Technology

Domino’s marketing approaches nearly outnumber its tech offerings

Domino’s emoji ordering

As Domino’s continues to diversify its digital-ordering offerings, its promotion of them is also growing more diverse, illuminated by a multitude of separate campaigns championing the chain’s digital capabilities.

For the sixth time during this year’s Major League Baseball season, Domino’s last week announced it would give away 20,000 free pizzas to digital customers, a nod to the prominence of Domino’s digital-ordering platforms.

As part of this year’s ongoing #DomiNoNo promotion, the chain has pledged to offer 20,000 free pies whenever an MLB player has a no-hitter, which customers can redeem through Domino’s website. The entire giveaway allotment, dispersed through order codes, is usually claimed in a few minutes, Domino’s said.

To further spur digital engagement, fans are encouraged to leverage various digital platforms when a no-hitter is in progress, using the #DomiNoNo hashtag. 

Yet standard online ordering is just one facet of the suite of digital-ordering technologies Domino’s has reinforced through recent campaigns. A series of ads that debuted last month featured celebrities, such as actresses Eva Longoria and Sarah Hyland, ordering Domino’s pizza through their “preferred” tech means, whether that be text, Twitter, Samsung Smart TV, smartwatch or smartphone.

"Domino's newest TV commercials showcase celebrities placing orders on their favorite devices, proving that, for every type of personality and in any situation, there's a perfect way to order,” Domino’s Chief Digital Officer Dennis Maloney said.

And of those ways to order, one has garnered particular consumer buzz of late: the emoji.

In support of its new emoji capability, Domino’s came to the supposed rescue of the “emoji illiterate” earlier this summer, with a campaign offering PSA-style advice for consumers not fully familiar with the emoticon phenomenon. 

On a campaign website, the pizza-delivery chain notes that nearly “40 percent of Americans don't know how to read or write emoji. That's nearly 120 million people. It's a sad reality, but one Domino's is hoping to change."

As part of its emoji curriculum, Domino’s offers site visitors a slew of printable flashcards to reference as they put their emoji education to practical use.

Despite some customer-reported issues with emoji ordering, in particular, the chain largely considers such tech initiatives a success, crediting its digital strategy as a main driver of its 9 percent comp-sales gain in the second quarter.

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