Pizza Hut paid A$50,000 for the privilege of taking part in a pilot scheme organised by ICE television and will now become the first advertiser to hit the screens of web television. Based in Orange, NSW, the trial will see 150 houses equipped with interactive TV for a period of three months, and the fast food pizza restaurant is hoping that viewers won’t be able to resist the ease of ordering home delivery pizzas via their remote controls.
The marketing director at parent company Tricon Restaurants, Greg Creed, revealed that the technology is easier than phoning for an order, and that the Pizza Hut logo is always visible during the adverts.
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The deal was brokered by Carat Australia, whose buying director, James Parkinson, explained: it shows that Pizza Hut is “identify[ing] the value of creating a competitive advantage in [its] respective market by embracing these developments first. The ability to match databases of current Pizza Hut users and non users within the test will allow us to effectively monitor the true potential of the medium.”
Parkinson added that Carat are interested “in how [the technology] impacts on consumer behaviour so we can advise our clients on how best to use interactive television, which is a fact of the future.” The company is currently in discussions with six other clients about the trial.
