Pizza Hut enlists Josh Allen for ‘Gameday Starts With the Hut’ campaign with new value menu and fan contest

# What the campaign is Pizza Hut rolled out a national gameday campaign called "Gameday Starts With the Hut," partnering with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and beverage partner Pepsi. The campaign riffs on the quarterback cadence "hut" and positions Pizza Hut as the gameday food choice for fans who host, tailgate, or call plays on game day.

# Promotional elements and offers Pizza Hut introduced three main menu and product moves for the promotion:

• Deal: a large three-topping pizza on the customer's choice of crust for $10. This is positioned as a value offer targeted at game-watching gatherings.

• Flick Football pizza boxes: medium and large pizza boxes with a cutout that assembles into field goal posts. Placing two boxes back-to-back creates a small tabletop football field for playability at tailgates and parties.

These items are available in-store, online and via the Pizza Hut mobile app at participating locations nationwide for a limited time.

# Fan engagement and contest Pizza Hut launched an audience-facing contest that invites fans to enter for a chance to win free pizza for life. To enter, participants must upload a video of themselves saying "hut" at pizzahut.com/gamedaystartswithhut and include a short explanation of why their gameday starts with Pizza Hut. The contest ties directly to the campaign's central creative cue and is designed to generate user-created content and social sharing.

# Brand messaging and spokesperson Melissa Friebe, chief marketing officer at Pizza Hut U.S., is quoted in the campaign release saying Josh Allen "brings the energy, the personality and, of course, plenty of 'Huts' to the field." The statement frames Allen as a natural fit to represent the brand's gameday positioning, while the brand's messaging extends to both professional and casual quarterbacks—the person who organizes the tailgate or the friend who orders the pizza.

# Distribution and partners The promotion runs across Pizza Hut's sales channels: dine-in or carryout, online ordering and the Pizza Hut mobile app. Pepsi is listed as a campaign partner, reflected in the 2-liter add-on option and the co-branded promotional context. Availability is limited to participating locations and the timeframe is described as limited, signaling a seasonal push tied to the football calendar.

# What this means for consumers and operators For consumers, the campaign emphasizes low-price, gameday-friendly bundles and playful packaging meant to increase purchase frequency during football viewing. For Pizza Hut franchisees and operators, the push leans on value pricing and bundled offers that can drive order size and group purchases during high-traffic football events.

# Bottom line Pizza Hut's campaign combines a recognizable athlete spokesperson, value-focused menu items and an interactive fan contest to position the brand as the go-to pizza choice for football gatherings. The combination of inexpensive bundle options and playful packaging aims to boost both traffic and social engagement during the football season.