I’m not in danger… I AM the danger.

Domino’s™ is an Icon in the Pizza Biz… love ‘em or hate ‘em, you just GOTTA know who they are.  And yet, they’ve been going through some ‘self flagelation’ on the order of pre-renaissance religious zealots in an effort to tweak their “Brand”.  

Does that tell you anything about ‘Branding’?   If it doesn’t  check your pulse because you just may be dead!

 They’ve gone through major  brand upheavals… from the “Our Pizza Stinks” commercials to the soon to announced ‘Pizza Theater’ effort.

 Make no mistake about it…. these guys are deadly serious.

 Take a look as what’s  happened to other major players:

 Pizza’s momentum slowed down no doubt about it. 

In a recent QSR magazine study of fast food dollars spent, pizza chains had four of the top 25 spots and seven of the top 50 spots, and no fresh blood was cracking the list!.

  •  One chain dropped 1,000 outlets and $600 million in sales over the last 10 years. 
  • Pizzeria Uno parent company, Uno Chicago Grill, file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2010.  
  • Sbarro followed soon after. 
  •  CiCi’s Pizza once a big  up-and-comer  and tought it would hit 1,000 units. Store count remains in the mid-600s  

Today, consumers expanded their range with fast-casual outlets like Chipotle and Panera grabbing share.  Add in some tough retail offers like “ gourmet “frozen pizzas and take-and-bake supermarket options and well, there you are!

“I’m not in danger… I AM the danger” 

‘Walter White’  Breaking  Bad

 Here’s the ‘CHEAT’   You only have to beat the in YOUR backyard….    What do you care if they are loosing locations in another state…. If they are blowing millions on failed Ad’s      let ‘em!

 Just make sure YOU are the Killer in your market place.

 Simply put –  with all the money and all the noise out  there you’d better get your BRAND identified, sharply honed and communicated to your customers… NOW!

Look, I a’int saying it’s easy… but is sure can be FUN and VERY PROFITABLE…  

 Here’s your choices …  

  • Ignore this and get flattened by the STEAM ROLLERS out there  or 
  • GET IN THE GAME and learn how to do this.

And the simple truth is that there is a method you can follow and you can craft a brand that ‘RESONATES’ with your marketplace in a way the BIG BOYS just can NEVER do!

 Here’s some ideas:

  •  Get your ‘story’ straight: As a species, we love stories and GOOD storytellers are highly prized!  Think Hemmingway, Richard Prior,  or even your cousin that just seems to tell a good story.
  • Tell your ‘story’ clearly:  Make sure you weave the story into everything you do as a Pizzeria.  Every AD, every picture everything
  • Make sure it’s interesting: Crap like ‘fresh ingredients’ won’t cut it.. ( It better be fresh or else…)  Compare that with “…my family has been making Pizza so long that  I practically grew up under a pizza oven!”

 Stop wasting time, get your act together and ….

 Stay Sharp!

 PJ

NEED SOME HELP??

A while back I wrote a guide on branding…. I even put it in an E-Course and some savvy Pizzaolos still have it.   If you want it, shoot me an email with ‘E Course’  in the subject line and I’ll resurrect it for the first 10 responders.  It’ll cost you, cause it’ll cost me to get the darn this back on line.  Figure $40 for the 8 lessons course… that’s a paltry $5 per lesson…. CHEAP AT TWICE THE PRICE.

Want it in ‘hard copy’?  … look, I really don’t want to go through that hassle.  But if you just ‘gotta have it’ in print, make it $200 (Yeah, printing costs money!) and I’ll try that too.

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