Bob and Doug Mackenzie for Pizza Hut
Bob and Doug Mackenzie for Pizza Hut
I had just seen “Strange Brew” on VHS when Pizza Hut started running these commercials featuring heroes of the Great White North, Bob & Doug Mackenzie. My friends and I were smitten with the film and were hungry for more Bob and Doug, so the timing was perfect for Bob and Doug Mackenzie for Pizza Hut ads.
In fact, these commercials are probably what drove us to seek out the comedy shows SCTV. Where the duo originated. We wanted to see more of these characters and while we had seen glimpses of the show in late-night, but we needed something to drive us to seek it more actively.
These ads seem largely improvised and Moranis and Thomas, as usual, are hilarious. They did a few of these award-winning commercials, both in 1984 and another in 1986. I am curious if Pizza Hut saw an uptick in sales as a result of these ads? How much of the pizza-consuming audience was even aware of the characters? If I had not seen them on TV in New Jersey as a kid, I would guess that they were targeted for a Canadian market. Or at least a market closer to Canada that had greater exposure to the characters.
Not sure I will ever know. Nor does it matter. Because now we have some great Bob and Doug Mackenzie for Pizza Hut ads as a result of this campaign. Here are three of them for your viewing pleasure.