The transport of a freshly-baked pizza can be fraught with peril for delivery drivers. One unexpected bump or pothole will easily spill, splatter or ruin a pie.
To prevent pizza jostling-related crises, fast-food giant Domino’s Pizza took matters into its own hands and developed a plan to repair deteriorating roads across the United States.
Through the “Paving for Pizza” initiative, Domino’s is asking customers to nominate cities for a paving grant at pavingforpizza.com. If a town is selected, all participating customers are notified, and the city receives funds to patch potholes directly affecting Domino’s customers. The company will be accepting nominations through the end of the year.
“Have you ever hit a pothole and instantly cringed? We know that feeling is heightened when you’re bringing home a carry out order from your local Domino’s store.” Russell Weiner, president of Domino’s Pizza, said in a statement. “We don’t want to lose any great-tasting pizza to a pothole, ruining a wonderful meal.”
Grants have already been awarded to:
| • Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania • Bartonville, Texas • Milford, Delaware • Athens, Georgia – A whopping 150 potholes were repaired in Athens! • Burbank, California • Fitchburg, Massachusetts • Des Moines, Iowa • New Orleans, Louisiana | • Kinston, North Carolina • Milwaukee, Wisconsin • Hamtramck, Michigan • Jackson, Mississippi • Marion, Texas • Grand Forks, North Dakota • Havre, Montana
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So, why is Domino’s truly patching potholes?
Domino’s says it’s filling potholes to ensure its pizzas make it to customers’ homes safely…but the initiative is also cleverly boosting brand awareness and advertising its carry out service. The company used the PR stunt as the centerpiece of its summer marketing campaign, pairing it with discounts for customers choosing pickup over delivery.
The streets are also being repaired with asphalt trucks and steamrollers prominently displaying the Domino’s logo, and the filled potholes are branded with its ‘OH YES WE DID’ tagline.
Was it worth the investment?
Domino’s clearly approached its advertising team with a sizable budget, as there was no shortage of content promoting the PR push. The campaign included a TV spot, social media content and video as well as a dedicated website to facilitate the nomination process.
However, the big spend appears to have paid off for the company. The strategy generated a substantial amount of media coverage and word-of-mouth marketing. Its “Paving for Pizza” social media posts went viral, with Fans and Followers begging Domino’s to pave their cities’ crumbling roads.
And with the success Domino’s has achieved with this stunt, it won’t be surprising to see other companies launch similar community improvement-focused campaigns down the (less pothole-ridden) road.
