Pizza Hut's move from Web 2 to Web 3 made it a big cheese in the metaverse - here's how

Objective: Pizza Hut aimed to create a meaningful presence in the Metaverse and Web3 space by partnering with End of the World Pizza (EOWP) to develop a limited-edition collection of NFTs. The goal was to tap into existing Web3 culture, leverage EOWP's engaged community, and drive buzz among Web3 enthusiasts.

Strategy: Instead of merely creating a virtual Pizza Hut restaurant, Pizza Hut focused on extending its Web2 strategy into the Metaverse. The strategy centered around joining cultural moments, enhancing experiences, and providing utility to consumers. Pizza Hut chose to collaborate with EOWP, a project with an active Discord server, engaged Twitter following, and a storyline for natural integration.

Execution:

Co-branded NFT Collection: Pizza Hut partnered with EOWP to design a limited-edition collection of NFTs, featuring undead delivery drivers and delivery hover rides blending EOWP's cyberpunk style with Pizza Hut's brand equity.

Exclusive Rewards: Each NFT came with standard EOWP rewards, including an AR comic book, AR t-shirt, additional free NFT airdrop, membership to the exclusive community, and extra entries in giveaways. Pizza Hut added rewards such as free Pizza Hut for a year and Pizza Hut prizing for community challenges.

Launch at ComplexLand: The NFT collection was debuted at ComplexLand, a virtual event, where Pizza Hut and Complex built three Non-Player Characters (NPCs) and monuments within the virtual world to bring the undead drivers and delivery vehicles to life. Attendees could interact with the units, learn about the NFT collection, order Pizza Hut for delivery in real life, and enter to win NFTs and free Pizza Hut for a year.

Integration with Web3 Culture: Pizza Hut's own driver commandeered the brand's profile picture (PFP) on Twitter during the event, showcasing their first NFT acquisition.

Results:

Engagement Success: The partnership exceeded benchmarks with over 24k unique interactions, making Pizza Hut x EOWP one of ComplexLand's most engaging experiences.

Sweepstakes Success: The sweepstakes to win one of the NFTs generated 4.4k submissions, exceeding benchmarks by 72%.

Social Media Impact: The partnership drove over 13.7M impressions and more than 315k interactions across both Complex and Pizza Hut's paid and organic social promotion. Organic posts on Twitter exceeded benchmarks by 300%.

Cultural Reinforcement: The success of the activation reinforced Pizza Hut's culture-based strategy and highlighted the brand's ability to naturally integrate into Web3 culture.

Pizza Hut's innovative approach showcased the brand's understanding of the importance of community and utility in the Metaverse and Web3 space, resulting in a successful and engaging activation.