Marketing

Pizza Hut AR Pac-Man game triggered via pizza box

Pizza Hut's Newstalgia campaign focuses on a Pac-Man game that users access with the brand's pizza boxes and smartphones. (Photo: Provided)

March 15, 2021

In its latest campaign, Pizza Hut is harkening back to its shared history with those consumers who spent some of their youth in one of strangely roofed stores with the arcade games and red-and-white tablecloths.

The brand's 'Newstalgia' campaign celebrates what many customers hold dear about the restaurant, with a modern twist through a limited-edition Pac-Man box that features an augmented reality game and chance to win a custom Pac-Man game cabinet, according to a press release.

Included in the campaign are nostalgic pizza hut items, like Book It! pins, classic arcade games, red cups and Tiffany-style lamps and the brand's pies. Actor and comedian Craig Robinson serves as campaign spokesman in related media and Pizza Hut has partnered with Pac-Man on a limited edition box that has the augmented reality version of the game printed directly on it for use with customer smartphones.

Additionally, customers can vie for a chance at the Arcade1Up Pac-Man game cabinet by ordering a large pie, scanning the QR code on the box, playing the augmented reality game and then following on-screen prompts to share the score of the game on Twitter with @PizzaHut using hashtags #PizzaHutARcade #Sweepstakes. The actual score makes no difference in the prize selection as all who enter are eligible to win the prize which will be drawn on April 3.

"Pac-Man's design and creation was inspired by the shape of a pizza with a slice taken out of it, making this partnership so appropriate for the Pac-Man brand," Yutaka Fuse, head of licensing and branding at Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., said in the release. "PAC-MAN games and Pizza Hut pizzas occupy a special place in many people's memories; we're excited to have the opportunity to create fun memories for a new generation of PAC-MAN and Pizza Hut fans through this collaboration."

Throughout the year, Pizza Hut will be continue the campaign with former pizza variations and tapping into entertainment and pop culture. Pizza Hut is based in Plano, Texas and has nearly 18,000 restaurants worldwide.