Pizza Hut pushed Italian pride, tradition, and passports to the limit with new pasta range.
DUBAI, UAE, Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Pizza Hut has just launched pasta. Yes, the same Pizza Hut that Italy frowns upon has now taken on another Italian classic. The kind that's creamy, cheesy, loaded with sauce, and blatantly breaks every Italian rule in the book. So, before unveiling their new pasta, they dared to challenge an entire nation, defy centuries of tradition, and actually get approval for it. By Italians. Kind of.
But the brand knew what they were getting into. Traditional Italians would never agree to this culinary crime. Not the Giuseppes, not the Francescas, and definitely not their Nonnas. So, Pizza Hut did what they do best, they got creative. They turned to other Italians. Those who've been born and raised in countries like Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Japan and so on - who hold the Italian passport, but welcome contemporary twists on Italian food.. It was the perfect setup for a social experiment disguised as a taste test, designed to test the limits of tradition.
The result is an experiment that features two very different groups:
Traditional Italians who guard their cuisine like it's sacred, and the non-traditional Italians who are open to bending the rules.
Both were served Pizza Hut's gloriously un-Italian pasta. And their reactions were caught on film. The result? Some delight, some raised eyebrows, and loads of debate.
The experiment didn't just test a recipe, it tested Italian identity. Created by Publicis Middle East, the campaign exposes the irony of a brand that doesn't even exist in Italy gets approval of "legitimate" Italians. They broke rules, tradition, and Italian pride.
Ahmad Hasan, Marketing Manager at Pizza Hut Middle East, says of the idea:
"We know our pasta isn't what most would call conventional. But that's what Pizza Hut is all about. Instead of hiding from it, we took it head-on. And it worked! Challenging something as sacred as Italian pasta felt like the natural next step for a brand that's never played it safe (as you've all seen on our pizzas). We've always built our menu by doing what others wouldn't, and proving that great taste doesn't have to follow the rules. That's why none of our menu items do."
But the experiment was only the beginning of the campaign. They later expanded into a short documentary that dives into the emotional tension between the two very different groups of Italians.
On social, Pizza Hut leans into humor and self-awareness by posting the reactions and quotes pulled directly from the shoot, but intentionally taken out of context to create bite-size moments of comedy and gags.
Augusto Correia, Creative Director at Publicis Middle East, says:
"When a brand is brave enough to laugh at itself, that's when people truly connect. It makes the brand feel real and relatable. Honesty is human. Perfection isn't. And perfection never made anyone laugh."
From a one-off taste test, to an experiment, to hilarious content, the campaign is fueled entirely by the clashing personalities and wildly opposing opinions.
But the best part? It's entertaining because it's not really about pasta. It's about identity. In a time when everyone is constantly redefining who they are, watching people defend (or question) what makes them "Italian enough" becomes instantly relatable.
Just goes to show that sometimes, taking a bold step like challenging a group of Italians and their traditions can actually win them over (kind of).
Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXjeRBJ3uUI
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2865427/Pizza_Hut_1.jpg
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2865428/Pizza_Hut_2.jpg
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2865429/Pizza_Hut_3.jpg
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