Pizza Pizza's World Cup box turns your table into a playing field
Limited-edition "Pitch Party" pizza box doubles as a tabletop soccer game—no FIFA branding required.
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Pizza Pizza is playing it clever with the World Cup this month. The chain has kitted out its party-sized pizza box to resemble a regulation soccer field, complete with two miniature nets. Slice the pie, and you've got a game.
The box contains no ball—but as the promotional images suggest, a Coke bottle cap works fine. The only interruption to play is hunger.
What's notable is what's missing from the packaging: the words "FIFA" or "World Cup" don't appear anywhere. Pizza Pizza is not an official event sponsor, and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association is notoriously protective of its trademarks. A Toronto cannabis shop learned that lesson the hard way, receiving a cease-and-desist for selling bongs that resembled the World Cup trophy.
Toronto bars and restaurants have expressed frustration at what they see as the absurdity of being forced to use generic language like "Game Day" or "Soccer's Biggest Tournament" instead of the event's actual name. But creative workarounds have become part of the fun—especially for Pizza Pizza's marketing team, which has made a name for itself with weird and wonderful campaigns. The chain previously sold a Buzz Off Pizza with supposed mosquito-repelling properties and promoted zero-per-cent-cannabis "4/20 pre-rolls" alongside a now-famous dip roller.
Whoever heads the brand's marketing department is the real champion here.