pizza hut drops its new logo for good

In an attempt to remind America that it’s the OG pizza chain, Pizza Hut has readopted its red roof logo that was used between 1967 and 1999. The company has been pretty meek and shy about branding through the years, chief branding officer Marianne Radley told the media, and now has to break out of its shell to “be a little braver, a little bolder in our choices.”

Given that Pizza Hut is the first national pizza chain in America, they’ve got a legacy to draw on, but lately they’ve been losing ground, with Dominos becoming the largest pizza company by sales in 2017. During market research sessions, the company learned that participants were enthusiastic about the company’s unique branding traits like red-roof buildings and red and white checkerboard tablecloths. Much of the new emblem remain faithful to the ‘67 version. The biggest change from the original is a tagline added: “no one outpizzas the hut”.

The Hut debuted the new old logo in a national television campaign advertising the return of Cheesy Bites pizza, which has a crust of 28 cheese filled dough bites. They’ve revitalized the menu and even obtained an NFL sponsorship. Expect to see the new old logo appear on Pizza Hut's communications and promotions in the coming weeks. It will start appearing on packaging during NFL promotions at the end of the year.

Side note: one of Pizza Hut’s biggest competitors owns one of my favorite logos.