Oven fresh branding
Domino’s Tilts
for New Logo and “Theater”
Dale Buss
Some serious food for thought straight from the branding oven
Domino’s is moving to the next stage in its brand-reinvention process with a new logo and experimentation
with “pizza theater” in some of its stores as was anticipated.
The logo isn’t so much new as stripped down, giving more weight to the domino-tile symbol of the brand -and a push to make it as iconic and recognizable worldwide, brand executives hope, as the Nike swoosh.
After trying out the new look in New Zealand through an affiliated unit, Domino’s has removed the word
“pizza” from most uses of the logo, leaving just the tilted tile and, sometimes, the word “Domino’s.”
Part of the point is to raise the profile of the brand as a follow-on to other recent moves, including
reformulation of its recipes and a self-deprecating advertising campaign that was meant to underscore
Domino’s determination to improve its products.
And, in turn, one reason for raising the brand’s profile is that Domino’s has been trying to encourage more
pick-up business, so it wants to make the logo a faster recognition for American pizza eaters. Once up to
90 percent a delivery business, Domino’s has been encouraging more pick-up trade as it has expanded
locations and as consumers have seemed more open to saving a few bucks by stopping by the store to pick
up their pies versus shelling out for delivery fees and tips.
“We want to be a place that people feel comfortable in,” Russell Weiner, Domino’s CMO, told Advertising
Age recently. Domino’s stores have not been “the most welcoming,” he said.
To that end, Domino’s also has been experimenting with various ways to engage customers who stop by
to get their pizzas. The pizza theater idea has included exposing more of the pizza-making process to
customers, creating step-up platforms so kids can see the production process, installing big-screen TVs to
entertain waiting customers, order kiosks, a counter for grab-and-go items including salads, and even a
chalkboard where customers can leave suggestions.
Domino’s stores may never become magnets like McDonald’s, and the tile logo isn’t likely to rival the
Golden Arches. But by raising the brand’s profile in a pizza segment that is experiencing a lot of dynamism
these days, Domino’s executives are giving their company its best chance of coming out a winner.