Dive Brief:
- Domino’s today (Oct. 8) announced the return of its Emergency Pizza program to dole out free pizzas, per details shared with Marketing Dive. This year, the pizza chain is also partnering with Amazon’s Twitch along with brand Olive & June for the effort.
- The Emergency Pizza program now through Jan. 19 will award consumers a free medium, two-topping pizza for placing a qualifying order. A partnership with Twitch’s The Glitch, a new network of playable worlds in the video game Fortnite, will promote the effort.
- The pizza chain also teamed with Olive & June for an Emergency Pizza Mani Kit and press-on nails. The return of the chain’s promotion was informed by its overwhelming success last year, according to Kate Trumbull, Domino’s senior vice president and chief brand officer.
Dive Insight:
Domino’s first launched its Emergency Pizza program last year in an effort to help reinvigorate sales after a pandemic boom. Following its success, the pizza chain is bringing the offer back, this time on a larger scale. The Emergency Pizza deal was one of the largest in Domino’s 63-year history and resulted in two million people joining the chain’s loyalty program, the Wall Street Journal reported, a total that represents about two-thirds of all new enrollees last year.
“We launched our Emergency Pizza program last year and customers loved it so much we knew we had to bring it back in a big way,” Trumbull said in a statement.
To be eligible for the Emergency Pizza offer, consumers must place a delivery order online or a digital carryout order of $7.99 or more. After the order is confirmed, consumers will receive the promotion automatically within their Domino’s Rewards account.
To promote the offer, Domino’s teamed with Twitch to activate within The Glitch. The pizza chain was previously announced as a launch sponsor for The Glitch, an activation within Fortnite which features a network of playable worlds, including a dedicated Domino’s space. The brand experience launches Oct. 14 and will allow players to experience a “Red vs. Blue” player map where they can compete to maintain control of a Domino’s storefront. Players will also have access to an Emergency Pizza feature, which can be used to fully restore their health.
Domino’s additionally will be collaborating with gaming influencers to host livestreams as they navigate through the branded experience within The Glitch. The tie-up with Twitch could help Domino’s gain a stronger foothold in the gaming space. For Twitch, additional traffic for its new experience in Fortnite could help the livestreaming platform improve advertising revenue at a challenging time, as the company is still a money-loser for Amazon.
In another promotional play, the pizza chain teamed with nail brand Olive & June to help relieve nail emergencies. Co-branded products include an Emergency Pizza Mani Kit and instant manicure press-on nails, the latter which includes three designs: “I Heart Pizza French,” “Secret Sauce Velvet” and “Extra Cheese Please.” Consumers can purchase the items beginning Oct. 17 exclusively through Olive & June’s website. Additional brand partnerships will be revealed in the coming months, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
Domino’s is no stranger to buzzy marketing plays. The chain in August teamed with TV personality Simon Cowell for an ad campaign promoting new quality control measures. Last winter, the chain announced plans to award $500,000 in grants for snow plowing to ensure that carryout customers can access the pizza chain even amid inclement weather.
Domino’s in the second quarter reported U.S. same store sales growth of 4.8%, according to its latest earnings report. Additionally, the chain reported global retail sales growth, excluding foreign currency impact, of 7.2%.
