Branding Spotlight: Domino’s Pizza

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While our branding profiles have normally focused on the elements that have contributed to the strength of a brand, this post is actually about how Domino’s has re-branded in order to stay relevant. In 2009 a survey of consumer taste testers ranked Domino’s Pizza last among national chains (tied with Chuck E. Cheese). In that same year Domino’s made the decision to totally reinvent themselves. Along with their reinvention they developed a television ad campaign that gave an honest look at what they needed to improve on.

I will list a few of the things that added to the success of their reinvention.

The Recipe

It is not common for a major food chain to totally change the taste of their product but being in last place will cause you to make some radical moves . Most of the complaints about their pizza was the doughy crust and the bland tasting tomato paste. The following is from a Domino’s Pizza Press release:

“2010 will be our 50th year in the business, and we are kicking it off with the most aggressive promotion in the history of our company,” said Domino’s Chairman and CEO David A. Brandon. “This is the biggest product introduction we’ve done since…well, pizza.”
The primary changes include:

· Crust – A garlic seasoned crust with parsley baked to a golden brown.

· Sauce – Sweeter, bolder tomato sauce with a medley of herbs and a red pepper kick.

· Cheese – Shredded cheese made with 100% real mozzarella and flavored with just a hint of provolone.

Television Ad Campaign

In anything, if you want to gain someones loyalty just simply be honest with yourself and them. After the eye-opening survey, Domino’s worked hard to put together a campaign that not only showed the changes they were making but how they were lacking in the pizza market. They created ads that were honest and real in order to reconnect with their customer base.

The Menu

In 2009 Domino’s introduced it’s American Legend’s line of pizza’s which offered 40% more cheese than the regular pizza’s. Domino’s also began selling the BreadBowl Pasta entree and the Lava Crunch Cake dessert. This added more variety along with the improved recipe of the original pizza items.

Before this year I had not had a Domino’s Pizza product since somewhere around 1997. I had the common complaints most others had. As a result of their marketing campaign I decided to finally give them another chance. On a personal level that revealed to me how powerful a well thought-out re-branding can be. Also the numbers speak for themselves. Domino’s changes resulted in a 14.3% quarterly gain.

The Brandweek Buzz Report by YouGov is a weekly consumer perception report that analyzes the most talked about brands based on buzz. The campaign that began in December of 2009 did just what it was intended to do. It made Domino’s Pizza relevant again and created a buzz around them.

Do you think Domino’s Pizza was successful in their re-branding attempts?

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