It’s hard to hear the word “pizza” and not think of Domino’s, especially when they dominate the fast-food industry. In 2020 they generated ~44 billion US dollars of sales in the US alone, and in 2019, 82% of sales generated in the UK were through online orders. It is clear the company have found their place in the digital market, so how have Domino’s employed social media to reach such staggering success?
The company had a fall way back in 2009 when a reputation-damaging video went viral, not directly from Domino’s official social media, but from employees. Nevertheless, they picked themselves up by revamping their image. They took a different, more transparent approach in terms of their relationship with customers through social media. Their new honest and open style involved a website branded “Pizza Turnaround” and an accompanying short YouTube documentary of how they were reinventing the company.
Domino’s has turned the backlash around, found its target market, and established itself as a leader amongst fast-food delivery services. Pizza has always been popular but trying to beat its competitors means appealing to specific groups of people. Domino’s social media now focuses on the younger generation and appeals directly to students, especially new university students.
Domino’s utilise social media well to help solve the problems of frustrated customers. This is where having location-based sub-profiles also comes in handy, as there are fewer middlemen to get through before an issue can be solved.
Domino’s Social Media Following
As it stands in April 2021, Domino’s social media following looks like this: Facebook: Domino’s Pizza 21m likes; several local pages including Domino’s New Zealand (278k likes), Bangladesh (174k likes), and Guatemala (801k likes). Twitter: Domino’s 1.3m followers; Domino’s Pizza UK 271.6k followers; and several local pages including Australia (36.8k followers), Canada (15.2k followers), India (179.2k followers), and more. Instagram: Domino’s 1.7m followers; Domino’s UK 117k followers; and several local pages including Domino’s Nigeria (224k followers) and Canada (16.9k followers). LinkedIn: Domino’s 184k followers; Domino’s UK & IL 12.3k followers; and several local pages including Malaysia (35.7k followers) and Australia (22.4k followers). YouTube: Domino’s Pizza 264k subscribers. Pinterest: Domino’s 5.4k followers; Domino’s UK & IL 620 followers. TikTok: Domino’s 31.5k followers; and Domino’s Germany 21.9k followers.How Do Domino’s Use Social Media?
Domino’s have a loud presence on social media; consumers are always responding and stirring up conversations. They know what the people want – humorous quotes alongside high-quality pictures of pizzas that’ll leave the audience salivating.Domino’s on Facebook
On the Domino’s Facebook page, you can find a good mix of promotional content and community-engaging posts, with lots of colourful and fun visuals. Keeping up with the times, Domino’s typically engage with national/hashtag holidays and reference current events. In the example below, Domino’s posted a relatable Facebook post appealing to youthful British culture – starting with alcohol and ending with Domino’s. It’s a running theme for Domino’s to exude confidence, perhaps even cockiness, of the popularity of Domino’s pizza. This relatable content leads to Domino’s’ content being shared with friends and family, playing into ‘guilty pleasure’ culture.
Domino’s on Instagram
Instagram is equally on-trend, using popular hashtags and employing the ‘taking photos of your food and posting them’ tactics. Every week, Domino’s UK showcases a different photo taken by employees at stores from across the country. This is a great way to show the human side of the brand, engage employees, and encourage content sharing.
Domino’s on Twitter
As with many successful B2C brands on social media, Domino’s utilise social media as a customer service tool as well as – and arguably even more than – a marketing tool. On Twitter, Domino’s goes down the route of primarily customer service, with interactions, GIFs, and pizza memes sprinkled throughout.Customer Service & Interaction
Frustrated customers are quick to pick up their phone and tweet out a complaint or leave a negative experience in the comments of Facebook or Instagram posts they happen to come across.
Domino’s utilise social media well to help solve the problems of frustrated customers. This is where having location-based sub-profiles also comes in handy, as there are fewer middlemen to get through before an issue can be solved.
Followers or Friends?
Domino’s know their target audience well, often using language like “squad” and capitalising on pizza’s meme popularity, branded videos that young people can relate to, and creating posts that make the audience respond with “that’s so me!” This creates a sense of community and makes followers feel like they’re friends with the Domino’s team.Avoid The Noid
Domino’s created the advertising character “The Noid,” back in the 1980s. To bring this character to the modern, digital age, Domino’s has created social media profiles for The Noid and has shared all sorts of fun posts, GIFs, and videos of him. The Noid has even been added to the primary Domino’s Twitter account’s bio, blending with modern slang: “CEO of avoiding @thenoid.” The Noid’s Twitter profile shares his ‘michevious’ adventures with the world, ‘annoying’ Domino’s. It’s a fun, silly way to get people interacting and paying attention to the Domino’s brand.
