Domino's Just Says "No" to Pizza Choices

One downside of crowd-sourcing is when the crowd begins to think your brand is an open-ended exercise in popular adaptation.

Domino's is saying "No!" to that. On the heels of its groundbreaking campaigns that gained attention for seeking and respecting candid consumer evaluations of its products, the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based pizza chain is putting its foot down over suggested changes to the line of artisan pizza pies it introduced last year. "Artisan," as in, an expert who makes things expertly.

A new ad notes that Domino's spent years "perfecting the balance on our artisan crust toppings" and so won't remove or add toppings to the artisan line. The new line, launched last year, includes varieties such as Chicken & Bacon Carbonara. But customers can still customize any other pies. 

Similarly, a recent Domino's TV commercial highlights the invention of Parmesan Bread Bites by a Findlay, Ohio store owner named Brian Edler. An employee suggests that the inventor should become Domino's CEO; the actual CEO, Patrick Doyle, chuckles and says, "Ah, no."

It would be a significant setback if Domino's became seen as the company of "No." It rehabilitated a sorry brand image starting a couple of years ago with ads that came clean about Domino's shortcomings and courted consumer help to improve its pizza formulas and other products. "Oh Yes We Did" was the tagline.

Will Domino's threaten this new openness with its staunch refusal to alter its artisan pizzas? After all, might there be some good ideas out there somewhere, among the pizza-eating cognoscenti, to make these premium pizzas even better?

At this point, at least, Domino's is inclined to just say no.

[Image via Shutterstock]