Pizza Hut delivers ‘Goodbye Pies’ for Valentine’s Day breakups

In a twist on last year’s Mutant Ninja Turtle “Underground Deliveries,” when the chain delivered pizzas to subway stations, the Hut is trying to connect emotionally to breakups.

Valentine’s Day is the day with the highest number of breakups. Couples can avoid the emotional discomfort of what is supposed to be a romantic holiday when their relationship is on the rocks.

The company is known for being family-friendly, and pizza, at least in the US, is a communal meal. Monetizing emotional distress and discomfort seems like poor positioning or at least insensitive.

Would you like to be the delivery person telling X that Y is breaking up with them? What if a couple’s nine-year-old gets the pie first? What if there is a software problem and the wrong person gets said breakup pie? The legal folk in the audience can weigh in. Emotional damages in the divorce settlement?

While clever and innovative, this could turn into a nightmare. I see the lighthearted aspects, but a pizza parting or delivery departure could be a brand blowup.

If you were Pizza Hut’s internal marketing person, how would you advise them?

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