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FAST-FOOD MARKETING

Catering to local tastes Customers in a South African outlet. Setting up an initial supply chain in SA has
helped the brand move into other countries on the continent
However, this is where the South African
influence ends. For Blackford, each African Localised menus have coverage from around the world. My PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
market deserves and inspires its own been a key strategy sister in the United States was making
unique Pizza Hut experience. Asked if breakfast for her son one day and she
localising each country’s menu was the The latter is a reference to the 100th said ‘you are on the morning news in
key to pushing into Africa and creating country celebration which saw Blackford, South Carolina’.”
brand affinity, he observes: “Yes, I do. a team of employees and guides climb
I think [consumers] give you respect for Kilimanjaro and eat a pepperoni pizza at The promotion grabbed the imagination
making the effort.” the summit, setting a Guinness World by selling an experience rather than a
Record in the process for the highest product. “We were able to raise a [lot]
The brand adapts its menu to each new altitude pizza delivery on land (5 897m). of money. We hooked up with Rotary (a
market, from meaty offerings in Kenya global service club) to fix up a school,
and South Africa, to Indian-inspired paneer “The logistics were tricky; we had Msasani Primary, in Tanzania. I think there
vegorama pizza in Tanzania and chocolate to figure out how to get the pizza up were about 10 toilets for 1 000 kids, so
dessert pizza in Mauritius. But the big there and still have it taste really good,” we went in and fixed up the infrastructure
international Pizza Hut sellers – like Meat he recalls, highlighting the journey it with the money we raised,” he tells
Lover’s and Cheesy Bites – still make up took from the store in Dar es Salaam, Strategic Marketing Africa.
about 70-80% of what people choose, via plane to Kilimanjaro, fast-tracked up
notes Blackford. the mountain by seasoned climbers and Pizza Hut has a strategy to open 4-5
transported to the summit in a special outlets in Tanzania by year end, although
“I think part of that is [consumers] are mountaineering backpack with in-built at the time of writing the company had
stepping into an international brand, so they heating elements. It all worked out and the yet to confirm whether all would be in Dar
want the international products. Having pizza arrived at day break, just in time for es Salaam, or some located in secondary
said that, there is always 20-30% that is the team to enjoy a steaming slice. cities as well. “In Zambia we went to the
local, and you can’t ignore that.” By way of secondary cities earlier and it is attractive
illustration, he points out that Pizza Hut’s “It was fun,” says Blackford, “and from a sales perspective because you
top-selling product by far in Pakistan is the we got nearly 2 000 articles of media aren’t cannibalising anything in the main
South Asian-inspired chicken tikka pizza. city. But it makes things operationally
harder,” he says.
In East Africa, this approach has meant
getting to grips with local tastes and
flavours and their entrenched culinary
heritage – something KFC’s Venter refers
to as “taking their spice and your spice
and mixing it up”. Explains Blackford: “So
we have tikka pizzas and we have been
experimenting around a butter chicken pie.
That is something we will continue to build
out, but it takes time.”

Noting the growing sophistication
of African consumers and their taste for
global brands, Blackford believes the
advantage lies with those who can create
fresh and innovative products and a
quality experience.

Creating a buzz

While Pizza Hut is a global brand,
it doesn’t have the big budgets of
McDonald’s, KFC or Nando’s, notes
Blackford. This has resulted in a marketing
approach which has focused heavily on
leveraging off platforms like Facebook.
“We have had to be a bit innovative,” he
explains, “and that is where we put our
minds to things like the Kilimanjaro trip.”

44 strategicmarketingafrica Issue 4 2016