• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, January 3, 2008

Leveraging the intense media interest in today's Iowa caucuses, Pizza Hut created a television spot that incorporated sound bites from all the presidential candidates and wove them into coherent sentences.

The ad promotes the Yum Brands company's new "Pizza Mia," a medium-sized pizza priced at $5 for three or more or $6.99 for one.

Having a little fun with politics, Pizza Hut commissioned a survey that asked Iowans such questions as which candidate would "put or keep more dough in your pocket," which candidate they'd like to share a pizza with, and which candidate eats the most pizza.

"Pizza is fun and politics can be, too," said Scott Bergren, Pizza Hut president, in a release. "We wanted to tap into the high interest of the Iowa caucus to show how our new Pizza Mia saves Americans dough."

Pizza Hut says it is the first company to feature presidential candidates in television advertising to launch a new product. The 30-second ad--airing nationally and in select markets in Iowa and New Hampshire, whose caucus is next in line--capitalizes on voters' interest in the U.S. economy as a political issue. A company spokesperson says the ad aired Dec. 27-29.

Pizza Hut also is the first company in this Presidential election to remind Americans to vote, with a tagline: "It's your choice. Please vote."