Domino's Pie Pass
In their new Pie Pass campaign, Domino's aims to play off of this spirit. Domino's built a special set that incorporated elements from both a Domino's store, and the set of Cheers. The add features the popular character Norm from the show picking up a pizza, after having failed to use the new Pie Pass technology. Instead of his usual greeting in the show, nobody knows his name, and it takes him extra time to get his pizza. The idea the campaign aims to convey is that by checking in with the Pie Pass app when you arrive in the parking lot, the staff can greet you by name, get your order ready, and let you skip any lines there may be, saving you time.
The value proposition is that you feel cared for. As the world has moved online, businesses have become more impersonal and Domino's aims to reverse the trend. Being greeted by name is nice and makes you feel like you belong, which most can agree is a nice feeling. They also want to save us time, which is another huge win for everybody in this busy world.
The typical pizza add is focused on value. What value do you get from your pizza? It's cheesy, it's easy, it's delicious. If you're looking for a quick dinner that's sure to please the whole family, it's hard to go wrong with pizza. It's so boring. If you've seen one pizza add, you've seen them all. Domino's is going with a new approach. Rather than focusing on pizza we already know is great, the are focusing on increasing the value they bring as a company. They want to be more than just a supplier of pizza's, they want to supply a feel good moment and some extra time with their pizza. This isn't a totally new concept by any means, however, nobody has used media such as apps to allow people the VIP treatment than Norm used to receive in Cheers.
They aim to get rid of lines that may have customers less than willing to pick up their own pizza. They have a strong delivery business, and as their pick-up business expands, they need to combat the common issues of busy businesses. If you have a choice between brand X and Domino's, who will you choose? Probably the people who greet you by name and have your food hot ready and waiting for you to walk to the counter. It sounds like a dream doesn't it? We've all stood in lines, I don't personally know many who enjoy it, none in fact.
The article about the add breaks down the idea and technology used. They used old footage from Cheers, mixed with new audio from the actor, and a body double to create the familiar Norm character as he would have been seen in the show. The set combined elements from the Cheers set with a Domino's store to create a warm, welcoming feel that appeals to most people.
Had I been the product manager for Domino's, I probably would've taken a very different approach. I don't think people will want to take the time to open the app in most places. It may be effective for larger cities, but in most places, it won't save people time. It can also lead to confusion should you have multiple people checking in at once. Orders can be switched, leading to mistrust and frustration. I think taking to social media with their most outrageous pizza's would draw more business in. If you're online, looking at your Twitter feed, or Facebooking, and you see an add for a $9.99 large anchovies and pineapple, you might be disgusted, but you might also be a little curious what other weird stuff they have, and I can tell you from experience that once you get on the website, its hard not to order a pizza, or some chicken wings, or both usually.
I think this was a poorly executed campaign. I personally eat at Domino's fairly often, and I'd never even heard of this. I stumbled across it by researching, rather than seeing something on social media. Papa Murphy's has had an express line that allows for online order pick up for a long time. They don't greet me by name, but they have my order ready and waiting when I arrive, and they always use my name when saying goodbye, so if anything, this campaign is just a slightly modified version of what so many others have already done. If anything, they could've devoted the same resources or less getting some deals out into the world of social media to raise awareness. If they wanted to modify an old idea, they could've done the Pepsi challenge with pizza, and put it all on Twitter. People like hearing what the early adopters have to say about stuff, so give them a chance to listen, go where they are.
If you're curious about the app, or want to see what Domino's has to offer, you can find more here.
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