• by Larissa Faw , February 11, 2014

Pizza Hut is seeking relationship assistance from online dating Web site OKCupid as part of the new “Go for Greatness" campaign. This effort is just one of the many initiatives expected for the pizza franchise in the coming months. The chain will soon introduce spots with its new creative agency mcgarrybowen that won the account in September over incumbent Interpublic's Martin Agency.

Chicken will receive an extra boost of the client’s ad spend. Pizza Hut switched creative agencies in June from The Martin Agency to O'Keefe, Reinhard, and Paul to represent its separate WingStreet brand. Soon, Pizza Hut will launch national creative for the first time to advertise its "award-winning" WingStreet chicken fried wings and chicken strip deals. 

First, however, Pizza Hut wants a closer relationship with consumers. The Go For Greatness concept comes from the fact that each year the pizza chain receives thousands of proposals via social media. Fans tweet or "like" certain recipes, locations, or simply to express overall love. 

Pizza Hut wanted a campaign that allowed them to express appreciation for this social-media buzz. So the company has set up an online profile at OKCupid.com/pizzahut and is asking consumers to submit their idea for the most creative proposal to Twitter, Instagram, or Vine with the #goforgreatness hashtag.

"We're a pizza company. By nature, we're in a pretty fun category," says Pizza Hut's' Doug Terfehr. "Our fans demonstrate that to us every day in a lot of ways, one of the most common being proposing to us on social media. So why not create a dating profile on OKCupid and have some true engagement with our fans? We have a great product, beloved brand and passionate fans. This campaign brings those things together in a very fun way."

Three finalists with the most memorable suggestions will be flown to Pizza Hut headquarters in Plano, Texas, to "meet the parents," with one eventual winner receiving the opportunity to star in their own Pizza Hut TV commercial and getting free Pizza Hut pizza for life. Pizza for life, by the way, is based on the average Pizza Hut ticket that translates to a $10 large one-topping pizza ordered every 45 days. 

Thus far, Pizza Hut has received more than 10,000 proposals from those in 22 countries and every U.S. state, except South Dakota. The contest runs through Feb.21. Still, no one seems to be able to explain why South Dakota residents have not yet participated in this contest, says Terfehr. "We have lots of Pizza Huts in South Dakota, but are still waiting on our fans there to declare their true love of our brand."

This story has been corrected from an earlier version that credited mcgarrybowen with the OKCupid program which was done in house at Pizza Hut. Also, the earlier version referred to the "Go For Greatness" program incorrectly as "Commit to Greatness."