Abusing Your Product To Reinvent Your Brand

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When new products are presented through marketing campaigns, the campaign usually is designed to focus on its features and benefits, not highlight its former weakness.  Domino’s took that branding concept and turned it upside-down.

For over 50 years, Domino’s Pizza was known for fast delivery and convenience.  But one glaring quality was missing…..taste.  While Domino’s had perfected the formula for quick delivery, their pizzas were not always given the highest marks for taste.  “Cardboard” and “Spare Tire” were terms often used to describe a Domino’s Pizza.  To expand their market, Domino’s reinvented their recipe through endless research.  Once satisfied with the new taste, they then took this former weakness, highlighted it through a self-deprecating advertising campaign, and focused on the improved quality of their pizzas in addition to the quick delivery.

We find this an interesting strategy for obvious reasons.  Bringing attention to your product’s weakness is typically not something that increases your market share, but in this case it worked.  To say the least, the strategy was risky and there were detractors.  Domino’s Pizza Chief Marketing Officer Russel J Weiner admitted, “Heck, I was concerned.  It’s normal to have discomfort in making a big decision….”  But Domino’s was not deterred by this seldom-used strategy and invested millions in blasting their former taste to highlight their improved recipe.  While Domino’s Pizza has seen a marked improvement in sales, as well as taste, the branding campaign itself attracted as much attention as the new product.

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To learn more about reinventing your brand, call Cornerstone Brand Communications at 903.534.5220