The New Dominos Pizza

The New Dominos Pizza

Abstract Dominos Pizza is the 2nd largest pizza chain in the U. S. just behind Pizza ut !"usiness #ee$ 2%&%'. (n 2%&% Dominos started a new ad campaign called the )The Pizza Turnaround* to bring attention to a newl+ implemented recipe. #e will anal+ze the details and e,,ecti-eness o, the new ad campaign and the response o, consumers.

The New Dominos Pizza

Dominos Pizza has a new ad campaign steeped in the notion that con,ession. rebirth and ,orgi-eness will persuade people to eat the compan+s pizza again. /ne o, the cardinal rules o, ad-ertizing is to not 0uote customers brutall+ criticizing the product. but this is the approach that Dominos Pizza recentl+ used in the new ad campaign )the pizza turn around.* The ad-ertisement is startling in the blatant honest+ used to achie-e their crucial objecti-e o, increased sales re-enue. The winning aspect o, this ad campaign is the realit+ approach that was used in st+ling the commercials. #hen using the realit+1 tele-ision in,luenced approach during an ad-ertisement the -iewers natural de,ense mechanism is disarmed. These commercials mas0uerade as documentaries and are designed to pierce through the -iewer2s built1up resistance to the normal scripted and acted commercials. Through the use o, shoc$. transparenc+ and apparent caring o, customers -alues and opinions. along with the realit+ twist. the ad-ertisement is -er+ e,,ecti-e in drawing attention to Dominos Pizza. which can ultimatel+ lead to better sales.

Dominos Pizzas ,ull uncut )Pizza Turn Around* ad starts o,, b+ showing -arious clips o, negati-e comments posted on blogs about the poor 0ualit+ o, Dominos pizza. with dramatic music to accentuate the dar$ mood. The 34/ o, the compan+ ,ills the screen sa+ing )there comes a time when +ou $now +ou got to ma$e a change* and then the title o, the ad ,lashes dramaticall+ )The pizza Turn around.* 34/ Patric$ Do+le goes on to tell the histor+ o, their compan+ in an upbeat manner starting in the &56%. Domino2s emplo+ees at the compan+2s corporate head0uarters con,ront negati-e ,eedbac$ ,rom the pizza1eating public. Among the actual customer 0uotes the+ read aloud 7Domino2s pizza crust to me is li$e cardboard7 and 7The sauce tastes li$e $etchup7 are some o, the most cringe worth+. A ,ocus group shows a woman tal$ing about how there is no lo-e put into Dominos pizza and then the camera pans to the Dominos emplo+ees morti,ied reactions to the condemnation. )(t hits +ou right in the heart.* one e8claims. #e see Domino2s che,s testing out di,,erent combinations o, cheese. dough. and spices. 34/ Patric$ Do+le continues sa+ing )9ost companies hide the criticism that the+re getting. and we actuall+ ,aced it head on.* All o, the emplo+ees are wholesomel+ portra+ed as good hearted. hard wor$ing 9iddle Americans who are attempting to do the right thing. Se-eral re,erences are made to sports. purpose,ull+ attempting to grab the a-erage males attention. who might en-ision himsel, ha-ing a cold beer and watching 9onda+ night ,ootball with Patric$ Do+le 9r. 34/. and the two che,s jo$ing with each other in the t+pical male bonding ,ashion. There is e-en a ,riendl+ sports huddle. in which all the emplo+ees happil+ 3hant )#ho are we: Dominoes Pizza; // <A .* The+ are clearl+ portra+ed as ,ol$s tr+ing to ma$e an honest li-ing. desiring to right the wrongs o, the past and bets

C go out to the a-erage consumer wanting to ,orgi-e them and support them in their e,,orts. The result o, realit+ st+lized ad-ertisements with characters similar to the a-erage American is that )>oe down the street* wants to trust them. The ad-ertisement ends with the chipper Patric$ Do+le sa+ing )( cant wait to ha-e people tr+ it;* This 0uote is not a 0uestion. nor a plea. but a con,ident statement that plants an unconscious seed in the consumers mind. A power,ul suggestion with the correct wording acts as h+pnoses on the human mind. ?iscerall+ suggesti-e words li$e cardboard and $etchup are emplo+ed to describe the taste o, Domino2s pizza. and the approach is startling when ,irst seen on T?. which is presumabl+ the point. Dominos spent two +ears and tens o, millions o, dollars re,ormulating its pizza. i, the compan+ were to launch the re-amped pie with a simple 7new and impro-ed7 tagline no tal$ or )tweets* would be generated. A,ter t+ping the words )new and impro-ed* into an online search engine ( ran into more ad-ertisements ,or di,,erent products than ( could read in an entire semester.

A,ter researching se-eral online ,orums about the new taste o, Dominos Pizza man+ consumers ha-e clearl+ been prompted b+ curiosit+ to at least tr+ the new recipe. in order to compare the old and new and to judge ,or themsel-es as to whether Dominos Pizza has trul+ impro-ed. The o-erwhelming majorit+ stated that the pizza has onl+ marginall+ impro-ed. though the ad campaign did create substantial consumer buzz. /ne pleased customer wrote in the comments section o, Dominos Pizzas website. )Dominos as$ed us what was good and bad about the product. and +our now bac$ to the original thin crust. tast+ pizza;; Than$ +ou; @ou-e made an old lad+ -er+ happ+;; The taste is bac$;;;* Aen 4dwards wrote. )/h waitB( just got it. )Pizza Turnaround*. as in )turned all the wa+

E around* and continued to suc$.* 3onsumers are clearl+ con,licted in their opinions. /-er time the actual 0ualit+ o, the product will ultimatel+ repel or create customers.

9an+ products within the consumer mar$et ha-e changed their original recipe to a )new and impro-ed* -ersion. ,or e8ample 3oca13ola re,ormulated their soda in &5DE introducing the cola as )the new co$e* this recipe change was recei-ed poorl+ b+ the public. ,ailing miserabl+ and the compan+ had to digress bac$ to the original in order to please the public. The impro-ed ,ormula was mar$eted with the tagline *the best just got better* and not onl+ lac$ed at drawing in more customers. but lost some o, their original and lo+al customers who were angered b+ the re,ormulation o, the classic be-erage. 3oca13ola e8ecuti-es announced the return o, the original ,ormula on >ul+ &%. less than three months a,ter New 3o$e2s introduction. Dominos pizza is ta$ing a ris$ b+ criticizing its own product. because the public might wonder wh+ the+ sold an inade0uate product ,or so long in the ,irst place. The public might also decide the+ pre,er the )classic* dominoes pizza product. and in this case Dominos would su,,er the same humiliation and de,eat coca cola had su,,ered b+ ha-ing to return to the prior recipe. New 3o$e launched on a standard new1and1impro-ed plat,orm. not with -iolent desecrations o, old 3o$e. Dominos has thus ,ar not shared the same ,ate as the )New 3o$e.* at present consumers agree that the sauce used on the new pizza has impro-ed due to added sugar and spice to the sauce. Also most e8isting customers don2t order Dominos ,or its superior taste. the brand2s promise is con-enience. eas+ ordering. speed+ deli-er+. no coo$ing and no dishes. Dominos pizza was ne-er gourmet and the original recipe does not ha-e the

6 same consumer attachment and histor+ that classic 3oca13ola had.

Dominos Pizza undoubtedl+ too$ a gamble in running the )Pizza Turn Around* ad-ertisement. )Dominos -er+ public admission o, its own aw,ulness might represent the most elaborate mea culpa in ad histor+* !Fahri. Paul 2%&%'. (t is shoc$ing to see a compan+ sel,1,lagellate with so much enthusiasm. but despite this strange approach the ad-ertisement ended on a positi-e note daring the public to tr+ their impro-ed product. "+ attac$ing itsel, at its own wea$est points. Domino2s disarms its critics. The ad also creates curiosit+ o-er the brands new taste opening the door up ,or past customers to retr+ the impro-ed -ersion o, the pizza. and also spar$ing response ,rom the media and consumer mar$et o-er the rein-ented pizza. which could potentiall+ gi-e the teetering public a push o-er the edge into Dominos consumerism.

3onclusion Dominos honest ac$nowledgment o, past shortcomings might be enough to earn the brand a second loo$. (n admitting that their product was not good Dominos pizza pa-ed the wa+ ,or redemption. and judging b+ current pop culture mainstream America lo-es a good come bac$ stor+. <e,erences #atson. "ruce !2%&%' <is$+ 3ampaign. New <ecipe elp "oost Sales. Dail+ Finance Farhi. Paul !2%&%' "ehind Dominos mea culpa ad campaign. The #ashington Post Fa+obser-er.com !2%&&'

G ?eneziani. ?ince !2%&%' (t #or$ed; Dominos Pizza Surges Than$s To "rilliant New 9ar$eting And <ecipe