Two chain-restaurant giants, Bar B Q Plaza and Pizza Hut, have announced a campaign to “revolutionise” the industry through 360-degree marketing collaboration strategy.
In a press release on Thursday the companies said Thai customers can now enjoy all the touch points of surprising menu that will create new ways to experience dining at both Bar B Q Plaza and Pizza Hut.
The marketing campaign brings the two brand ambassadors, Bar B Gon and WOW Boy, together in a fun storytelling. The secret sauce of each brand are combined and created into a new sauce “Bar B Q Pizza”, with all-new menu such as “Bar B Hut Set” and “Pizza Hut B Gon”.
Marketing promotions are now in full swing, in which customers in Thailand can try these new menu starting April 1 to May 20 at Bar B Q Plaza (only at branches with gold pan) and all branches of Pizza Hut nationwide.
Boonyanuch Boonbumrungsub, Executive Vice President of Bar B Q Plaza at Food Passion Company Limited, said: “This marketing partnership between Bar B Q Plaza and Pizza Hut began from the brand’s approach that believes the marketing collaboration strategy can make the campaign more interesting and new, which will benefit both consumers and partnering brands.
“In the past, we used to do market collaboration with brands in different sectors, but not our own. But now, the idea of limitless creative marketing propels us to seek the kind of partnership that is beyond everyone’s expectation, which is to have a marketing partnership with brands that are also restaurants like us. Many may perceive them as competitors. But we view that, if a collaboration can benefit both customers and ourselves, then it is considered as an interesting idea. Fortunately, Pizza Hut also shares similar marketing ideology, which then brought about this “Fin Ver Hut Jer Gon” campaign.
“Considering it strategy-wise, even though Bar B Q Plaza and Pizza Hut are both in the restaurant business, we actually have different customer base. For Bar B Q Plaza, the customer base is made up largely of teenagers and young adults, while Pizza Hut has more young family with kids. So, we view that this campaign will not only bring something new to the restaurant business, but it will also expand the marketing of both brands through cross target to create new customer base.
“Additionally, both Bar B Q Plaza and Pizza Hut have iconic brand ambassador to help communicate the message. As Bar B Q Plaza has Bar B Gon, Pizza Hut has WOW Boy (Waiter on Wheel). These brand ambassadors can help making the campaign more fun and easy to communicate with the public.
“We believe that this joint campaign can help expand both brands and expand the customer case to new groups. It will definitely help the revenue of Bar B Q Plaza to grow no less than 18% compared to the same time last year,” added Boonyanuch.
Ausana Mahagitsiri, Director of PH Capital, franchisee of Pizza Hut brand in Thailand, said: “Pizza Hut has been a brand that people around the world acknowledge and accept as the No.1 dining place for Young Family with Kids target group for a long time. Our key characteristics are “Innovation. Quality. Taste. Value. Great service”.
Pizza Hut Thailand has been successful in developing new innovation continuously to respond to the customer’s preferences right on point, such as The Black Pizza, Pizza Hut Hokkaido with cheesy sausage crust, as well as introducing innovations in new packaging like Triple Box and Wow Box. Pizza Hut has never stopped bringing excitement to this industry. The collaboration with Bar B Q Plaza is a new phenomenon within the food business in Thailand.
“We are confident in Bar B Q Plaza’s status among Thai teenagers and we are positive that the “Fin Ver Hut Jer Gon” campaign will support both brands’ image in this important phenomenon where two big chains of restaurants join hands together.
“The ones who will benefit the most will be our customers because they will get to experience our special recipe of scrumptious food. Fans of Pizza Hut will get to eat pizza with the taste of Bar B Q Plaza, and fans of Bar B Q Plaza will also get to try their favourite Bar B Q Plaza in the form of pizza.
“In terms of our promotional campaign, it will come in a form of co-branding campaign, which will bring the icons of both brands like Bar B Gon by Bar B Q Plaza and WOW Boy (Waiter On Wheel) who deliver pizzas for Pizza Hut as gimmick to draw attention to the “Very Fin Hut Meets Gon” campaign through promotional film on TV and online, plus on ground activities by giving away 3,000 pans of Hut B Gon pizzas, or over 20,000 slices all over the country,” added Ausana.
The collaboration has resulted in new highlight menu that the two brands have developed together. They combine signature ingredients of both brands, starting with Bar B Q Plaza’s secret recipe of its signature dipping sauce and Pizza Hut’s special pizza sauce. The two are combined into a new recipe of dipping sauce, Bar B Q Pizza, which will be the highlight of the new menu at Bar B Q Plaza. The sauce will be spread on top of meat and also as a dip for grilled meat to add into the fusion flavours of both brands.
Aside from the Bar B Q Pizza dipping sauce, the two brands will also develop other products in the form of special menu for this campaign. For Bar B Q Plaza, the highlight menu will be “Bar B Hut Set” for Bt299, to be served on a pizza pan. This brings a new experience of food presentation from the traditional bento box to serving with pizza pan. New ingredients include pepperoni, cheese, mushroom and “Bar B Q Pizza” sauce. Snack menus are also reinvented, such as Pizza Stick (Spring Roll), New Orleans Chicken Gyoza, Hawaiian Sundae Bacon.
Pizza Hut will also use this special sauce as a base sauce for new pizzas so customers can try a new taste they can’t get anywhere else, then, “Pizza Hut B Gon” will be unveiled.
“This new pizza will come with crispy crust with cheddar cheese dripping inside in the pool of chewy string cheese to emulate the soup on the grilling pan of Bar B Q Plaza. The pizza is topped with round sliced pork which is Bar B Q Plaza’s signature, as well as special Ba B Q Pizza sauce, for Bt299 per pan (normally Bt429). Get a second pizza in Lovers section for Bt99 (normally Bt299). Kama-chan from Bar B Q Plaza is also used as an important ingredient to create a new recipe of Kama-chan white cream sauce spaghetti.
