• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, February 1, 2007

Pizza Hut is launching a text-messaging promotion called the Cheesy Hunt using TV ads just before the kickoff at Sunday's Super Bowl.

The kickoff ad will contain a hidden series of letters. Cell phone users will be able to text in the code to THEHUT. Correct entries will become eligible for prizes, including $30,000, to be given away in a sweepstakes.

The world's largest pizza company--which spent $237 million on advertising from January to November last year, according to Nielsen Monitor Plus--will follow Sunday's two ads (another will appear elsewhere on Sunday programming) with other ads over the next seven weeks until March 24.

The ads from BBDO/NY play on the current campaign that features the return of Cheesy Bites Pizza and Jessica Simpson.

The hidden codes will become progressively more difficult to find in the ads as the campaign continues.

"Our customers want to be engaged, and this campaign takes our traditional television advertising to the next level and caters to our tech-savvy pizza fans," said Kristan Miller, Pizza Hut vice president of brand communications, in a statement. "We see this as an excellent opportunity to have fun and create a dialogue that can lead to a long relationship between customers and Pizza Hut."