Hell Pizza's advertising campaigns are... often risky. Photo / Supplied
Hell Pizza's advertising campaigns are... often risky. Photo / Supplied
New Zealand Pizza franchise Hell Pizza made a splash earlier this week after telling environmentalist and activist Greta Thunberg to "go to Hell".
The move was in response to Thunberg criticising New Zealand and Jacinda Ardern's climate crisis efforts.
Hell's edgy campaign, which promotes the company's 100 per cent carbon neutral deliveries around Wellington, went viral for its rather public calling out of the 18-year-old.
Hell had also tried to secure a large billboard in Stockholm, but the joke was missed, and was turned down for being too "offensive".
But it's not the first time Hell Pizza has made headlines for controversial or offensive advertising.
Since their opening in 1996, Hell has pushed the boundaries in advertising which has seen it overstep the line not only in terms of taste, but also on occasion fall foul of advertising standards.
If you think its Thunberg dig was edgy, here's a list of some of its most offensive, or at very least risky advertising stunts from over the years.
Hell Pizza's controversial Hitler billboard campaign
The 2009 offending Hell Pizza Hitler billboard. Photo / Supplied
In 2009, Hell Pizza chain removed one of its billboards after it had a picture of Hitler saluting with a pizza slice after receiving complaints from the Jewish community.
The Nazi leader was shown in a Heil Hitler salute with pizza in his hand, next to his quote: "It is possible to make people believe that heaven is hell."
Some of the offending billboards were replaced with the chain's famous-quotes campaign – Pope Benedict saying "Hell is real and eternal".
In a statement at the time, Hell said: "We hoped we could get away with people seeing Hitler with a piece of pizza would be funny.
"We do recognise there were some horrendous things done and if people are not seeing it as lampooning, we are dealing with a slightly different animal and we will back down."
Hell Pizza sorry for 'misfortune' transgender cookie
In 2011, Hell Pizza dramatically misread the room after including the message "you will marry a transgender" in its "misfortune" cookies.
Hell Pizza removed the slogan from its next batch of cookies, saying: "Wow, you go away for a weekend and step back into a maelstrom. Guys, you're right and we've seen the light on this one. We agree that we may have inadvertently hurt some of our greatest advocates and for that we unreservedly apologise. We like to be irreverent and cheeky but we realise we stepped over a line on this one."
One customer's complaint read: "Rick rolls? Fine. Ragging on politicians and other public figures? Fine. But demeaning an extremely vulnerable sector of our population? That's pretty s**t, Hells, and I'm really disappointed to find that your company is promoting bigotry under an oh-so-thin veneer of 'humour'."
The message hasn't featured since.
Clever marketing or a bad buzz? Hell Pizza's X-rated Valentine's Day move
Hell Pizza continued its tradition of controversy with a Valentine's Day campaign giving away adult toys with online orders in 2020. Photo / Supplied
Clever marketing? Or a bad buzz?
In 2020 Hell Pizza continued its tradition of controversy with a Valentine's Day campaign giving away adult toys with online orders.
Online customers aged 18 and older who ordered at least one double pizza through the Hell Pizza app were able to opt in to receiving a bullet vibrator with their order.
The campaign was part of a collaboration with Adult Toy Megastore.
"We are expecting some discussion around the promo, as it's likely to resonate with different people for different reasons, but we hope and expect the dialogue to be light- hearted and mature," a spokesperson for the company said.
"Those people who enjoy it can enjoy it, and those who don't needn't worry about it."
Mammoth backlash after mass Lust Pizza condom drop off
In 2006, the company launched the most hated New Zealand ad campaign in history when it dropped about 170,000 condoms in New Zealand letterboxes as part of a promotion for its Lust pizza.
That campaign ultimately attracted more than 600 complaints - a record that continues to stand today.
ASA chief executive Hilary Souter notes that what made the campaign so contentious was that it was essentially unaddressed mail being dropped into letterboxes around the country.
Hell Pizza has latched onto the 'unruly tourists' bandwagon. Photo / Getty Images
Ah the Unruly Tourists. They were the biggest news story in New Zealand for months, and Hell Pizza didn't miss an opportunity to jump in on the action.
In 2019, a billboard at Victoria Park trumpeted the limited edition "Unruly Tourist Pizza".
But it was not for the faint of heart.
A disclaimer under the name of the new pizza warned potential buyers that the pizza "may contain hair and ants".
It was a direct reference to excuses used by the notorious tourists to avoid paying for meals when eating at restaurants.
However, the pizza did come with an important and highly specific condition:
"Terms and conditions: Only available to notorious families of rabble rousers who have stolen a rope, trashed a beach, and received a deportation notice in the last seven days. @John Johnson, drop in to any branch of Hell in New Zealand to redeem your prize."
In a statement, Hell said: "The last seven days has seen the most egregious violation of New Zealand sovereignty in living memory, as a roving band of ne'er-do-wells has instigated a string of outrageous incidents across this fair nation.
"They trashed a beach, threatened people with violence, engaged in petty theft, even dined and dashed from respectable restaurants (and a Burger King).
"Hell Pizza, not content to sit on the sidelines, has decided to join the conversation."
Several complaints over a Hell Pizza billboard inspired by a dog-eating Tongan man were upheld.
The company's billboard, advertising the fast food chain's brownie cake, appeared on Albert St in Auckland city in 2009.
It featured an image of a man biting into a piece of cake and the statement "At least our brownies won't eat your pet dog", a reference to south Auckland man Paea Taufa who killed and barbecued his pet pitbull terrier-cross in Mangere.
The Advertising Standards Authority received several complaints regarding the billboard.
In response to the complaints, Hell Pizza at the time said it did not see any problem with the advertisement.
"We basically thought it was a funny, light-hearted look at us as a society," the company said.
"We do not believe for one second that the billboard was racist in any way whatsoever."
Hell Pizza takes fireworks off the menu
Hell no longer sells fireworks with its pizza. Photo / Supplied
In 2018, Hell took pyrotechnics off the menu, despite the pizza-firework combos being a top seller, following calls for social responsibility.
The franchise chain had been selling its "Hellfire" pizza, which came with a side of fireworks, in the lead up to and on Guy Fawkes Night since 2013.
Hell Pizza said the flaming deal was introduced to offer customers a whole night's worth of entertainment.
"We were the first company, and only company, to deliver fireworks to people's houses.
"We know it has created a lot of enjoyment but this year we have listened to a lot more negative feedback from the public with really legitimate concerns, mainly around safety of animals and anti-social behaviour, so balancing all of that in light of the feedback we feel it is the right thing to do and move on."
People using fireworks irresponsibly and the distress they can cause for horses and other pets was the deciding factor to take them off the menu.
"There's always been that risk with fireworks and we've always had a bit of feedback about it but it does seem to be growing a lot. We've decided we can't ignore it, we have to listen to our customers and what people want from our company."
Hell Pizza in trouble over fake meat stunt
In 2019, Hell Pizza came under fire after it sold more than 3000 of its new Burger Pizzas, with most customers not realising its burger-like topping was made of Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat alternative.
Hell reckoned the stunt was a great marketing ploy but some customers claimed they had been lied to - and raised concerns they may have been unwittingly exposed to allergens.
The Ministry for Primary Industries stepped in, saying after several complaints it spoke to Hell Pizza about "the importance of consumers being aware of ingredients so they can make informed decisions".
These included knowing whether there were allergens in their food. Beyond Meat's website warns that pea protein, one of the product's main components, could pose a risk for people who are allergic to peanuts.
"Peas are legumes," the website says. "People with severe allergies to legumes like peanuts should be cautious when introducing pea protein into their diet because of the possibility of a pea allergy."
Dr Bodo Lang, head of marketing at the University of Auckland, said there was a chance the stunt had also breached the Fair Trading Act, which forbids "misleading and deceptive conduct" including selling in a way that is "liable to mislead the public as to the nature ... of goods".
"If you're saying 'Burger', I think the vast majority of people would say burger means hamburger and hamburger means beef," Lang said.
