How Domino’s CMO Kate Trumbull navigates inflation and reviving the brand
Jan 7, 2025
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Kate Trumbull, EVP and CMO of Domino's Pizza, dives into the fast-food brand's evolving marketing strategies amid inflation and changing consumer habits. She shares insights on innovative campaigns like 'Emergency Pizza' and the 'Hungry for More' initiative aimed at enhancing food quality and customer value. Trumbull discusses the importance of adapting to cultural trends and the brand's historical efforts to regain customer trust, while exploring the balance between engaging franchisees and responding effectively to market pressures.
Domino's adapts its marketing strategies by introducing innovative campaigns like 'Emergency Pizza' to cater to evolving consumer needs during inflation.
Kate Trumbull emphasizes the importance of balancing value and quality in offerings to attract customers in a competitive fast food market.
Deep dives
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Netflix's Successful NFL Streaming Experiment
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Domino's Innovation Through Consumer Engagement
Domino's continues to adapt and innovate amidst evolving consumer preferences, emphasizing both value and quality in its offerings. The introduction of its 'Emergency Pizza' campaign demonstrated how the brand is listening to consumer needs, providing free pizzas as a safety net during challenging times. By focusing on community engagement and transparent marketing strategies, Domino's was able to enhance its brand loyalty and attract new customers. The company's commitment to understanding cultural signals highlights its proactive approach to retaining relevance in a highly competitive fast food landscape.
Fast food and quick service restaurant brands had a rough go over the past few years as shoppers have tried to save a few bucks amidst rising grocery prices and inflation. Seemingly, parts of the brand playbook are seeing a rewrite with things like $5 deals to make consumers feel they’re getting more bang for their buck.
It’s a tale all too familiar to Domino’s, the more than 60-year-old pizza brand that has marketed its way through brand lulls to try and win back customers who have pulled back on dining out. There were the “30 minutes or less” campaigns of the 90s, Pizza Turnaround in 2010 (when the pizza chain acknowledged the recipe needed work) Paving for Pizza in 2018, where Domino's paved roads to ensure pizzas arrived to customers in good condition, and today’s Emergency Pizza, a pizza giveaway for so-called emergencies like burned dinner.
In this episode of the Digiday Podcast, Kate Trumbull, Domino’s evp and CMO joins co-host, and senior marketing reporter, Kimeko McCoy, to talk about Domino’s brand playbook.
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