A national survey recently conducted by Pizza Hut reveals American consumers have varying definitions of and preferences for all things “ultimate.” But what these 1,200 Americans have in common, according to the results of the “The Pizza Hut Ultimate Survey,” is the strong opinion of what “ultimate” means, particularly when it comes to food.
Defining “Ultimate”
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The Pizza Hut Ultimate Survey was conducted in conjunction with the national launch of the Ultimate Lover’s Pizzas to help Pizza Hut understand what Americans define as “ultimate” in a variety of areas, including food.
- An overwhelming 63 percent of Americans said a family member would be the ultimate person to share a pizza with. Their second choice was President George W. Bush (13 percent), followed by Oprah Winfrey (10 percent), Britney Spears (9 percent) and Michael Jackson (5 percent).
- Thirty-eight percent cited pepperoni as the ultimate pizza topping, with plain cheese trailing at 23 percent, followed by sausage topping and vegetable topping tying for third place at 17 percent each.
- When asked what the ultimate splurge would be, 34 percent of Americans said it would be a new car, closely followed by 29 percent dreaming of a trip to an exotic destination, while 24 percent wished for a shopping spree. Only nine percent chose to splurge on state-of-the-art electronic equipment and a mere four percent were tempted by fine jewelry.
- Echo Boomers (ages 18-24) more often considered their mothers to be the ultimate person in their lives (22 percent) compared to their fathers (6 percent). In contrast, respondents 25 and older cited their husbands and wives nearly equally at 25 and 24 percent, respectively.
- When asked where the ultimate vacation destination would be, 41 percent said a secluded tropical resort would be their choice. Nearly a quarter of the Americans surveyed (24 percent) chose touring Europe as their second choice while a trip to Disney World tied for third with an action-packed safari at 14 percent and snow skiing was the destination of choice for only three percent.
“American consumers — not surprisingly — put a strong emphasis on meeting their personal preferences. The survey results are consistent with other consumer research we’ve conducted,” said Larry Dykstra, vice president, consumer insights, Pizza Hut®. “We know they define ‘ultimate’ in a very personal and individual way, particularly with food. The great thing about pizza is the ability for consumers to choose their crust and toppings to make what they’d consider their ‘ultimate pizza.”
Interestingly, the results of The Pizza Hut Ultimate Survey illustrate that today’s generation of 18 to 24 year-olds are called Echo Boomers for good reason; all but one of their top survey choices identically ‘echoed’ those of the respondents 25 years and older who were mostly in the Baby Boomer age group.
Where did Echo Boomers differ in opinion? When asked about their ultimate food of choice, Echo Boomers identified pizza as their top choice, while those 25 years old and older opted for steak.
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By GlobalData“Consumers want to know they’re getting the greatest — ultimate — value from their food dollars,” notes Dykstra. “Dollar for dollar, quality, value and taste are key ingredients for everyone, but when it comes to defining the ‘ultimate,’ it becomes a very personal definition.”
Pizza Hut has made its signature Lover’s Line® pizzas “Ultimate” by adding a special six-cheese blend and a garlic-cheese-herb seasoning to the already abundant over-the-top toppings. Ultimate Lover’s Pizzas are available in Ultimate Pepperoni Lover’s®, stacked with two layers of pepperoni and six cheeses; Ultimate Meat Lover’s®, boasting six types of meat toppings and six cheeses; Ultimate Veggie Lover’s®, topped with five types of garden veggies and six cheeses; and Ultimate Cheese Lover’s, the pizza all about cheese. Ultimate Lover’s Pizzas can be ordered on a choice of three different crust types including Pan Pizza, Thin ‘N Crispy® pizza and Hand-Tossed Style Pizza.
All fall Pizza Hut is giving Americans what they want — the ultimate pizza at an unbelievable price of $8.99, medium, that’s perfect to share with family members at home.
About “The Pizza Hut® Ultimate Survey”
“The Pizza Hut Ultimate Survey” was conducted from October 19 through October 22 by KRC Research and Consulting, among 1,200 Americans. Of those surveyed, 324 were aged 18-24 and 876 were aged 25 and over. Within these age groups, the sample consisted of a representative cross-section of gender, age, income, education level and race. The margin of error for the 18-24 sample is +/- 5.5 percent, and for the over 25 sample +/- 3.3 percent.
About Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut Inc., a subsidiary of Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), is the world’s largest pizza restaurant company with almost 8,000 units in the United States and more than 4,000 units in 88 countries. The company is the recognized leader in the $25 billion pizza category. Those hungry for more information can go to the official Pizza Hut Web site at www.pizzahut.com or its value-added micro-site, www.PH899.com .
The Pizza Hut Ultimate Survey Results
About “The Pizza Hut Ultimate Survey”
“The Pizza Hut Ultimate Survey” was conducted from October 19 through October 22 by KRC Research and Consulting, among 1,200 Americans. Of those polled, 324 were aged 18-24 and 876 were aged 25 and over. Within these age groups, the sample consisted of a representative cross-section of gender, age, income, education level and race. The margin of error for the 18-24 sample is +/- 5.5 percent, and for the over 25 sample +/- 3.3 percent. All numbers are percentages and may not add up to 100 due to rounding or refusals.
Who is the ultimate person to share a pizza with? (closed-ended question)
18-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 Over 65 25 and up
A family member 58 55 67 70 69 61
George W. Bush 7 17 13 14 17 14
Oprah 6 14 12 9 7 10
Britney Spears 17 10 4 3 5 5
Michael Jackson 7 7 3 1 0 2
What is the ultimate pizza topping? (closed-ended question)
18-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 Over 65 25 and up
Truckloads of
pepperoni 39 45 36 32 43 38
Plain ‘Ol Cheese 34 20 19 19 24 20
Smothered ‘n
Sausage 11 14 22 22 14 19
Good for ya veggie 15 18 19 19 9 17
What would your ultimate splurge be? (closed-ended question)
18-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 Over 65 25 and up
New Car 31 30 31 42 36 34
Trip to an exotic
destination 23 32 38 21 20 29
A shopping spree 30 22 19 24 25 21
State-of-the-art
electronic
equipment 11 13 5 6 6 7
Exquisite Jewelry 4 2 6 2 5 4
What destination would be your ultimate vacation? (closed-ended question)
18-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 Over 65 25 and up
Secluded tropical
resort 42 37 46 38 24 36
Touring through
Europe 24 25 22 25 26 24
Exploring Disney
World 12 14 15 15 20 16
Action-packed
safari 12 21 11 11 6 9
Hitting the ski
slopes 5 2 3 1 6 3
What is your ultimate food? (open-ended question)
18-24 25 and Over
Pizza 17 10
Steak 8 13
Pasta – Spaghetti, Lasagna etc. 9 3
Chicken 7 7
Seafood – Lobster, fish etc. 5 7
Who is the ultimate person in your life? (open-ended question)
18-24 25 and Over
Mother 22 7
Father 6 3
Husband 10 25
Wife 16 24
Boyfriend/Girlfriend 10 3
Son/Daughter 7 11
Jesus/God 5 8
