Pizza Hut gets ready for major brand revamp after appointing The Monkeys

March 30, 2017 10:57

Pizza Hut has appointed The Monkeys to handle its creative account as it prepares for a major national relaunch under new leadership.

Pizza Hut has named The Monkeys as their lead agency

Mumbrella understands the creative agency is the first of a number of agencies now being appointed to the Pizza Hut roster including a digital agency and consumer PR agency.

Until last year the creative account had been with Host.

Work created by The Monkeys is expected to start rolling out in the next several weeks, however the full brand relaunch will not take place until later in the year.

The brand was once the market leader but has been under siege from rival Domino’s which has become the leading brand in the sector.

Former McDonald’s executives, Peter Rodwell, Lisa Ransom and Chris Leslie are now heading up the executive team, after the brand was given a new lease on life when private equity investor Allegro bought the Australian operation from US parent Yum Brands.

Pizza Hut has also appointed former Red Bull marketer Justin Olivares as director of marketing and communications, who is overseeing the series of agency reviews.

Lisa Ransom, CEO of Pizza Hut Australia since August 2016

Allegro founding partner Chester Moynihan said the purchase was an opportunity to bring the brand back to prominence.

“Our immediate focus will be strengthening the network of Pizza Hut stores across Australia through increased investment, resources and management focus,” Moynihan said.

“Pizza Hut has been a household name in Australia since the early 1970s. It was one of the first pizza companies to home deliver in Australia and we want to revive this innovative legacy to enhance the experience for customers.”

In November Pizza Hut made its first move to reset the business when it bought the struggling Eagles Boys franchise, adding 50 stores to bring its total number of stores to 320.

The brand is also dabbling with a return to eat in-restaurants – a cornerstone of its model in the 1980s when the brand was at its peak.

Simon Canning

Simon Canning was Mumbrella's marketing and advertising editor from 2015-2017. In a career spanning journalism and communications over more than 30 years Simon has become one of Australia’s most respected analysts and commentators on the advertising, marketing and media industries. A regular commentator on radio and TV, Simon has also worked in media in the US and UK .

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1 COMMENTS

Richard moss 30 Mar 17

The name would seem to be stuck in the 70s, the brand would seem to be yesterday, and the whole Pizza experience seems to have diversified and settled in a dozen different gardens.

A return to eat in restaurants? I suppose if one has been moving sideways for some time, then a step back might stimulate two steps forward.

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