Shareability, “the first full service brand agency to focus exclusively on YouTube” launched a mock-PSA spot for Pizza Hut entitled “The Dangers of Selfie Sticks.”
The spot offers support for “egotastic specimens of visual self-obsession” and the growing threat posed to them by selfie sticks, “creating the illusion that other objects, places and even people exist.” This is worsened by the trend of selfie sticks continuing to grow in size, posing a physical danger to its users and those around them. The spot contains little overt branding, limited to a Pizza Hut delivery guy bringing two-foot-long Big Flavor Dipper pizzas to a party and the concluding line that “Pizza Hut is a supporter of those suffering from selfie stick abuse.”
“A lot of brands say they want to create shareable content but really what they want to do is make a traditional commercial go viral,” Shareability co-founder Tim Staples told Adweek. “Smart brands understand that you need to give the audience a valuable piece of content and then attach their brand in a clever and subtle way. Pizza Hut is a smart brand. The goal of this video is to start a conversation, not beat people over the head with a product message.”