Move Over Cupid: Pizza Hut Aims To Heat Up Valentine's Day For #LastMinuteLovers

DALLAS, Feb. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to Valentine's Day shopping, procrastination is the rule, not the exception. On Cupid's highest day many couples forget to purchase gifts symbolizing their love and affection and end up bringing home a stale box of chocolates or the last picked-over card on the shelf.

Enter Pizza Hut. Rather than settle for leftover Valentine's Day gifts, pizza lovers are invited to tweet @PizzaHut using the hashtag #LastMinuteLovers with a plea to receive one of 24 daily limited edition Last Minute Lovers Packages from Pizza Hut. Included in the package, consumers have the opportunity to receive one bottle of the famous fragrance,  Eau de Pizza Hut, and a $20 Pizza Hut gift card – which can be used to order a Lover's® Pizza or the newest innovation from Pizza Hut, Big Pizza Sliders – either one sure to heat up a special Valentine's Day dinner.  The promotion runs Monday, Feb. 11 through Wednesday, Feb. 13. Last Minute Lovers gift packages will be mailed to arrive on Valentine's Day.

"Valentine's Day gifts need to show your significant other how much they are appreciated, and our limited edition Lovers Packages are the perfect solution," said Kurt Kane, CMO, Pizza Hut. "Eau de Pizza Hut is one of the most sought-after and rarest of scents available. Our Big Pizza Sliders are the breakthrough pizza creation on everyone's must-have list and our Lover's line of pizzas contain some of our most popular items of all time. Last year we celebrated love in the form of proposals; this year we are honoring couples and helping them spend time together over a pizza from Pizza Hut."

According to a 2012 study by Chicago-based NPD Group, 78% of Cupid's day celebrants admit to purchasing gifts for loved ones a week or less before February 14.  Additionally, 47% of men and 32% of women claim to make their purchases on February 13 or 14.ⁱ Pizza Hut offers a solution to make Valentine's Day great with the opportunity to escape the last-minute gift buying frenzy and bring home what they really want – a pizza they love (almost) as much as you.

Pizza Hut Loves Love

The new Pizza Hut Big Pizza Sliders include:

• Signature Pizza Hut Pan Pizza dough
• Customizable options of nine to a box for $10 or three for $5
• Three different recipes with up to three toppings each

Pizza Hut offers four Lover's Pizza recipes:

• Ultimate Cheese Lover's™ – Covered in creamy Alfredo sauce and topped with delicious cheeses.
• Pepperoni Lover's® – Layered with extra pepperoni plus extra cheese for a pepperoni in every bite.
• Meat Lover's® – Loaded with pepperoni, ham, beef, bacon and sausage.
• Veggie Lover's® – Packed with five veggies, including fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, red onions, green peppers, and black olives.

*People living outside the 48 contiguous U.S. and D.C. are not eligible to receive the gift package and $20 gift card as part of the #LastMinuteLovers program.  Each day an average of one person per hour will receive the package.

About Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), delivers more pizza, pasta and wings than any other restaurant in the world. The only pizza company to be named a top ten franchise in 2013 by Entrepreneur Magazine, Pizza Hut began 55 years ago in Wichita, Kansas, and today operates more than 10,000 restaurants in more than 90 countries. Pizza Hut also operates nearly 4,000 Wingstreet restaurants. To order online from Pizza Hut, visit PizzaHut.com.

ⁱ NPD.com

SOURCE Pizza Hut