Pizza Hut delivers: a brand lift study for Mars Reel's Skills Challenge
After closing a significant brand partnership with Pizza Hut, Mars Reel wanted to be sure they delivered what they promised. The Skills Challenge, Bdot against Max with a host, had to raise how people saw Pizza Hut and move them to order it for their next carry-out or delivery.
To sweeten the deal, Mars Reel sold a Pilotly brand lift study through at the outset of the campaign.
Three questions came with it. How well does a four-and-a-half-minute branded video land with a sports audience, moment by moment? Does it lift Pizza Hut's favorability and intent to order? And do viewers take away the brand's messages and its March Madness sponsorship?
A room of 319 sports fans
We recruited US viewers aged 13 to 49 who follow sports, at least half of them regular NCAA college basketball watchers: 351 qualified and 319 completed. Inside the room sat three creator audiences, followers of Mars Reel, Bdot and Max, so the partnership could be read on its own.
The test ran in three stages. An 18-question survey set the baseline: sports and media habits, and how people rated Pizza Hut and four rivals. Then everyone watched the full 4:25 video, reacting second by second with Pilotly's sentiment tool. A second 18-question survey closed it out: the rating, recall, the messages, the talent, length and pace, sharing, and the same favorability and intent questions again.
Before, during and after: we strategically place questions where they best fit.
What the room told Pizza Hut
Viewers walked away knowing exactly whose video they had watched. Nearly nine in ten named Pizza Hut on their own, and 93% picked it out of a list. The video also shifted how people felt about the brand, lifting favorability from 53% to 65%. Ordering intent was already strong at 60%, and the content turned that interest into commitment: “definitely will order” climbed 7 points while “probably not” fell by half.
Favorability up 13 points. "Definitely" up 7.
Pizza Hut, before and after viewing
| Metric | before viewing | after viewing | Lift, points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Favorability, top 2 box | 53% | 65% | +13 |
| "Love it" | 32% | 41% | +9 |
| Intent to order, top 2 box | 60% | 66% | +5 |
| "Definitely" will order | 34% | 41% | +7 |
The creator halo
| Metric | All viewers | Mars Reel followers |
|---|---|---|
| Rate the video excellent or very good | 66% | 83% |
| View of Pizza Hut improved | 52% | 81% |
| More likely to order | 52% | 81% |
| Would share it on social | 39% | 75% |
Who watched mattered as much as what they watched. The biggest lifts came from young men, Hispanic and Latino viewers, and college hoops fans. 72% of Hispanic and Latino viewers said their opinion of Pizza Hut improved, versus 44% of white viewers (directional, n=47). Mars Reel’s followers showed up pre-sold at 93% likely to order. What they added was reach: they were more likely to share the video with friends.
75% of Mars Reel followers would share on social, compared to 39% of all viewers.
Second by second: how the room felt
- 1:20 The peak: the first collaborative dunk.
- 1:40 The dip: both players miss their shots.
- 1:50 Back up, Bdot's fans hardest, as the shots land.
- 2:00–3:00 The flat minute: competing, no peaks or dips.
- 3:20, 4:00 The late lift as Bdot pulls ahead and wins.
| Time | All viewers (n=299) | Bdot followers (n=65) | Max followers (n=62) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | +1.5 | +1.7 | +1.6 |
| 0:10 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +0.7 |
| 0:20 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +1.1 |
| 0:30 | +0.9 | +1.6 | +1.2 |
| 0:40 | +1.2 | +1.5 | +1.7 |
| 0:50 | +1.7 | +1.8 | +1.6 |
| 1:00 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +1.0 |
| 1:10 | +1.7 | +1.9 | +1.5 |
| 1:20 | +1.9 | +2.3 | +2.1 |
| 1:30 | +1.0 | +1.4 | +1.4 |
| 1:40 | +0.5 | +1.4 | +1.0 |
| 1:50 | +1.7 | +2.3 | +2.1 |
| 2:00 | +0.9 | +1.4 | +1.2 |
| 2:10 | +1.0 | +1.5 | +1.4 |
| 2:20 | +0.8 | +1.5 | +1.5 |
| 2:30 | +0.6 | +1.0 | +0.8 |
| 2:40 | +1.0 | +1.3 | +0.9 |
| 2:50 | +0.3 | +1.1 | +1.1 |
| 3:00 | +1.5 | +1.2 | +1.2 |
| 3:10 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +1.1 |
| 3:20 | +1.3 | +2.0 | +1.7 |
| 3:30 | +1.0 | +1.4 | +1.2 |
| 3:40 | +1.5 | +1.7 | +1.3 |
| 3:50 | +1.4 | +1.7 | +1.3 |
| 4:00 | +1.8 | +1.5 | +1.4 |
| 4:10 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.8 |
What to change for the next Skills Challenge
Cut to the peaks. Two-thirds said the video runs long, and sentiment flattens from 2:00 to 3:00. Build a 90-second edit around the 1:20, 1:50 and 4:00 peaks, with a 15-second cutdown for social.
67% said it runs long.
Use the creators for reach, then pay to go wider. Followers are pre-sold and share at 75% and up, so seed through Mars Reel, Bdot and Max, then put paid media behind it to reach the broader sports audience, where favorability moved 11 to 13 points.
Favorability moved +11 to +13 in the wider sports audience.
Own the sponsorship, and put the product in play. Only 23% knew Pizza Hut sponsors the NCAA and 14% mentioned March Madness unprompted; P'ZONE and Wings barely registered. Put the official-pizza line on screen, further integrate product into a challenge, and end card with a CTA to order.
Only 23% knew Pizza Hut sponsors the NCAA.
These are just some of the insights Mars Reel delivered to Pizza Hut, wowing their marketing team and helping secure a long-term relationship for future brand work.
Mars Reel x Pizza Hut
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