• by Chuck Martin , September 5, 2018

To kick off the National Football League’s new season, Pizza Hut is introducing special edition pizza boxes featuring augmented reality technology.

With the Beanbag Blitz mobile app, fans can unlock the AR component by lining up their phone camera with the top of the special edition box, unlocking the beanbag toss game. Teams of two can then take turns tossing beanbags on the virtual cornhole board with the flick of a finger.

"We tapped into technology to deliver a truly immersive gameday experience to fans, specifically combining what they're most passionate about: their team, the spirit of competition, and of course, pizza," stated Zipporah Allen, chief marketing officer, Pizza Hut, U.S. "Incorporating this AR component into our lineup of new experiences is broadening our digital portfolio and engaging fans in a completely new way."

The AR implementation is part of the launch campaign as Pizza Hut’s first year as the official pizza sponsor of the NFL. The pizza brand’s first national NFL TV campaign stars Pittsburgh Steelers’ star wide receivers Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

All restaurants carrying the special edition boxes include all 32 NFL teams in the AR experience.