The promise of 30 years’ worth of pizza had a lot of people prepared to pop the question: “pepperoni or sausage?” during the presidential debate. Pizza Hut decided to move the free pizza presidential debate stunt online over fears the stunt might disrupt the event.
After the first presidential debate failed to draw the right amount of attention, Pizza Hut decided to make the next one a bit more interesting. Last week, Pizza hut released a presidential debate dare, promising a lifetime supply of free pizza for whoever asks the candidates how they take their pizza. The promotional campaign sparked controversy and Pizza Hut decided to move it online.
A spokesman for Pizza Hut explained the decision to rethink the presidential debate stunt was prompted by the high number of people looking forward to pop that question this Tuesday night. The statement read that moving the dare online was “a natural progression of the campaign” since so many people “wished they could get in on it”.
To take part in the lifetime pizza supply you have to go online and enter your email address and zip code. Pizza Hut will choose the winner randomly but according to CMO Kurt Kane the person that pops the question will still be rewarded.
A lifetime supply of free Pizza Hut pies had a lot of people building courage to ask Mr. Obama or Mr. Romney if they like sausage or pepperoni pizza. Whereas Pizza Hut says the reason to move the campaign online was the high number of people excited by the idea, the past few years the company received a lot of criticism.
“Some of the attention we received was not positive” said CMO Kurt Kane. “So, we decided the question was better served online than in the debate itself” Kane added.
Bloggers, reporters and social network users have criticized Pizza Hut for the free pizza presidential debate dare, saying it’s going to disrupt the event. “What a stupid idea” said Peter Madden of AgileCat. “It just seems like a thoughtless grab for a little bit of attention” he added.
“Want Free Pizza Hut Pizza for Life? Just Make a Mockery of the American Democratic System on Live TV” wrote Gawker. All it takes for contestants is to “embarrass themselves on live television before the president of the United States and millions of their fellow Americans”.
