Back to Press RoomPizza Hut agrees to multi-year partnership deal with NCAA; announces new “Pizza Hut All-American” position – a chance to attend and celebrate the fandom at DI NCAA national championships
PLANO, TEXAS (Oct. 18, 2016) – For one lucky college sports fan, Pizza Hut is making dreams a reality. Introducing the Pizza Hut All-American, an incredible college sports experience that will take one sports fan on an epic adventure to celebrate Division I NCAA championships during the 2016-17 season – and they’ll get paid to do it.
That’s right. In its first year as the Official Pizza Partner of the NCAA, Pizza Hut is looking to give one ultimate college sports fan an opportunity of a lifetime. This fall, Pizza Hut will offer $50,000 to one passionate sports fan to travel to as many Division I NCAA championships as possible, sharing their journey with millions of sports fans everywhere.
“This is one of those rare once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to experience something that no one has done before,” said David Daniels, Vice President, Media & Advertising, Pizza Hut. “We know that college sports fans are as passionate about their teams as we are about pizza, and as the Official Pizza of the NCAA, we felt it was our obligation to bring exclusive Pizza Hut experiences to Division I NCAA championships, especially those that often don’t get the limelight. We cannot wait to send our first-ever Pizza Hut All-American to bring incredible Pizza Hut experiences to these events and celebrate the great fandom that exists across all college sports.”
The Pizza Hut All-American program is part of the pizza restaurant’s broader partnership with the NCAA, Turner Sports and CBS Sports, which makes Pizza Hut the “Official Pizza of the NCAA.” Pizza Hut will support intercollegiate athletics and student-athlete achievements through marketing programs and initiatives at multiple NCAA championships events. The partnership provides Pizza Hut the ability to use official NCAA marks and media, as well as the opportunity activate at official NCAA events, including NCAA March Madness®, College World Series®, Frozen Four® and more. As part of the partnership, Pizza Hut will activate around all 90 NCAA championships this year, from basketball and hockey, to bowling and beach volleyball, and beyond.
The partnership was facilitated through CBS Sports and Turner, which manage and collaborate on the NCAA’s Corporate Champion and Partner program.
“NCAA student-athletes and fans have tremendous passion for the college sports that they love and we’re pleased that Pizza Hut will tap into that passion as a new NCAA corporate partner,” said Joni Comstock, acting NCAA executive vice president for championships and alliances. “Pizza Hut has a high level of excellence, whether it’s making great pizza or supporting educational initiatives. We’re very pleased to welcome them into the NCAA family and look forward to their activities surrounding the Pizza Hut All-American at NCAA championships throughout the year.”
“From memorable advertising campaigns to crowd-pleasing pizza offerings and local programs benefiting thousands of communities across the country, Pizza Hut continues to distinguish itself as an innovative marketer and unparalleled brand-builder,” said Devron Edwards, Vice President, NCAA Partnerships, CBS. “The Pizza Hut All-American will connect fans with college sports like never before, providing unprecedented access to NCAA Championship events throughout the year.”
“Pizza Hut is an iconic brand, and one that is a natural fit for the excitement and culture surrounding college sports,” said Katy Mollica, VP of NCAA Partnerships, Turner Sports. “We are excited to partner with them in bringing unique brand experiences like Pizza Hut All-American to life across television, digital and at major events surrounding NCAA championships.”
To help kick off the search for the first-ever Pizza Hut All-American, Pizza Hut has enlisted the help of Shane Battier, a star professional basketball player and member of the 2001 Duke University NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship-winning team.
“The Pizza Hut All-American opportunity is an incredibly exciting opportunity,” said Battier. “To have a chance to be part of all of these championships is pretty special. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of candidates are out there.”
The ideal Pizza Hut All-American talent will demonstrate passion for all NCAA sports and will be outgoing, enthusiastic and eager to share their All-American journey with fans online. The right talent will also be social media savvy, with a proven track record of creating great content. Pizza Hut will narrow the list of talent to three and put them through the paces of what an activation might be like. Pizza Hut will also enable its social communities to partake in the interview processes with some portions being live streamed and allowing fans to submit interview questions.
Sports fans interested in applying to be the Pizza Hut All-American can enter online at blog.pizzahut.com. Applications will be accepted through November 6, 2016.
For more information about Pizza Hut please visit blog.pizzahut.com or to order now, visit www.pizzahut.com.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE. Ends 11:59 p.m. CT on 11/6/16. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C. 21+ who are authorized to work in the U.S. Void where prohibited. Subject to full Participation Terms available at http://blog.pizzahut.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Pizza-Hut-All-American-Correspondent-Search.pdf
About Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), delivers more pizza, pasta and wings than any other restaurant in the world. The company began 58 years ago in Wichita, Kansas, when two brothers borrowed $600 from their mom to start a pizzeria.
What started out small has become the biggest pizza company in the world and today operates more than 15,600 restaurants in more than 97 countries serving innovative pizzas, traditional favorites like the signature Pan Pizza, and much more. Pizza Hut also is the proprietor of the BOOK IT!® Program, which is a long-standing children’s literacy program used in more than 630,000 classrooms nationwide. For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. Follow Pizza Hut on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PizzaHut), Twitter (www.twitter.com/pizzahut) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/pizzahut).
About the NCAA
The NCAA is a diverse association of more than 1,100 member colleges and universities that prioritize academics, well-being and fairness to create greater opportunities for nearly half a million student-athletes each year. The NCAA provides a pathway to higher education and beyond for student-athletes pursuing academic goals and competing in NCAA sports. More than 54,000 student-athletes experience the pinnacle of intercollegiate athletics by competing in NCAA championships each year. Visit ncaa.org and ncaa.com for more details about the Association and the corporate partnerships that support the NCAA and its student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have AT&T, Capital One and Coca-Cola as official corporate champions and the following elite companies as official corporate partners: Allstate, Amazon Echo, Bing (Microsoft), Buffalo Wild Wings, Buick, Enterprise, Infiniti, LG, Lowe’s, Nabisco, Northwestern Mutual, Pizza Hut, Reese’s, Unilever and Wendy’s.
About Turner Sports
Turner Sports, a division of Turner, is an industry leader in the delivery of premium sports content across all multimedia screens. Turner Sports’ television coverage includes the NBA, Major League Baseball, NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, ELEAGUE and professional golf. The company also manages some of the most popular sports destinations across broadband and mobile platforms including Bleacher Report and its top-rated Team Stream app, NCAA.com and the critically-acclaimed NCAA March Madness Live suite of products, PGA.com and the Sports Emmy Award-winning PGA Championship LIVE, as well as an accompanying collection of mobile sites and connected device apps. Turner Sports and the NBA also jointly manage NBA Digital, a robust collection of offerings including NBA TV, NBA.com, NBA LEAGUE PASS, the NBA App, NBADLEAGUE.com and WNBA.com.
*For all media inquiries, please contact Pizza Hut:
Doug Terfehr, 972-338-6992, Doug.Terfehr@yum.com
Courtney Moscovic, 972-338-8288, Courtney.Moscovic@yum.com