March Madness isn’t just a college basketball tournament anymore—it’s a full-blown cultural event, a dopamine-drenched few weeks where millions are emotionally tethered to every dunk, upset, and busted bracket. And while the games dominate big screens, the real action is often happening on the smaller ones in our hands.
This year, Pizza Hut didn’t just sponsor the moment—they inserted themselves right into the second-screen experience. Enter Hutty, a charming little digital sidekick powered by Meta AI, living natively inside Instagram. It’s not an app. It’s not a clunky web form. It’s something smarter: a fun, fast, totally non-intrusive layer built right into how people already consume sports.
With Hutty, Pizza Hut delivers game-time banter, spicy hot takes, personalized discount codes, and, yes, a chance to win a full year of free pizza. It’s second-screen engagement done right—smart, entertaining, and perfectly timed.
Why Second-Screen Engagement Isn’t Optional Anymore
Let’s talk numbers. According to Pizza Hut’s own research, a whopping 69% of March Madness viewers are double-screening—watching the game on TV and scrolling their phones. Of those, 64% are engaging on social media. That’s not a fluke. That’s a shift.
Instead of dropping millions on prime-time ad slots, Pizza Hut asked the question every brand should be asking: How do we show up where the fans already are?
Instagram was the obvious answer. It’s where fans are DMing their bracket wins (or mourning their losses), sharing memes, and soaking in the chaos in real time. And right in the middle of that swirl sits Hutty—waiting in the bio, one tap away from chatting.
Once inside, it’s like texting a sports-savvy friend who also happens to work at Pizza Hut. You get rapid-fire reactions, sly commentary on those last-second threes, and promo codes that show up precisely when your snack cravings peak. It doesn’t feel like a promotion. It feels like participation.
That’s the magic of second-screen engagement: it’s not about pushing ads. It’s about creating a presence that actually adds to the moment.
Turning Viewers Into Participants
Watching a game isn’t passive anymore. We’re live-tweeting bad ref calls, updating fantasy scores, and FaceTiming our reactions to that wild comeback in the fourth quarter. Second-screen engagement doesn’t just ride that wave—it amplifies it.
Hutty leans into this chaos. It talks like a fan, jokes like a meme account, and somehow still reminds you that you could be eating pizza right now. It’s not just human—it’s timely. And in a sea of sterile chatbot experiences, that makes all the difference.
This isn’t about gimmicks. It’s about resonance. Pizza Hut didn’t just market to fans; it joined them. That subtle difference is what makes this campaign land. Because in 2025, relevance means being with your audience, not just being seen by them.
Lessons for Brands, Big and Small
Pizza Hut might have scale, but this marketing strategy isn’t exclusive to giants. Second-screen engagement is a tool available to anyone paying attention. Entrepreneurs, indie creators, niche brands—you can all tap into this.
Here’s the playbook:
- Go where your people are: If they’re scrolling Instagram, don’t drag them to your app. Show up in their feed.
- Offer value: A laugh, a discount, a timely nudge. Your presence has to do something.
- Sound human: Drop the corporate script. Embrace emojis, slang, even some memes. People connect with personality, not polish.
- Stay current: Hitch your strategy to live events, cultural moments, or trending topics. You’re not creating attention from scratch—you’re joining an existing party.
When done well, second-screen engagement doesn’t feel like marketing. It feels like a good time.
The Shift Is Already Here
Here’s what’s wild: nearly 7 in 10 viewers are using a phone while watching TV. That’s not a distraction—it’s an invitation. A door cracked open, waiting for a smart, contextual, well-timed brand to walk through.
Pizza Hut walked in with confidence. Hutty didn’t just offer pizza—it offered a presence. During March Madness, a notoriously solo-viewed event, it gave people a reason to connect, laugh, and engage.
That’s the true power of second-screen engagement. It doesn’t chase attention. It earns it.
What Comes Next
In this noisy, fast-scrolling world, standing out isn’t about shouting louder. It’s about showing up smarter.
Pizza Hut’s Hutty is a blueprint for what happens when a brand meets its moment. It’s playful, relevant, and deeply woven into how people actually experience sports now. Not through billboards. Through DMs. Through memes. Through shared moments on a second screen.
So whether you’re launching a side hustle, running a startup, or managing a legacy brand—don’t sleep on this. Second-screen engagement is no longer an edge. It’s a requirement.
And hey—if you can serve up some pizza while you’re at it? Even better.
FAQs
- Why did Pizza Hut use Instagram for Hutty?
Because that’s where fans already are—scrolling, sharing, and reacting. It’s not about creating a new platform. It’s about meeting people in their current digital rhythm. - What makes Hutty different from a traditional ad?
It’s reactive, conversational, and entertaining. Hutty doesn’t interrupt the game—it joins the party. That makes it feel more like a friend and less like a sales pitch. - Can smaller brands do second-screen engagement too?
Absolutely. You don’t need AI or a national campaign. You need timing, relevance, and a human voice. Meet people where they are, and offer them something worth engaging with.