Domino’s promotes carside delivery with DraftKings and a zoo

People can bet on almost anything these days, from the length of the National Anthem sung during the Super Bowl to lesser-known pursuits such as wife carrying. Now, Domino’s wants people to guess how long it takes to bring orders out to cars at its restaurants. Domino’s is teaming up with DraftKings to promote so-called carside delivery. In the Domino’s Carside Delivery 2-Minute Guarantee Over/Under Challenge — a mouthful of a name of a prop bet — people predict if Domino’s nationwide carside delivery will be quicker than two minutes, more or less than 80% of the time. Those who get it right win a share of a $200,000 pool. “While Domino’s is no stranger to guarantees, this is the first time DraftKings has created a betting pool based on a company’s performance,” Art D’Elia, Domino’s executive VP and chief marketing officer, said in a statement. The offer is a way for the leading pizza chain to tap into the rising interest in fantasy sports and sports wagering. The challenge on the DraftKings site and its daily fantasy app runs through July 12. Those who correctly guess how Domino’s does will split the $200,000 at the end of the period. A broader campaign about the 2-Minute Guarantee gives Domino’s a way to promote more carryout orders. Both pieces come from Domino’s agency of record, WorkInProgress. Domino’s has offered carryout for years and began the carside offering in 2020. It is optimistic about the future of carside to help it attract diners who may have opted for drive-thru from other chains in the past. The convenience may also increase the loyalty among its carryout customers. Plus, carryout is less labor-intensive than delivery, making it attractive to franchisees, especially in a tight labor market. The carryout piece of Domino’s business remained under pressure in the first quarter of 2021 and Domino’s recently hadn’t been as aggressive in promoting carryout, CEO Ritch Allison said on a conference call in late April. The chain will promote carryout with commercials set to run for months that emphasize its new two-minute guarantee using animal escapades. In one zoo-like spot, the Domino's staffer is able to get to the customer's car in time. In another, the animal antics lead to a free pizza for the patron. If it takes longer than two minutes from when the pizza is ready to get it to a customer’s car, their next pizza is free. Customers who place prepaid online orders check in on the app when they arrive. The two-minute countdown doesn’t begin until the order is finished being prepared. A number of restaurants began offering carside delivery, also called curbside delivery at some chains, in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic left patrons wary about being close to others. Customers pull up, wait in their own vehicles and have food put in their trunk, eliminating contact. A similar strategy was implemented for delivery, as drivers would bring food to the doorstep and then step away, rather than holding the food until the customer answered the door. COVID-19 hit the U.S. weeks after Domino's began promoting coming into its locations to pick up pizzas, with George Wendt reprising his role as Norm on "Cheers" in a spot about "Pie Pass" released in February. It had to pull that campaign when it could no longer allow customers inside during the pandemic.

Domino’s promotes carside delivery with DraftKings and a zoo

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