Domino’s is known throughout the world for the witty marketing techniques it used in the past. But their strategies are not to be taken lightly because it has proved to be very lucrative for the brand.
New restaurants or even existing ones can learn from their timeless techniques. Domino's Pizza, established in 1960, is the world's largest pizza chain, with more than 10,800 company-owned and franchised locations. With a footprint spanning five continents and more than 70 countries, it has established itself as an industry leader, particularly in the Pizza sector. Its low-cost infrastructure investment and franchisee-owned company model distinguishes it from the competitors.
Let's start from the beginning to better understand why Domino's marketing journey is so important.
2009-“Oh yes we did it”
It published a video under the “Oh yes we did” campaign in 2009, portraying it as a turnaround strategy in which several stakeholders recounted how they dealt with opponents. From here Domino’s never looked back. Domino's Pizza used to be known as the poor man's Pizza Hut nearly a decade ago,but all this changed in a short span of time.
2017- “Official Food of Everything”
Domino's UK started a 6 part marketing campaign in late 2017 to portray itself as the "Official Food of Everything." It is indeed a strong statement, but the concept underscores the fact that "Domino's isn't just about getting amazing food fast; it's a method to bring people together, to celebrate the big and the small, or just the daily, it works for everything, officially," according to agency VCCP.
The basic idea behind this ad campaign is that domino’s pizza goes with every situation. be it a date, break-ups or even night outs. The commercials depict a variety of everyday settings that are both familiar and relatable to the audience and then shows how domino's pizza blends seamlessly with everyday scenarios.
2016 - “Lost for Words.”
One of the reasons why dominoes does so well with the younger demographic is because it incorporates the young generation’s lingo so well in their marketing strategy. Domino’s knows how to tap into the trends of the given time and use it to their advantage. For instance, their ‘lost for words’ campaign is a perfect example of this. It included customized Snapchat Lenses and a dedicated Giphy channel to let us all express our feelings on stuffed crust, making it one of the brand's most promotional campaigns to date.
2017- Domino's wedding registry
“First date included Domino's so just makes sense to include DOMINO'S at your wedding”
Domino's has come up with a clever concept in which it lets soon-to-be married couples build their own pizza wedding registry. It's just another avenue for the company to increase both interaction and sales online, with more than half of its sales coming from digital platforms.
2018- Valentine’s Day
Domino's planned to link up with Tinder in 2018 to debut its "Dom Juan" chatbot. Dom Juan appeared on the dating app as a regular user, though it was still obvious that it was from the brand itself. Dom Juan responded with a list of corny chat-up lines for users to test on their genuine Tinder matches if they swiped right.
As per VCCP, the strategy resulted in a 35x return on advertising investment, as well as a 10% increase in sales over the preceding year.
2018 - Paving for Pizza
The campaign 'Paving for Pizza' is focused on the issue of potholes in American towns. Domino's encouraged customers to submit their town for a paving grant, apparently so that pizzas could be delivered "back home safely." This strategy is great, we’re not the ones saying it, their growth speaks volumes. It received 35,000 genuine social media engagements in its first week, according to PRWeek. Domino's increased the campaign's budget to include all 50 states as a result of its early success.
What's great about this campaign is that it touches on the issues that local people face everyday on their way to work or any other place.
After looking at some of the most successful strategies adopted by domino’s, it does not come out as a big surprise that Domino's transition from a small, unprofitable food chain only ten years ago to a powerhouse today is a direct result of its tremendous and constant effort to develop digital marketing tactics.
Domino’s started from somewhere and so can you. Restaurant owners should never overlook the importance of great marketing strategies for their brand. It can do wonders for them.
Espangle creates the best marketing strategies for your brand keeping in mind all your goals and requirements. Get in contact with our team now and start working on your next big marketing strategy!