So, I just saw a commercial for the new Pizza Hut Natural Pizza last night. And I couldn’t help but wonder, “What exactly do they mean by natural?”…

“What does that say about their other pizzas (are they unnatural by default)?”…

And “Is the name “Natural” enough to make increasingly savvy consumers buy it without asking the first two questions?”

Let me first say that I worked in a Pizza Hut for 3 months when I was a teenager. So I have some idea what goes on one of their regular (or should I now say unnatural pizzas?).

And except for the fact that you do get some vegetables on the pies, there really isn’t a whole lot that’s particularly healthy about them. So I have my doubts about this new pie, or their commitment to healthier food. In my mind, Pizza Hut is just trying to jump on healthy food bandwagon.

In the commercial they only mention one organic ingredient—the tomatoes in the sauce. Everything else is just “natural”. So if the veggies and cheese on this pie are “natural”, does that mean the stuff on their other pizzas is plastic? Or genetically modified?

Apparently a few years ago they were brought to task because their mozzarella didn’t have enough cheese in it to meet FDA standards and be called mozzarella…

I can’t say for sure (I searched online, but their most updated ingredient list is almost 2 years old), but I wonder if there are partially hydrogenated oils, preservatives and/or high fructose corn syrup in the whole grain crust, and even the sauce.  Then there’s the partially hydrogenated grease they (probably still) spray use to grease the pizza pans.

Maybe I’m just a jaded marketer. But I am sick and tired of businesses saying their product is one thing, when in fact it is not.

It’s like our current administration with their Healthy Forests Initiative (basically a golden pass to clear cut indiscriminately) and Clear Skies Act (that weakens pollution controls).

Words like natural and healthy are not defined or regulated. So they are really meaningless. In fact, some products with these labels are actually worse for you (just read the ingredients). And these companies know it.

Now, I’m not saying this isn’t a better, healthier Pizza Hut option. All I’m saying is, I’m not going to start eating Pizza Hut just because of this new “natural” pizza.

In my mind, Pizza Hut has never been about healthy eating. And I find it hard to believe they suddenly are now.

There must be a limit to the amount of “bend the meaning” marketing people are going to buy into before they realize it’s a bunch of hooey. Consumers might be lazy, but they aren’t stupid.

In fact, when I did a quick Google search, I found a couple of posts out there already from people questioning the “naturalness” of the pizza. I don’t think savvy consumers are going to be fooled by this.

To me, this is a big lesson for all marketers—regardless of the size of your business. You have to be truthful in your advertising. If you don’t, you might have a ton of sales for awhile. But eventually it’s going to come back and bite you in the butt.

What do you think?

Please leave a comment below…

[tags] natural pizza, pizza, Pizza Hut, marketing, marketing ploy,  healthy pizza, healthier pizza, advertising, truthful advertising [/tags]

I like to watch NW Cable News in the morning while I eat my breakfast. Lately, it seems like every day there is something about the rising cost of gas. Now that it’s about to hit $4.00 in some places people are finally starting to realize that when oil costs $100 bucks a barrel, everything costs more. Not just the gas you put in your car.

The other morning they devoted a segment to the impact it’s having on our daily lives: from driving less, to buying less, to the rising cost of groceries.

Now, I know what I’m going to say next is going to piss some people off, but…

“I am so excited to see gas prices increase this much!”

Before you click away mad, hear me out.

First, I’m happy to admit I’m green through and through. I worked as an environmental educator for the Forest Service for years and I’m a huge outdoors person. I also studied Resource Management in college.

Second, I lived in Europe about 10 years ago, and at the time gas was easily $4.00 a gallon. People dealt with it. And they lived much healthier, more environmentally-friendly lives because they walked more and bought less.

Third, thanks to subsidies to the oil industry (I won’t get started on that subject), we’ve never paid for the true cost of petroleum. So we treat it like it grows on trees. And as a result we are going to kill ourselves right off the planet.

Finally, we live in a culture ruled by ease and convenience. Until something is painful, we aren’t going to do anything about it. Well, the cost of gas is a pinch in everyone’s pocketbook now. And changes are starting to happen as a result (still too slowly for my taste, but hey, you gotta start somewhere).

More people are biking and walking. Folks are realizing it’s cheaper to buy locally grown food than pay for shipping it. Cities are pushing for stricter standards in buildings and emissions. And people are spending less.

What does this have to do with you, the entrepreneur? Regardless of what industry you’re in, rising fuel costs are going to impact your business.

Maybe people won’t buy because they think you sell a luxury… Or they don’t want to make the drive…Or your costs (and prices) go up.

The big questions then are…

How is all this going to impact your business?

And what are you going to do about it?

Because you are likely going to have do, or change, something.

My suggestion is to invest time and money into creating really effective, well-thought-out marketing. Here’s why…

1) Changing the look, feel, message and voice of your marketing is the easiest way to change people’s perception of your product or service from luxury to necessity.

2) Changing your marketing tactics can also make your products and services more convenient to use.

I started creating and selling downloadable products, and offering teleseminars and phone consulting, so my clients can have access to me from the comfort of their home or office.

By offering people tons of practical, useful information for free and at a low cost through my Website, e-newsletter and blog (low-cost online marketing), they don’t hesitate to pay more for certain products, workshops or teleseminars. Because they know they’re going to get value.

3) Speaking of…The right marketing can also help you sell your products or services based on value, not price. Which is what you really want when everyone is counting their pennies.

So back to my earlier questions:

How is all this going to impact your business?

And what are you going to do about it?

Let me know…

[tags] marketing, help your small business, marketing your small business, business deal, small business deal, rising gas prices, gas, gas prices [/tags]