Trans-Tasman creative agency jnr. has unveiled its first campaign for Pizza Hut Australia following its late last year pitch win, marking the return of the limited-time Hot Honey Pizza.
Titled ‘First Sweet, Then Heat’, the campaign leans into the product’s signature flavour profile, pairing sweetness with a spicy kick while playfully reflecting the personalities of fans who love it.
Leaning into cult following
The Hot Honey Pizza has developed what Pizza Hut describes as a strong cult following, with the campaign designed to match the boldness of the product’s return.
Image: jnr.
Pizza Hut Chief Marketing Officer Wendy Leung said the creative needed to feel unmistakably Pizza Hut.
“Our Hot Honey Pizza has built a genuine cult following, so its return had to feel big, bold and unmistakably Pizza Hut. The campaign captures exactly what fans love – that disarming sweetness followed by a kick you don’t see coming. It’s bold, playful and completely true to the product.”
First work together post-pitch win
For jnr., the campaign marks its first major creative output for the brand since securing the business.
Image: jnr.
Chief Strategy Officer and Founder Ryan O’Connell described the partnership as enjoyable from the outset.
“From the pitch process, all the way through to developing our first campaign, this relationship has been fun and enjoyable. Not coincidentally, exactly like eating pizza should be! So it’s awesome that those laughs and cheekiness have extended into the first creative work we’ve developed as a team.”
Executive Creative Director and Partner Jenny Mak said the product insight made the creative direction clear.
“When the product gives you sweet and heat, it would be rude not to have a little fun with both. So we leaned into that contrast and pushed it somewhere unexpected. For a returning favourite like this, safe wasn’t an option. ‘First Sweet, Then Heat’ sets the tone for the kind of mischievous work we’re excited to keep building together.”
The campaign rolls out nationally to support the limited-time return of the Hot Honey Pizza.
Credits:
Client: Pizza Hut Australia
Strategy & Creative: jnr.
Media: Initiative
Social & PR: WiredCo.
Production: Clockwork Films, Design Intoto and Christian Mushenko
Top Image: jnr.