Creative agency founder calls out Pizza Hut Singapore over 'OG' campaign concept

The founder of creative shop Ballsy has put out a series of bold statements calling on clients to stop “stealing” ideas from creative agencies.

In an image-based LinkedIn post, founder VJ Anand said a “major brand” had recently mistaken its portfolio “as a buffet”.

“It’s okay, we’re flattered you can’t think for yourselves,” the post read.

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The post also invited clients to book a 30-minute consultation where the agency would “open the vault” of its ideas for free, on the condition that execution remains with Ballsy.

The move comes shortly after Anand published another LinkedIn post that drew attention and support from advertising professionals across Singapore and Malaysia. In the post, Anand called out Pizza Hut Singapore over its latest campaign centred around the idea of being an “OG”.

The campaign video, which was launched yesterday, rolled out with a theme around “OG of good times”. The short clip featured various groups of people enjoying Pizza Hut together across different social settings.

According to Anand, Ballsy had pitched the “OG” concept to the brand earlier this year. He claimed the client appeared impressed and had expressed interest in working with the agency, post the presentation. However, the partnership did not come to light as Pizza Hut was already tied to another agency partner.

Anand also attached details from the agency’s presentation deck to the post.

“They never had the OG in the brief. It’s just annoying when clients do this to us. We are small. Every presentation and idea is important for us. We need all the support we can get, yet a brand as legendary as this does it to us,” he said.

He added that he hopes such practices will stop within the industry and urged advertising professionals to “call out things like these”. At the time of publishing, the post has over 270 likes and support and 47 comments.

Anand also put out a follow-up post not long after, adding that the agency is also “blessed” to work with supportive clients who “care for [us] and build on our ideas”. He said: 

I don’t know if I will be cancelled by brands but someone has to call out if something wrong has happened. I am not even demanding anything. I just want to call out toxic behaviour like this and why must we be afraid to state what we feel.

This morning, in a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a spokesperson for Pizza Hut Singapore said the team is aware of the comments regarding its recent 45th anniversary campaign and would like to provide some clarification.

"Earlier this year, Pizza Hut Singapore conducted a project-based pitch process as part of our brand refresh and 45th anniversary campaign development. The 'OG' theme did surface across concepts we received. That was not surprising to us as 'OG' had already been incorporated as part of our creative approach since March 2024, as we’re proud of our heritage as one of Singapore’s original pizza brands," it said, adding:

"With our global brand refresh of 'Feed good times', coinciding with the 45th anniversary, this became a natural moment to bring the two elements together and thus the 'OG of good times'."

The spokesperson also said that as with many creative processes, overlaps in themes and expressions can occur. The final campaign direction was selected based on overall alignment with the brand's long-term brand strategy and objectives.

"We sincerely appreciate the time, creativity and effort contributed by all participating agencies, and remain committed to engaging our partners in a respectful, fair and professional manner," the statement added. 

The incident also comes amid broader conversations around originality and creative ownership in Singapore’s marketing scene. Last year, Uniqlo Singapore drew comparisons to local label PointyRice over a customisable mixed rice keychain released as part of its “Thank you festival” activation.

The campaign rewarded customers with a plate-shaped keychain featuring acrylic “dishes” that could be mixed and matched on-site. Many online pointed out similarities to PointyRice’s customisable mixed rice-themed merchandise concept. In an Instagram post at the time, PointyRice founder Caitanya Tan acknowledged the resemblance but clarified that the brand was not accusing Uniqlo of copying its ideas. She added that the team had previously explored a potential collaboration with the retailer and remained open to future opportunities together.

In a separate incident last year, Penang-based artist Ernest Zacharevic said he had decided to take legal action against AirAsia. In a statement at the time, the artist alleged that his work had been used without consent, with his murals appearing across the airline’s email campaigns, in-flight magazines, printed banners and other materials.

He said he had formally requested AirAsia to stop using his artwork without proper credit, consent or compensation. While the airline had responded to these requests, he added that new instances of unauthorised use continued to emerge.

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