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The crust tastes like cardboard…
The sauce reminds me of ketchup…
Worst excuse for pizza I’ve ever had…

These are not selling points, and yet they are. Let me explain.

In a risky and admirable move, Domino’s pizza broadcasts in their latest national television ad the focus group feedback they were getting… and not the positive feedback, but rather the negative. This is the longer version, but you’ll get the picture for what I saw on TV last night.

As you listen to the consumer blast Domino’s and watch the fallen faces of the Domino’s employees you realize the only reason a company would do this is if they feel they can change it. The spot endears you to the people behind the cardboard crust and you pull for them to succeed. What Domino’s has accomplished in this spot is letting the consumer know that they have heard them and that they care, one of the most important things in today’s social media society. There is so much power in the consumer’s hands and they should be respected.

So, to sum it up, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when Crispin Porter + Bogusky pitched this to the marketing department at Domino’s. I’m sure it was a hard pill to swallow… And while I haven’t ordered a Domino’s pizza since I was in college, I’m truly tempted to test it out on Friday with a good Porter and flick. I guess good advertising works even on those of us jaded industry folk.