Manny Pacquiao’s ‘knockout choice’

MANILA, Philippines - Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao is known to be a “certified pizza lover.” Speaking in the vernacular, he said, “With Pizza Hut, you can’t go wrong. Everything they have tastes good.”

So when Pizza Hut launched its new Big Variety Box with Pacquiao as its celebrity endorser, its Ali Mall branch in Quezon City was packed to overflowing.

An earlier Pizza Hut campaign saw PacMan endorsing Pizza Hut’s new Stuffed Crust Pan Pizza, with creamy cheese and barbecue chicken baked right into its crispy crust.  

Joining Manny as celebrity endorsers of Pizza Hut’s Big Variety Box are international beauty title holders Venus Raj, Binibining Pilipinas-Universe and fourth runner-up in the Miss Universe 2010 pageant; and Ariella Arida, Binibining Pilipinas-Universe and third runner-up in the Miss Universe 2013 pageant.

The Big Variety Box is Pizza Hut’s product innovation that’s a real deal. You get two choices: Big Variety Box #1 consists of one regular Supreme pizza, a single-serve order of Spaghetti Bolognese and Spaghetti Carbonara, six orders of Pizza Hut’s original Wing Street chicken wings, and a loaf of garlic bread, all for only P549.  

Big Variety Box #2 has the regular Supreme pizza, two single-serve orders of Spaghetti Bolognese, four pieces of Pizza Hut’s signature fried chicken with four servings of flavored rice, and a loaf of garlic bread, all for only P699.

“We’re not only about pizzas. Our objective is to bring all the favorites and top sellers together in one package,” explains marketing manager Tina Oballo. “It’s a global idea that’s a first in the local market. It’s not just a promo but is intended to be a regular item.”

“It’s a way of bringing people together,” says Oballo. “Filipinos like to eat together and share a meal. With Pizza Hut Big Variety Box, you can bring the party with family and friends to your home.”

Besides dine-in, you can get the new Pizza Hut offerings as takeout or have it delivered to your home. Pizza Hut works hard to make its food-delivery service topnotch. “We pioneered in the one-number system, oven-pouch and Hot Dot technology to make sure that orders are delivered fresh, hot and on time, or it’s free,” Oballo says. “We deliver 120,000 pizzas every month.”'

Pizza Hut COO TH Lim shared the secret of Pizza Hut’s great tasting pizzas: “The most important ingredient is the dough,” he explained. “It’s the foundation. Ours is made fresh every day in each store. We have at least two dough masters per store.”

The second important ingredient is the yeast. “We use only the best. Its freshness is maintained through our stock management system,” Lim explained. “We make sure that just the right temperature is kept all the way, from production to baking.”

The third is the secret blend, which is so secret that even he is not privy to it, Lim jests. Finally, there’s the skill and knowledge of the dough master, who undergoes training and must be recertified annually. “They even join annual dough master competitions,” Lim shared.

Careful thought is given to choosing product endorsers. “They serve as important role models, especially for children,” Lim remarked.

Venus Raj says that working with an accomplished and successful personality such as Manny Pacquiao, who has remained grounded and humble, is an honor.

Everyone in the room seemed to be an instant fan of the “people’s champ” as they milled around him, taking selfies and asking for autographs. Everybody loves a winner, and Manny Pacquiao and Pizza Hut certainly appear to be a winning combination. For Manny Pacquiao, the Pizza Hut Big Variety Box is “my knockout choice.”

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For more info, log on to www.pizzahut.com.ph. To order, dial 911-11-11 and 1800-10-111-1111 for areas outside Metro Manila.