Domino’s franchisees star in the chain’s first national recruiting spot, suggesting that those looking for work apply to the pizza chain for full-time and part-time jobs.

The “We’re Hiring” spot, set to debut on April 10, comes as millions of people, including many in the restaurant industry, have lost their jobs as businesses reduced hours or shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our goal is to prove to consumers that we’re there for them in these uncertain times,” says Kate Trumbull, Domino’s VP of advertising and Hispanic marketing.

The hiring spot was inspired in part by the outreach Domino’s franchisees were doing on their own, suggesting people who suddenly found themselves unemployed or underemployed consider applying for jobs at the pizza chain, she says.

The U.S. unemployment rate has soared as all types of businesses have cut back or shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Domino’s, meanwhile, is still operating and in March said it aimed to hire 10,000 across a variety of roles. 

The style of the “We’re Hiring” spot might feel familiar to people now working from home as it resembles a Zoom-style video conference call. The spot was recorded using Zoom, says Trumbull. Eight franchisees recorded their videos in their shops, using a script from Domino’s creative agency CP&B.

The franchisees spoke into laptops or iPads propped up in front of them, while Domino’s used the chat function to show them their lines, says Trumbull. After three days of shoots, CP&B pulled pieces from each recording into the 30-second spot.

“It just feels like it’s real and relevant in today’s time when everyone is communicating and connecting digitally,” says Trumbull. 

The franchisees appear in boxes lined up on the right side of the screen, then one by one deliver their lines in the main section of the screen, much like speakers on the video conference calls that have become a more familiar part of at-home office life for millions in recent weeks. The spot moves from franchisee to franchisee as they speak. “If getting some full- or part-time work during these tough times can help you,” one man says during the spot, “Domino’s is hiring,” another continues.

The franchisees run small and large businesses across the country. Lolly, who is featured first, became a franchisee this year, in Portland, Oregon. Sue, who is shown toward the end of the spot, has 117 stores, including some in Minneapolis.

Domino’s is also out with a new 15-second “Peace of Mind” spot focused on contactless delivery and a value-priced offer. The voiceover in that spot mentions that while the pizza is handcrafted, it is cooked in a 450-degree oven and isn’t touched again. Little Caesars delivers a similar message about contactless cooking in a spot it rolled out in late March but said its pizzas are cooked in a 475-degree oven.

Work on both spots shows how Domino’s is adjusting to more urgent timing. “Typically, we take eight months from brief to ad on air,” says Trumbull. 

The “We’re Hiring” spot came together in a matter of days, from concept to reaching out to franchisees, shooting and pulling from hours of video for the 30-second cut. The “Peace of Mind” spot was scripted, recorded and mixed, edited and shipped to networks within four days, says Trumbull.

“It’s going to be really interesting when we get to a more normal place, I don’t think it’s going to be acceptable to take eight months to develop an ad,” says Trumbull. “But I think that’s a good thing.”

These are Domino’s first fully new spots to air during the pandemic. It previously tacked contactless delivery messages into an existing spot showing actor Jordan Fisher reprising the dancing scene from “Risky Business.” And in mid-March it pulled the “Cheers”-style spot featuring George Wendt and others picking up pizzas in ways that wouldn’t happen now because the actors in that spot aren’t practicing the new norm of social distancing. That ad had been set to run far beyond March. “That was a quick pivot for us,” says Trumbull.