Dec. 1, 2008, Korea–In an unconventional marketing move, Pizza Hut Korea announced it will temporarily re-brand three of its Seoul
branches as "Pasta Hut" for a month to promote pasta dishes newly
added to its menu.
The conference was held at its outlet near Hongik University, a popular hangout for the young in western Seoul.
The two other temporarily renamed locations are in Myeong-dong and
Jongno, both in downtown areas.
"It is aimed at letting customers know we now sell pastas as well,''
Pizza Hut Korea CEO Lee Sung-il said. Nine pasta dishes were unvieled in the new Tuscani Pasta line.
The effort comes at a time when the chain is seeing its slice of the
market being taken over by rivals such as Mr. Pizza. Pizza Hut operates
340 outlets in Korea, and is a dominant force in the eatery market.
This kind of marketing stunt is not new.
On April 1st, April Fool's Day, Pizza Hut advertised the change on its
Web site. The re-naming was actually a publicity stunt, with Pizza
Hut's Dallas headquarters changing its exterior logo to Pasta Hut, a
promotion scheme for the Tuscani Pasta line and new Pizza Hut dine-in
menu. Pasta Hut is now part of the Pizza Hut menu.
In October, Pizza Hut U.K. said it would temporarily rename 30 local stores Pasta Hut, as part of a $28 million promotion.
Pizza Hut Korea said it would advertise more to help customers know about its beefed-up menu.
"It's a move to bring back price-sensitive customers," Lee said. "Recent research shows many customers think most items are overly
expensive, so this is also a move to offer them more choices."
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