ANN ARBOR Mich. Domino’s Pizza chief executive David Brandon has stepped in front of the camera once again, this time to pound the pavement for the Big Taste Bailout promotion.
The commercial, in which Brandon goes from Capitol Hill to Wall Street to Main Street to offer three medium one-topping pizzas or three Oven Baked Sandwiches for $5 each, will debut Tuesday night during Fox’s “American Idol.”
“We know times are hard; it’s a reality we are all facing,” Brandon said. “But I didn’t go to Washington to ask for a bailout. Instead, we are giving one. I’m proud to be able to offer our consumers a promotion with such a great deal on pizza. By adding our Oven Baked Sandwiches to the mix, we are further increasing the number of taste varieties to the offering.”
The Big Taste Bailout is a new form of Domino’s 555 Deal that includes more choices and combinations, said Tim McIntyre, Domino’s vice president of corporate communications.
“The biggest difference with this deal is the fact that we have sandwiches in the mix now,” McIntyre said. “The previous iteration of 555 was pizzas only, and now there’s the opportunity to mix and match. We’ve seen over the years, and especially now, that being able to provide value and variety is important, and $5 seems to be a magic price these days.”
This is the second time this year that Domino’s has debuted an ad campaign with a commercial buy for “American Idol.” The first was a commercial in late January in which Brandon burned a cease-and-desist letter from Subway regarding Domino’s claim that its Oven Baked Sandwiches beat Subway’s subs in a taste test. McIntyre said “American Idol” draws a big audience, making it an effective program for media buying.
“‘American Idol’ appeals to all segments of the population,” he said. “It’s a very family-friendly show, so it attracts lots of moms and young people, and unlike a drama or a comedy, where you never know week to week whether it will have questionable content, you know what you’re getting with ‘American Idol.’”
Domino’s also will launch an online complement to the promotion, called the Super Big Taste Bailout, in which consumers can nominate a friend in need of a “bailout.” Two winners, along with their friends who nominated them, will receive a year’s worth of Domino’s Pizza products. Brandon will deliver the prize to the winner’s door himself.
In addition to the grand prizes, participating consumers also will have a chance to win a Big Taste Bailout meal.
“I don’t intend to be part of every campaign we launch moving forward,” Brandon said, “but the message behind this promotion is something that I felt was important.”
Ann Arbor-based Domino’s operates or franchises 8,773 restaurants in the United States and 60 foreign countries.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].