Hell Pizza
Encyclopedia
Hell Pizza is a New Zealand
-based pizza
chain. Hell began in New Zealand in 1996 next to Victoria University
, and has expanded within New Zealand and to the UK, Australia, Ireland ,Canada and Korea.
There are currently 64 stores nationwide in New Zealand. Since arriving to the UK in 2006, Hell have opened a pilot store in Fulham, as well as two franchisee operated stores in Clapham and Shepherds Bush, all in London. Australia has opened two stores in South-east Queensland. Hell also opened its first stores in Dublin, Ireland, and Vancouver, Canada, in 2009 and in India in 2010.
The pilot store for Hell Pizza was called "The Pizza Place", it opened in Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt, New Zealand two years prior to the Hell Pizza brand being established.
In July 2010 the Hell Pizza customer database was cracked, affecting over 230,000 customers.
The company is notable for its humorous advertising and for being the first company in New Zealand to offer online pizza ordering, in 1996. Their logo, and their pizzas, are used on the Sporting Hell segment on the television show Pulp Sport
.
Hell Pizza has had a number of complaints about its advertising.
s. They said that "while the primary aim of the campaign is to promote our LUST pizza, let's not forget that promoting the use of condoms has important public benefits such as sexual education, the prevention of pregnancy and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections".
Within days, groups such as Family Life International
, Focus on the Family
and the Catholic Church
had lodged complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority
(ASA). The Family First Lobby
said Hell has "crossed the line of what is decent and acceptable advertising material to be put in letterboxes of families". In addition there were complaints that the packaging contained "explicit instructions", though these are the typical instructions that come with condoms.
was felt to be mocking of Christianity and deemed offensive. The ASA ruled that there were no grounds to take any action on the complaint since "it did not reach the threshold to be likely to cause serious or widespread offence".
man for $5001, after the online auction website Trademe
withdrew his attempt to sell it there.
, Heath Ledger
, and the Queen Mother
, dancing on gravestones. The apology was to Hillary's family, which complained the ad was in "extremely poor taste". The ad was withdrawn from the company website on 3 November.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
-based pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
chain. Hell began in New Zealand in 1996 next to Victoria University
Victoria University of Wellington
Victoria University of Wellington was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a former constituent college of the University of New Zealand. It is particularly well known for its programmes in law, the humanities, and some scientific disciplines, but offers a broad range of other courses...
, and has expanded within New Zealand and to the UK, Australia, Ireland ,Canada and Korea.
History
Hell Pizza International is owned by Warren Powell, Callum Davies and Stu McMullin. In 2006, Hell sold the New Zealand Master Franchise rights to Tasman Foods (NZ master franchisee for Burger King) for NZ$15,000,000 and aimed to expand to the UK. The NZ Master Franchise rights were purchased back from Tasman Foods in 2009.There are currently 64 stores nationwide in New Zealand. Since arriving to the UK in 2006, Hell have opened a pilot store in Fulham, as well as two franchisee operated stores in Clapham and Shepherds Bush, all in London. Australia has opened two stores in South-east Queensland. Hell also opened its first stores in Dublin, Ireland, and Vancouver, Canada, in 2009 and in India in 2010.
The pilot store for Hell Pizza was called "The Pizza Place", it opened in Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt, New Zealand two years prior to the Hell Pizza brand being established.
In July 2010 the Hell Pizza customer database was cracked, affecting over 230,000 customers.
Marketing
The Hell theme is used throughout - for instance:- Seven of the pizzas are named after the seven deadly sinsSeven deadly sinsThe 7 Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of objectionable vices that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin...
. - The dessert and drinks sections on their menu are named ambrosiaAmbrosiaIn ancient Greek mythology, ambrosia is sometimes the food or drink of the Greek gods , often depicted as conferring ageless immortality upon whoever consumes it...
and nectar respectively. - The stores have custom wallpaper, lava lights, flaming seats and wicked chandeliers
- The large pizza boxes have a cut-out of a coffin, "for your remains."
- The anti-litter message on the box says to "dispose of the evidence."
- The phone number (0800 666 111 in NZ and 08456 666 999 in the UK) carries the message "go to hell (666Number of the BeastThe Number of the Beast is a term in the Book of Revelation, of the New Testament, that is associated with the first Beast of Revelation chapter 13, the Beast of the sea. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of the Beast is...
) for an emergency (1111-1-1111 is the emergency telephone number in New Zealand. It was first implemented in Masterton and Carterton on 29 September 1958, and was progressively rolled out nationwide with the last exchanges converting in 1988...
, 999)."
The company is notable for its humorous advertising and for being the first company in New Zealand to offer online pizza ordering, in 1996. Their logo, and their pizzas, are used on the Sporting Hell segment on the television show Pulp Sport
Pulp Sport
Pulp Sport was a TV show filmed in New Zealand, that mixes sport with various styles of comedy. The hosts Jamie Linehan and Ben Boyce act under their respective pseudonyms Bill and Ben, performing a half hour of various sports based skits...
.
Hell Pizza has had a number of complaints about its advertising.
Condom advertising
On 31 October 2006 Hell announced through a press release it would be promoting its "Lust" pizza by distributing 170,000 branded condomCondom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s. They said that "while the primary aim of the campaign is to promote our LUST pizza, let's not forget that promoting the use of condoms has important public benefits such as sexual education, the prevention of pregnancy and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections".
Within days, groups such as Family Life International
Family Life International (New Zealand)
Family Life International is an independent Roman Catholic and pro-life organisation based in Auckland, New Zealand. Although it initially had close ties with the US based group Human Life International, FLI no longer has any official relationship, or connection to Human Life International...
, Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
and the Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
had lodged complaints with the Advertising Standards Authority
Advertising Standards Authority (New Zealand)
The Advertising Standards Authority is an organisation that investigates breaches of advertising standards in New Zealand.In 2008 there is a total of $2.3 billion spent on advertising in New Zealand. These advertisements attracted 671 complaints to the ASA with 153 being upheld or settled...
(ASA). The Family First Lobby
Family First New Zealand
Family First New Zealand is a conservative advocacy group in New Zealand.It formed in March 2006 with former Radio Rhema talkback host and South Auckland social worker Bob McCoskrie as the National Director...
said Hell has "crossed the line of what is decent and acceptable advertising material to be put in letterboxes of families". In addition there were complaints that the packaging contained "explicit instructions", though these are the typical instructions that come with condoms.
Mocking of Christianity
A radio advertisement that featured a humorous conversation about HellHell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
was felt to be mocking of Christianity and deemed offensive. The ASA ruled that there were no grounds to take any action on the complaint since "it did not reach the threshold to be likely to cause serious or widespread offence".
"Selling your soul"
The expression "sell your soul" was used in flyers, the company website and in television and radio advertising. It attracted a complaint to the ASA on the grounds of being "This flippant attitude towards something that many New Zealand citizens ... believed to be significant and consequential..." The ASA ruled that there were no grounds to proceed about the complaint since it is a common saying and recognised to be dark and satirical. Hell also purchased the soul of a 24-year-old WanganuiWanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
man for $5001, after the online auction website Trademe
TradeMe
Trade Me is the largest Internet-auction website operating in New Zealand. Managed by Trade Me Ltd the site was founded in 1999 by New Zealand entrepreneurSam Morgan who sold it to Fairfax in 2006 for NZ$700 million...
withdrew his attempt to sell it there.
Halloween dead celebrities
In November 2008, while under management from Tasman Foods, Hell Pizza New Zealand apologised for an advertisement featuring skeletal remains of Sir Edmund HillaryEdmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE , was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest – see Timeline of climbing Mount Everest...
, Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger
Heath Andrew Ledger was an Australian television and film actor. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger moved to the United States in 1998 to develop his film career...
, and the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
, dancing on gravestones. The apology was to Hillary's family, which complained the ad was in "extremely poor taste". The ad was withdrawn from the company website on 3 November.