The pizza chain introduced the TV spot below on Jan. 1 that threw down the gauntlet to fans: Do your own rendition of the featured song and your video might be featured in a pre-game Super Bowl ad. Those interested can visit Pizza Hut's Facebook Page to download their video. The deadline is Jan. 15.
Ben Hsi, manager of digital advertising for the brand, says Pizza Hut will choose six winners. The brand is looking for "creativity and uniqueness," he says. The winners will be included in a montage that will in a 30-second ad before the game.
With about a month to go before the Super Bowl, crowdsourcing content seems to be making a comeback. Last year, the only brand with a user-generated ad was PepsiCo, which ran a total of six of them for its Pepsi Max and Doritos brands. This year, PepsiCo is only running one crowdsourced ad, but is offering the winner the chance to collaborate with Andy Samberg's Lonely Island comedy troupe. However, at least one other Super Bowl advertiser, Chevrolet, will run a crowdsourced ad during the big game.
In Chevy's case, there's a strong Facebook angle as well: The winning video will be determined by which one gets the most shares in Facebook and other social media platforms.
What do you think? Is this a smart way for Pizza Hut to secure some buzz before the Super Bowl or have tactics like this lost their novelty? Sound off in the comments.