Domino’s is making an unusual ask of its customers: Go buy a Big Mac.
The pizza chain’s latest campaign pits its new individual, Detroit-style pizza — called the Domino — against some of fast food’s most legendary menu items, specifically McDonald’s Big Mac, Burger King’s Whopper, Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme, Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwich, and Chipotle’s burrito.
As part of the campaign, Domino’s is offering customers a free Domino if they purchase one of those items at the chains listed above and upload their receipt to a dedicated website asking, “Is the Domino Worthy.” Of course, in this case, that means “worthy” of being in such company.
The bold campaign raises two compelling questions: First, are those five items truly the "Mount Rushmore" of fast-food menu items? Two, is encouraging customers to visit competitors wise or risky in an era of fierce competition for tighter wallets?
Fast food’s true icons
The campaign got our wheels spinning about the industry’s true menu icons. The Big Mac and the Whopper, which have been around since 1967 and 1957 respectively, indisputably belong on this list, defining their brands and the fast-food burger category in general.
And, while the Crunchy Taco put Taco Bell on the map, the Crunchwrap Supreme, introduced in 2005, made it crystal clear that the brand was going to be a highly innovative, differentiated brand.
Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwich was obviously well ahead of its time, created in the early 1960s and setting the foundation for what is now not only the third largest domestic chain by sales (despite being closed on Sundays) but also the hottest category across the industry for years running.
Finally, Chipotle’s signature item defined the fast-casual category and brought foil-wrapped, Mission-style burritos to mainstream America.
In other words, not a bad list if you’re going for brevity.
But this is a giant industry with dozens of legacy players that have fed Americans for nearly a century (or longer) in some cases. So, we asked what other fast-food menu items should be considered “iconic” on social media and in our shared Nation’s Restaurant News/Restaurant Business newsroom, which is full of experienced restaurant journalists with a combined (what seems like) billion years covering the industry. Here’s what they came up with:
- White Castle’s Original Slider, which was created in 1921, was named the “most influential burger of all time” by Time magazine, which noted that it paved the way for the modern fast-food industry.
- Wendy’s Frosty, introduced in 1969, was one of the chain’s first five original menu items.
- Speaking of desserts, we had a few submissions for the Dairy Queen Blizzard, and why not? It was created in 1985, and more than 75 million Blizzards were sold during that first year.
- There were a couple of votes for the Popeyes’ Chicken Sandwich. Though relatively new (2019), it ignited a battle so intense with Chick-fil-A and generated such a massive tailwind for Popeyes that its average unit volumes surged by $400,000 following its launch.
- Not to be outdone in the chicken category, KFC’s Original Recipe Chicken earns iconic status as the 11 herbs and spices formula remains one of the most famous trade secrets in the industry and is the base for what is now a global empire.
- Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte expanded nationwide in 2004, quickly becoming the chain’s bestselling seasonal beverage of all time and creating a massive cultural and seasonal event not only across the restaurant industry, but also consumer packaged goods.
We certainly don’t want to be dismissive of the single-vote submissions we received championing Panda Express’ Orange Chicken, Dunkin’s Munchkins, Pizza Hut’s Pan Pizza, Cinnabon’s Cinnamon Rolls, Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich, Subway’s Footlong, In-N-Out’s Double Double, and Little Caesars’ Crazy Bread.
Also, while McDonald’s Big Mac is perhaps the most obvious choice from the world’s largest restaurant company by sales, it’s worth noting that the chain has 17 $1-billion-plus brand equities on its menu (like the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, World Famous Fries, and Egg McMuffin). So, we could/should have a separate conversation about what belongs on the McDonald’s Mount Rushmore.
Does competition advertising work?
While this is a worthy debate for us restaurant industry enthusiasts, there’s another discussion worth having here. Domino’s new campaign is essentially encouraging folks to buy products from other restaurant brands in the middle of an all-out share-of-wallet brawl as consumers are increasingly cash-strapped and selective.
Is this a wise tactic?
It’s certainly worked in the past. Popeyes’ wildly successful chicken sandwich launch encouraged customers to visit Chick-fil-A and settle the debate over which chicken sandwich was superior. Both chains certainly benefited from the rising tide.
There have also been other variations of “competition advertising.” Burger King’s “Whopper Detour” campaign in 2018, for example, offered customers a Whopper for 1 cent if they went within roughly 600 feet of a McDonald’s and ordered through the Burger King app.
More recently, Carl’s Jr. “Pass on Jack” promotion this summer offered a free Sourdough Star Burger for customers who drove past a Jack in the Box and continued into one of its restaurants (loyalty members were asked to upload a screenshot of a GPS route or other proof).
There have been benevolent examples of such campaigns, as well. In a show of solidary during COVID restrictions in 2020, Burger King told its social media followers to order from its fast-food competitors to help keep restaurant workers employed. Burger King also created a hybrid “McWhopper” in 2015 at a single restaurant in Atlanta for World Peace Day, with proceeds going toward the nonprofit organization Peace One Day.
For Domino’s, "Is the Domino Worthy" campaign is particularly interesting because rather than trying to convince a customer to switch brands, it’s actually trying to make another restaurant visit become an additional occasion for the pizza chain. It’s not a “we’re better than them” approach but rather conveying a massive vote of confidence in its new product.
Putting a new and still unfamiliar item on a pedestal alongside household names like the Big Mac and Whopper should, at the very least, drive intrigue and trial. At most, it will convince consumers that the Domino does, indeed, belong in the same conversation and will therefore create the same powerful brand equity with time.
Contact Alicia Kelso at Alicia.Kelso@informa.com
Follow her on TikTok: @aliciakelso