Domino’s Pizza is giving itself a major makeover — and introducing a snappy jingle — in hopes of holding on to customers’ limited attention.
The chain unveiled Wednesday its first refresh in 13 years, encompassing a bolder logo with brighter colors, new employee uniforms and pizza boxes, and redesigned restaurant signage. Also, for the first time in its 65-year-old history, the restaurant is releasing a jingle mimicking its name performed by country star Shaboozey.
The goal is to capture people’s shortening attention spans amid a fractured media landscape, said Kate Trumbull, Domino’s chief marketing officer.
“It used to be that you could run a 30-second ad in primetime and that would be kind of all you needed to do,” she told CNN. “Now, you need to catch attention in a second or two on TikTok or an Instagram Reel or YouTube, and when you have a jingle, you can get that instantly.”
Domino’s aims to capitalize on its recent success due to its new stuffed crust and focus on deals. The chain outperformed its main rivals — Papa John’s and Pizza Hut — last quarter, with US same-store sales growing 3.4%.
Consumers will start hearing the jingle on TV in November, when other elements of the refresh will also roll out, including adding the “Dommmino’s” expression to workers’ uniforms and revamping menu boards and signage.
Domino’s chose a jingle rather than a tagline because the rebrand will first release in 12 international markets and “mmm” can easily translate across languages, Trumbull said, adding that “even a baby can say, ‘Mmm.’”
Beyond a new sound, Domino’s is updating the color of its logo, using more vibrant shades of red and blue for employee hats and aprons, signage and newly designed pizza boxes created for unboxing in the social media era.
The pizza boxes will be the first refreshed item customers will see, releasing this week along with glimpses of the new look on social media.
“The packaging ends up being this important prop as you’re connecting with consumers, and we knew ours wasn’t working hard enough,” Trumbull said — especially in an era when “hundreds or thousands of times a day, consumers are making commercials on social media about the brand.”
Refreshing an iconic brand carries risks, said Zak Stambor, a senior retail and e-commerce analyst for EMarketer, with history littered with flops ranging from Cracker Barrel to the Gap and Tropicana.
However, Domino’s “new look feels modern while staying true to its core identity,” he told CNN. “While this refresh probably won’t drive a big sales bump, it keeps Domino’s one step ahead instead of one step behind.”
