Pizza Hut. Hugs are back at the Hut.​

the challenge.

Monday 17th May 2021 was set to be a big day in the UK. Indoor dining was back at long last, as was hugging close friends and family. Pizza Hut wanted to have a slice of that conversation online, but with 5 days to go before that date, and no budget, how could they make a splash (or a smudge) in a relevant way?

the work.

As a lifelong hug abstainer, I realised I could use my fear of what people might have on their hands to our client's advantage. My creative partner and I did rough sketches of people's floury/sauce-covered handprints on other people's backs, and quickly shared them with the account team with the line 'Hugs are Back at the Hut'. The client loved it, and gave us £250 to get something sorted. Thankfully, we were already working with Guy Farrow at the time, who jumped at the chance of getting his hands dirty and experimenting with different products to give the effect we wanted. After one remote shoot, a few bits of retouching and a lot of back and forth with the team, we were ready to go in less than the five days so graciously given to us.  

the results.

Following the announcement of potential local lockdowns because of the Indian Covid Variant, Pizza Hut put this on hold until they felt things were all round safer. Despite that, working so closely with them and our internal team showed our client that we were more than capable of super quick, reactionary work - essential if you want to be culturally relevant as they do.

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