Pizza Hut Offers Fragrance to Facebook Fans
4Pizza Hut Canada recently gave away a limited number of bottles of a new fragrance, which as you might expect, smells like pizza. What literally began as a joke has turned into reality for 100 pizza lovin’ Facebook fans.
The fashion blog Fashionista reports that Pizza Hut Canada posted the following question to Facebook fans: “Do you love the smell of a box of Pizza Hut pizza being opened? We thought so. If that smell was a perfume, what would it be called?”
Though intended to be tongue-in-cheek, the response was so strong that Pizza Hut decided to make a limited number of bottles to send to 100 fans.
But does it really smell like pizza? According to Grip Limited, the advertising firm that works with Pizza Hut Canada that fostered the idea, the fragrance is scented like “dough with a little bit of seasoning added.” (Close enough I guess.)
What does this have to do with social commerce?
Even though the company has no plans to expand its offering (but who’s to say that you might not find a bottle included in your next delivery), the promotion is emblematic of something we’ve talked about on this blog for years: one of the best ways to drive interest is to offer limited quantities of a new product exclusively to Facebook fans.
Speaking of fragrances, Unilever did it with its “Lynx Attract for Her” fragrance opened a pop-up shop on Facebook and gave away 100 cans of the stuff.
Burberry Body did it with a “tryvertising” campaign giving free samples to Facebook fans.
Even Heinz did it with a tryvertising pop-up store to give samples of its latest fragrance ketchup to fans. (I suppose they could have applied it as cologne, as well.)
The point is that you don’t use this technique to sell products, but to build buzz and brand awareness.
You can call it a PR stunt if that makes you feel better, but it does seem to work. Even if Pizza Hut decides to stay out of the fragrance business and stick to what it does best, the “stunt” was enough to get people talking – including me. (See what I mean?)
Today’s article is sponsored by Payvment: The #1 Social Commerce Platform
Very interesting. “Fans First” OR “Fans Only” could be a very effective way to create ripples in the market. I would like to see more firms offering Xclusive products only for fans. If you r not a fan you simply don’t get it! Companies too should launch products (whether a new Car or Pizza) first to its “Fans” and then to the outer world.
Makes sense to me Sanjay. It certainly gives people a reason to like a page.
Pingback: We Are Social Mashup #61 / We Are Social Brasil
This all about marketing. I don’t thin it will stay in front of reputed Brands. I would love to use it first then ill move further.
http://www.fragrancescosmeticsperfumes.com/fragrances/womens-fragrances.html