In the summer of 2002, Domino's Pizza approached its longstanding PR agency Vorhaus & Company Inc. with a new challenge. The nation's leader in pizza delivery was poised to
introduce a new spicy-chicken product, Domino's Pizza Buffalo Chicken Kickers. The PR crew knew from the get-go that this would not be an easy feat. "Let's face it: It's chicken,"
says Vorhaus Senior VP Kyle Potvin. "A lot of other people offer chicken."
The approach: a simultaneous nationwide delivery event. "It became more about creating buzz," says Domino's VP of Corporate Communications Tim McIntyre. "We wanted to get the
product into people's mouths and to a large degree let it speak for itself."
To pull off the nationwide delivery, the PR team secured the cooperation of Domino's franchisees, and then provided the tools they would need to participate in the big event.
The PR team also wanted to secure some high-profile chicken deliveries on TV, using New York's Times Square as a central site for the arrival of the new product.
Proper Preparation
To get the franchisees on board, Domino's communications team made the rounds. "We actually took this product to our [regional] meetings and to our town meetings with our CEO,"
McIntyre says. "We would go into a town, go to a local store, make the product and let our people taste it firsthand, before anyone else in the world got to taste it. By the time
we got around to launching it and trying to build participation in a PR campaign, our internal system already knew what it was and they were excited about being part of a
program."
That kind of buy-in was essential. While the main event would take place in New York City, franchisees across the country also were asked to make high-profile deliveries,
dropping off chicken in the offices of NBC's "Tonight" show host Jay Leno, the Miami Heat, Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura as well as non-profit organizations, firefighters and
police officers.
As the event approached, the Vorhaus team walked the franchisees through many of the specifics. They put together an instruction sheet, laying out just what the franchisees
needed to do to set up the deliveries, estimate the quantities and prepare the product. Most important, these communications continued to make the case for taking part in the
launch. "We were able to paint a picture for them: Here is what we are doing throughout the country, here is what we are doing in New York City," Potvin says. "They could feel
that excitement and they wanted to be a part of it." Information was also distributed via the intranet, newsletter and e-mail throughout a two-month period.
The Main Event
While franchisees nationwide were calling up firehouses and municipal offices to arrange for celebratory chicken deliveries, the Vorhaus team was gearing up for the main event:
a simultaneous product sampling in Times Square, Herald Square and Greeley Square, in New York City, on September 17, 2002.
At each location, a red carpet was unrolled, and actors posing as paparazzi waited to snap photos as the product made its official debut. Commuters and tourists received
branded Domino's Pizza Buffalo Chicken Kickers T-shirts and disposable cameras. A 34-foot, 18-passenger, 2003 Cadillac Escalade, wrapped in tantalizing product photography and
logos, turned heads as it cruised city streets. Domino's also delivered hot chicken live on NBC's "Today" show and "New York's WB 11 Morning News."
The Results
The launch event for Domino's Pizza Buffalo Chicken Kickers scored nearly 50 million consumer impressions. Stories ran in USA Today, local newspapers, and The Drive-Thru
Gourmet, a syndicated review column by Ken Hoffman that continues to run nationwide.
More than 100 franchisees and corporate stores together delivered more than 750,000 Domino's Pizza Buffalo Chicken Kickers in one day. Of these, more than 75,000 were served up
to local dignitaries. Eleven towns received mayoral proclamations to commemorate the day.
Domino's does not reveal specific sales figures, but McIntyre says that since the launch the product has "far exceeded" the sales threshold required to make it a permanent part
of the Domino's menu.
Contacts: Kyle Potvin, 603.893.1707, [email protected]; Tim McIntyre, 734.930-3563, [email protected]
Vorhaus & Company Inc.: Fast Facts
- Founded: 1989
- HQ: New York City
- Main clients: Domino's Pizza, DuPont, Jenny Craig, Russell Stover Candies
- Billings (2002): $2.4 million
- Employees: 15
- Campaign time frame: Four months leading up to the Sept. 17, 2002 launch
- Budget: $300,000, including food costs
- URL: http://www.vorhaus.com
- Campaign Staff: Robbie Vorhaus, President & CEO; Kyle Potvin, SVP; Terese Kelly, Account Director; Jaime Marland, Senior Account Executive; Ellie Kline, Senior Account
Executive
Slicing the Media Pie
The logistics of a nationwide chicken delivery is no small thing. Vorhaus & Co. Senior VP Kyle Potvin offers a few tips from her Domino's experience:
- How did the NYC product launch score coveted live coverage from the "Today" show and "New York's WB 11 Morning News"? "A lot of it is about relationships," says Potvin.
"There were people we had worked with before, so while we still sell them on the merits of the story, at least they knew who we were." - The event unfolded at high-profile locations, including Times Square. "It's a huge hassle" to secure such sites, Potvin says. "Every single place in New York City has a
different office to control whether you can do events there." Tip: Hang up the phone. The fastest route to a permit is a personal appearance at the appropriate city office. - The PR team drew cooperation from franchisees throughout the Domino's system, which made a huge difference. "Being able to tap into this franchise body gave us local arms and
legs to help us around the country," says Potvin. "Plus, if you can get that buzz going in local communities, that is what is going to make the difference and sell your
product."