite rumor, it wasn't to get rid of the word "fried" in its title but it was actually because of the state of Kentucky's tax problems -- the state made any entity using the word "Kentucky" pay a usage fee.) Now fellow Yum! owned restaurant Pizza Hut looks poised to make a similar transition.
While officially denying they are changing names, the pizza chain has branded its pizza boxes and some store signs to just say "The Hut." It's part of its drive to appear more "with it" according to Pizza Hut's Chief Market Officer Brian Niccol:
Our red box is a game changer in packaging and design. AndPizza Hut seems like it's grasping for straws looking for any idea right now that will help it regain sales. As it introduces its "The Hut" brand, it is also trying to make inroads with budget conscious eaters. Yesterday it released a value menu featuring four items costing between $5-$6. In Florida it's testing "Hut TV" personalized trivia games and short show segments to keep people interested while they wait for a pizza.yes, we're also introducing another vocabulary word with Pizza Hut,
which is 'The Hut.' That ties in nicely with [today's] texting
generation. We wanted to make sure that Pizza Hut and 'The Hut'
become common vernacular for our brand. Red is our mark and when
you see that red roof, people will refer to it as 'The Hut' or
'Pizza Hut.' As we expand our online and mobile businesses, 'The
Hut' is the perfect icon for our mobile generation.
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Sometimes it's really that simple, isn't it? I feel a little stupid for not thinking of this myself/earlier, though.
Sometimes it's really that simple, isn't it? I feel a little stupid for not thinking of this myself/earlier, though.
Josh, that's the hilarious thing, these marketing people probably think kids are calling it "The Hut" but they most certainly aren't.
The kids these days calling it The Hut? When I was a kid, we'd call it Pizza Butt. We were 12.
Gotta agree with Realist here.
How about instead of this name change crap, they stopped shipping their dough in frozen and started making it by hand again?
If Pizza Hut is successful, it will be one of the first times in recorded history that an attempt to "hip-ify" a product did not backfire.
I've noticed that the new KFC's actually say "Kentucky Fried Chicken" on the building (not on the signs though).
And "the Hut?" Well, it seems like the Poochie of advertising strategies.
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