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Pizza Hut Middle East has launched a provocative marketing campaign to support the rollout of its new pasta line, directly addressing the brand's complex relationship with Italian culinary tradition through a tongue-in-cheek social experiment.

Created by Publicis Middle East, the campaign titled "Approved by Italians. Kind of." leverages self-deprecating humour to validate a product that arguably defies authentic Italian culinary rules.

The Social Experiment: Redefining 'Italian'

Acknowledging that "traditional Italians" might reject the creamy, sauce-loaded pasta offering, the campaign pivots to a different demographic. Pizza Hut recruited "non-traditional" Italians—individuals holding Italian passports but born and raised in countries such as Kazakhstan, Lebanon, and Japan.

The experiment contrasts the reactions of two distinct groups:

1. Traditional Italians: Who guard their cuisine as sacred and reacted with expected scepticism.

2. Global Italians: Who welcomed the contemporary, untraditional twists.

The resulting content serves as a "social experiment disguised as a taste test," capturing the clash of opinions to drive engagement. The campaign includes a short documentary exploring the emotional tension between these groups, alongside bite-sized social clips that take reactions out of context for comedic effect.

The campaign is designed to expose the irony of an American chain seeking validation from a culture it frequently reinterprets.

Ahmad Hasan, Marketing Manager at Pizza Hut Middle East, commented on the strategy of leaning into the criticism: "We know our pasta isn't what most would call conventional. But that's what Pizza Hut is all about. Instead of hiding from it, we took it head-on. And it worked! Challenging something as sacred as Italian pasta felt like the natural next step for a brand that's never played it safe... We've always built our menu by doing what others wouldn't."

Creative Execution

Augusto Correia, Creative Director at Publicis Middle East, highlighted the power of brand vulnerability: "When a brand is brave enough to laugh at itself, that's when people truly connect. It makes the brand feel real and relatable. Honesty is human. Perfection isn't. And perfection never made anyone laugh."

By focusing on identity and "cultural gatekeeping" rather than just ingredients, Pizza Hut aims to make the campaign instantly relatable to a diverse Middle Eastern audience familiar with blending cultures.