Pizza Hut captivates young hearts with pets

Pizza Hut’s collaboration with 12 pet influencers on Bilibili, the off-the-charts popular platform with Gen Z, for the topical campaign a Sheng Says [Pizza Hut’s newest four-legged Store Manager], demonstrates how brands can connect with young consumers in a cute-not-cringey way.

The fast-food industry is constantly growing, and young people are faced with competing products aimed to respond to their ever-changing favourites. However, Pizza Hut has located the exact spot to attract and connect with young Chinese consumers to stand out from its competition.

By launching a Sheng Says, the pizza chain chose to listen to consumers’ emotional demands and establish long-term connections rather than chasing their audiences’ preferences. Aided by Bilibili’s highly vertical content community [niche audiences based on shared passions] and partnering with the platform’s pet key opinion leaders (KOL), Pizza Hut created relatable content and added pet-friendly elements to their products and store design to unite the love of pets and pizza among the Chinese young.

In a rapidly expanding pet marketing landscape, Pizza Hut’s attempt at anthropomorphising our furry companions caught the eyes of pet lovers and owners alike. The campaign made headlines and won the hearts of many with its candid key slogan, requited love wins the day. As a result of the high engagement rate between KOLs and fans, in addition to the topic’s popularity, a Sheng Says brought Pizza Hut more than 20 million exposures, on top of millions of genuine interactions within just two weeks of launch.

About the campaign video

A Sheng is the beloved pet of a Bilibili KOL. When walking past a Pizza Hut, the dog sees a now hiring store manager poster and gets excited. He later becomes the store manager for the day and attracts lots of new customers. Check out the campaign video here.