Pizza Hut is trying to capitalize on the March Madness buzz in a unique way.
The pizza chain, which enters into a co-marketing deal with the NCAA this year, has announced that it created 64 pairs of "Pie Tops" shoes that are capable of ordering pizza.
The shoes, which were designed by Shoe Surgeon, use Bluetooth technology and geolocation to allow wearers to press a button on the shoe's tongue to order a pizza. Pushing that button opens a Pie Tops app that then places your pizza order, according to AdWeek.
These shoes were made for a special March Madness giveaway and won't be sold to the public, which is really too bad. Ad agency Droga5 came up with the idea.
The 64 pairs of shoes match the 64 teams that will make the NCAA tournament field. They will be given to "influencers and people in the media," while some will go to regular, pizza-loving people like you and me. Pizza Hut recruited former NBA star Grant Hill for an ad, which you can see above.
"As far as we know, this has never been done before," David Daniels, a VP of marketing at Pizza Hut owner Yum Brands, told AdWeek. "We feel it's highly culturally relevant. Sneakers are hot."
This is just the latest nontraditional way to order pizza from Pizza Hut. You can also use Facebook Messenger, Twitter, Alexa devices, and even an Xbox 360 app to do so as well.
March Madness begins on March 14.