It's surprising that someone hadn't thought of it sooner--bribe kids to read.  Now, I wasn't one of those kids who had to bribed to read a book.  Between Trixie Belden, Sweet Valley Twins, and The Baby-Sitters Club, there wasn't enough time in the day to satisfy my thirst for reading.  However, dangling my favorite (then and now) food in front of my face didn't hurt, either.  I would devour as many books as I could, get my teachers to sign off on them, and then beg my parents to make the 30-minute drive to the nearest Pizza Hut to claim my free personal pan pizza, which I would devour on the way home in the car.  And of course, while they were there, my parents would buy a pizza for themselves for dinner.  Best.  Marketing.  Idea.  EVER.

 

Evidently, for BOOK IT!'s 30th birthday, Pizza Hut decided to get the old marketing gang back together, and they've come up with another winner.  BOOK IT! "Alumni" (former BOOK IT participants old people who are feeling nostalgia for the simpler times of our youth) can go to this website and divulge their age, current city, and occupation, and be listed alongside other middle-aged nerds on an interactive map.  Oh, and give them your email address, and you'll receive a coupon for a free personal pan pizza, JUST LIKE WHEN WE WERE KIDS!  Here's where the genius comes in:  you can't go to Pizza Hut for a personal pizza and not bring back anything for your family.  So, just like our parents, you'll have to buy a pie at full price to take home.  Did you see what they did there?  Besides taking our money, they not only reminded us how old we are, but the also turned us into our parents.  Thanks, Pizza Hut.