Pizza Hut is rebooting its iconic 'red roof' logo with a retro design
- Pizza Hut is turning back the clock by reintroducing its classic logo.
- The red-roof logo first debuted in 1967, but was deposed in 1999 by a curvier version.
- According to Pizza Hut, the "new" logo celebrates its heritage while giving the brand a fresh look.
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Pizza Hut's newest logo is over half a century old.
In what it says is a nod to its heritage, the popular pizza chain will unveil (or rather, re-unveil?) its retro rebranding through a TV advertising campaign set to launch this week. Pizza fans who ate a slice at the Hut between 1967 and 1999 might recognize it: A straight-lined red roof over the company's name, which is written in bold, blocky lettering.
The current logo (which was introduced in 1999 and updated in 2014) is a more cartoony take, with off-center letters and a tilted roof on what appears to be a splotch of red tomato sauce. That branding will still be used on storefronts.
According to Pizza Hut, the logo switch acknowledges both the pizzeria's past and future. Marianne Radley, Pizza Hut's chief brand officer, told CNN Business, "We felt it was our job to make our creative reflect both the rich legacy of Pizza Hut, as well as nod to where we're headed."
The first Pizza Hut opened in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas. The company frequently led the market until Domino's overtook it in late 2018 as the leading pizza chain based on global retail sales.
This isn't the first time a brand has gone retro. In recent years, companies like Burger King, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola have brought back old packaging and limited-edition products to appeal to nostalgic customers and younger generations yearning for a taste of yesterday.
Netflix recently teamed up with Coca-Cola for a limited revival of a defunct product, New Coke, which appears in the latest season of its hit show "Stranger Things."
Business Insider has reached out to comment from Pizza Hut.