Debit, credit, or @? What's behind Pizza Hut's strategy of exchanging likes for pizzas?

Pizza Hut recently adopted an unconventional marketing strategy in the United Arab Emirates. Instead of investing heavily in ads, it decided to rely on organic content to promote its favorite, the My Box, a customizable combo.

In practice, the action consisted of the idea of encouraging users to create trends on TikTok with My Box, tagging and following @pizzahut, in addition to using the hashtag #YourTermsYourConditions.

It seems simple, right? And indeed, it is. However, it's a very well-designed strategy, aimed at overcoming the absurd amount of ads in the feed, which end up being ignored or go unnoticed by some users.

The central point of this strategy was to pass the ball to the followers themselves to create the content, making it viral and, in the process, saving a good amount of money on advertising.

In addition to the savings, another benefit of this type of campaign is the bond created between the brand and its followers/consumers, building relationships, something that isn't very effective when we're talking about paid advertising.

Is it worth investing in organic strategies?

Yes, a lot! When we're talking about organic strategies, we invest in generating awareness and reputation, essential elements for any brand's long-term survival.

Paid ads are short-term, ideal for one-off campaigns, and do little to generate brand awareness. A promotion is a good example. The goal is to generate volume in the short term, but it doesn't necessarily create a relationship with the customer.

In a campaign like Pizza Hut's, one of the goals is obviously to ultimately sell My Box. However, the company combined the need for publicity with the positive impact it could bring, building an organic strategy that will bring much more value to the brand.

Through content created by its own followers, the brand gets closer to its customers, generating a huge buzz, which will attract more people who can be converted into followers, customers, or both.

And it doesn't stop there. The strategy goes beyond digital. By creating a positive experience and a satisfying product, the brand ensures the conversion of social media followers into real-life consumers of its products.

How do you know which strategy to adopt?

This is a question that millions of people ask. Whether in paid or organic advertising, if the strategy isn't well designed, thought out, and executed, the effort of time and intelligence will be for naught, as the results will be unsatisfactory.

The first step is to know your audience well to understand the best way to impact them.

Don't be afraid to innovate, but keep in mind that strategic marketing isn't always a short-term approach—quite the opposite. Of course, some initiatives can go viral and generate significant revenue, as is the case with Pizza Hut. But generally, strategies need a little more time to mature before results begin to appear.

In any case, the important thing is to develop and implement actions that seek to meet the future needs of your customers/consumers.

And if well-targeted, these actions can contribute to a significant competitive advantage in the market, making your brand stand out from the crowd.