For many shoppers, a burnt dinner is a catastrophe. For Domino’s, it’s an opportunity for an Emergency Pizza, the loyalty program perk that the chain launched in 2023. Supposed as a strategy to increase post-pandemic momentum, the promotion introduced 2 million individuals into the QSR model’s loyalty program the primary time round and helped kick off three quarters of optimistic progress.
Emergency Pizza — which supplies Domino’s Rewards members a one-time free pizza after they make a single buy — returned in 2024 with partnerships round gaming, magnificence and streaming TV. In December, Domino’s dipped into the 30-million-strong group round fantasy soccer, giving followers who had all-pro large receiver Stefon Diggs (out for the reason that center of the season with an ACL damage) on their fantasy rosters $1 million value of free Emergency Pizzas.
“In case you can flip an damage … into one thing good for followers, and switch lemons into lemonade, an Emergency Pizza will be the automobile for that. It felt actually particular and distinctive, and Domino’s noticed that immediately,” stated Matt Talbot, co-founder and chief inventive officer on the chain’s company of report, WorkInProgress.
The newest iteration of the marketing campaign, which launched on Dec. 16, will run via Jan. 6 on digital, social and TV, together with in social spots that see Diggs holding a press convention from his sofa.
Advertising and marketing Dive spoke with Talbot and Kate Trumbull, who in October was promoted from chief model officer to government vice chairman and international CMO for Domino’s, concerning the Emergency Pizza campaigns, the virtuous cycle of data-driven advertising and the corporate’s agenda for 2025.
The next interview has been edited for readability and brevity.
MARKETING DIVE: What was the pondering behind the fantasy football-driven marketing campaign for Emergency Pizza?
MATT TALBOT: We knew that as quickly as we had been doing Emergency Pizza for a second time that we needed to make it larger than ever and prolong it into completely different curiosity teams, past simply the core use instances we confirmed the primary go-around round meals emergencies.
We had a big assortment of concepts that we had been collaborating on and this one felt proper actually early on, due to how huge fantasy has gotten, how huge the NFL is, in fact, but additionally [around] viewing events on linear and the way we do one thing that’s bought just a little little bit of tooth to it.
KATE TRUMBULL: We attempt to get throughout to completely different audiences. We had Amazon-Twitch’s The Glitch to succeed in players, after which we went into the sweetness area with Olive & June. This partnership with Stefon Diggs was to succeed in that [fantasy football] viewers — and the numbers are loopy. It felt like the proper time far sufficient into the season to essentially carry this collectively.
The marketing campaign guarantees $1 million in free Emergency Pizzas. How do you justify that to the corporate and the franchisees?
TRUMBULL: All the pieces we do, we companion with our franchisees. Bringing our franchise board via it, they see the bigness of this message. We did it the primary time and it had sturdy leads to This fall of 2023: optimistic same-store gross sales, a variety of earned media impressions and so they felt it of their enterprise. We got here to them and stated, “There are these new audiences we wish to attain in actually inventive methods.” I feel that they noticed the potential. Frankly, we’re in a reside quarter, however we’ve been actually proud of our media that we’ve garnered the second time round with over 3 billion media impressions. We’ve gotten conversations going.
Domino’s made waves with a promotion round “Stranger Issues” in 2022. What went right into a second collaboration with Netflix round “Squid Recreation?”
TRUMBULL: We knew with “Squid Recreation” there was a possibility to take their greatest fairness and people iconic video games — the Dalgona cookie, or red-light-green-light — that get related to that property.
We partnered with [director] Ted Melfi, who did an unbelievable job bringing it to life, and I feel we added some sudden moments with our Domino’s workers giving Emergency Pizza to the “Squid Recreation” gamers who wanted them on the time. Matt and his crew did such a tremendous job, as a result of it’s a darker property.
TALBOT: The factor for us was, what’s the concept’s going to make this work, due to the tone of the mental property: How does this match collectively? However the truth that the Emergency Pizza can save the day retains all of the darkness at bay and finally ends up bringing extra humor, which is a part of the explanation the response has been so optimistic — as a result of it’s unexpectedly comedic.
How does the loyalty knowledge from Emergency Pizza gas the model’s different data-driven advertising?
TRUMBULL: It’s a virtuous cycle. Our technique is known as Hungry for MORE, and I proceed to really feel like after we actually give them extra, they provide us extra. Our loyalty program is an ideal instance and proof level. We launched our authentic program again in 2015, and other people needed to order six instances to get one thing without cost. It was too lengthy. With the brand new program, you solely need to order twice, after which we took it from having to spend $10 to $5.
What we’ve seen is it’s actually reached extra new shoppers and lighter customers, and as we do extra innovation, particularly within the product area, we’ve been in a position to incorporate our loyalty perks into these product launches. It brings extra information and extra worth to shoppers. It’s an always-on a part of our technique now, which is thrilling.
In 2024, worth was top-of-mind for shoppers throughout the restaurant area. How do you look to remain in that dialog?
TRUMBULL: Worth is not only what you pay, it’s what you get, and shoppers need all of it, as they need to. They need scorching, scrumptious product. They need accuracy. They need high quality. It definitely performed a task in our calendar, and positively performed a task with motivating and getting our franchisees excited to essentially ship an ideal expertise for shoppers, nevertheless it’s a balancing act.
Kate, final 12 months, you turned international CMO of Domino’s. What’s in your agenda for 2025?
TRUMBULL: I’m in search of how we take our Hungry for MORE technique and what we’ve been in a position to do within the U.S. [global]. We’re in over 90 markets on the earth. How will we leverage the size that we now have to proceed to make a distinction in these markets, and to win on innovation, scrumptious meals and famend worth? The worldwide facet of issues is extremely essential to me.
We’ve performed a variety of good issues foundationally, however I actually am excited to amp up innovation. I feel that’s all the time the proper place to speculate, and never simply innovation on the product facet with thrilling information but additionally tech innovation. Over 85% of our gross sales are on e-commerce, and that’s a spot that we now have all the time invested. You’re going to see extra thrilling innovation from us in that area, too.
Matt, the 12 months closed with main information within the Omnicom-IPG merger. How does that have an effect on the way you make your pitch as an indie store?
TALBOT: I don’t suppose it might put us in a greater place so far as offering the issues that the larger ones simply have a tough time offering: intentionality, dedication of employees, institutional information, tradition, group.
Clearly, I really feel for those who are going to be affected by this, and inevitably, there’s going to be some consolidation. I positively don’t relish in that a part of it, however I really feel like it should simply proceed to shine a lightweight on the advantages of getting a small, unbiased store of individuals that basically care about their shoppers’ enterprise and are just a little bit extra centered on the shoppers at hand versus fixed progress and the pressures that include being a automobile for publicly traded entities to consolidate a bundle of issues for holding firms.
We don’t have that strain, as a result of we determined that we simply need centered, regular progress and to by no means take our eye off the ball with our huge shoppers and have one of the best individuals potential. Promoting was compelled right into a field to offer consistency in order that it could possibly be traded on the general public markets, and it’s not essentially one of the best for the work or the individuals. Promoting simply isn’t meant to perform that method.
