*By Brittany Terrell*
As it prepares for its first season as the official pizza of the National Football League, Pizza Hut will launch a new series of promotions Thursday, the opening day of the 2018 NFL Draft.
"Our marketing is really focused on making sure that we're in culture," said Zipporah Allen, the pizza chain's chief marketing officer. "We want to be in the conversations that our consumers are in, and we want to have a conversation with consumers."
That conversation begins with the NFL Draft, which will be held in Arlington, Texas, from April 26 to 28. Pizza Hut will offer discounts for football fans and contests, including "Doorbell Dances," where customers can win tickets to NFL games by submitting videos of their best dance moves to celebrate the arrival of a Pizza Hut delivery.
The company has also designated the 78th pick of the draft as the "Pi Pick" because it is the 14th pick of the 3rd round, a reference to the value of the mathematical constant pi (3.14). The player taken with that draft pick will receive an unlimited supply of pizza for a year, and will host a pizza party for the city of the team that selects him.
Pizza Hut and the NFL announced their partnership after the league's deal with Papa John's Pizza was [canceled](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/27/sports/football/nfl-papa-johns.html) in February. Papa John's founder and former chief executive John Schnatter blamed the league for a drop in pizza sales after players began protesting police brutality by kneeling during the National Anthem. Schnatter ripped the league for poor leadership in an earnings call last fall; the company later apologized if anyone found the comments "divisive."
Allen said in an interview with Cheddar on Thursday that Pizza Hut was trying to set a different tone from the beginning of its partnership.
"Pizza Hut is an inclusive brand," she said. "Pizza is a shareable food that people really connect over."
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/hut-hut-hut-to-pizza-hut).
Federal health officials are expanding an investigation into potentially lead-tainted pouches of apple cinnamon fruit puree marketed for children amid reports of more illnesses and additional product recalls.
Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by businessman Warren Buffett, reported its operating earnings in its most recent quarter jumped more than 40% from a year ago but posted its first net quarterly loss in a year.
Maks Chmerkovskiy and wife Peta Murgatroyd, of "Dancing With the Stars" fame, are branching out into skincare.
Donald Trump began testifying Monday morning in his civil fraud trial, producing the spectacle of a former president and the leading Republican presidential candidate defending himself against allegations that he dramatically inflated his net worth.
The trial between Google and the maker of the game Fortnite will begin Monday as a San Francisco jury will hear Epic Games' case claiming the Google Play Store takes an unfair commission on purchases made through apps.
One of the most self-made and success stories in the country, Emma Grede, has worked along with the Kardashian Jenner family on many of their best-known brands. Grede, CEO and co-founder of Good American, gave back to the next generation of business leaders as a featured speaker at the Chase for Business Make Your Move summit last week. She spoke with Cheddar News about her career, her company's fashion brand, working with the famous Kardashian-Jennifer family and balancing her own family life.
Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by businessman Warren Buffett, reported its operating earnings in its most recent quarter jumped more than 40% from a year ago but posted its first net quarterly loss in a year.
Elon Musk's company XaI has announced a new chatbot called Grok.
SAG-AFTRA said over the weekend that it received the studios' last best and final offer following a meeting on Saturday, with the union saying it's reviewing it and considering a response "within the context of the critical issues addressed in our proposals."
Stocks rose slightly as Wall Street looks to continue its momentum with earnings season winding down.
