Domino’s bakes craveability into its first brand refresh in 13 years

When you're one of the world's largest pizza companies with $19.4 billion in sales and a decade of unbroken growth, any sudden rebranding might seem like an unnecessary risk. That is, unless you're Domino's; then, a period of unyielding success is actually the perfect time to improve upon what already appears to be working.

On October 8, Domino's unveiled a brand refresh 20 months in the making. Created in collaboration with agency WorkInProgress, the new look features a collection of updated brand codes such as brighter colors across all its packaging, a softer typeface (which the brand has dubbed "Domino's Sans") and more prominent domino imagery commanding more space on the pizza box (specialty items like its Handmade Pan and Parmesan Stuffed Crust pizza will don an exclusive black-and-gold version of the box).

In addition, the brand is bypassing the adoption of a new tagline in favor of what it calls a "Cravemark," or a new audio and visual expression of its name that literally puts the mmm in "Dommmino's." To help bring the renewed identity to life, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and cross-genre sensation Shaboozey lent his voice to a new jingle as well as a mnemonic sound that will appear in the brand's marketing for the foreseeable future.

"Rather than launching a more traditional tagline, we're baking craveability right into our name and every aspect of our brand as a reminder of this relentless focus," said Kate Trumbull, Domino's executive VP and global CMO.

This is the first refresh from Domino's in 13 years. With it, the brand hopes to return attention to the real center of it all: the pizza.

Risky delivery

The comprehensive refresh represents a strategic gamble based on a risky idea: changing a winning formula can yield bigger dividends than playing it safe. With consistent market share growth of 1% annually over the past decade and commanding franchise loyalty across 21,500 stores in over 90 markets, Domino's had no real crisis forcing its hand.

Add to that a critical consumer environment that produced disastrous results for recent rebrands and you have a move that most in Domino's position would understandably avoid. But Matt Talbot, cofounder and chief creative officer at WorkInProgress, sees the decision as core to Domino's DNA.

"We have a history of constantly trying to beat ourselves," he told Campaign. "Not benchmarking the competitors, but trying to get better every day and not rest on our laurels. That's always been part of the Domino's ethos."

While the company continues to consider brand improvement by way of product innovation and elevated food photography, Talbot said this also exposed opportunities to reenergize the entire brand experience in a way that transcends food, leading to more intentional code evolutions — brighter brand colors that are easier to translate into dynamic ads, softer typography that’s more digital friendly, bolder imagery made instantly recognizable from a distance.

"There's been this realization that there are hundreds of commercials being shot every day that we don't control in the form of UGC and creator content," said Talbot. "The boxes could be simpler and more easily recognisable. The logo is the best thing to leverage for that because that has been iconic for us now for quite some time."

As for Shaboozey, that was a less complicated choice. Beyond the richness of his recognizable voice, the artist behind the hit "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" has cultivated a diverse fanbase that crosses generations, from the older listeners who double as Domino's longtime loyalists to the Gen Z and Gen Alpha fans with whom the brand hopes to create deeper connections.

"Pizza is that one food that brings everyone together — different people and generations and cultures — and no one does it better than Domino's," said Shaboozey in a statement. "It was a fun challenge to be the voice for the most craveable food."

The refresh will roll out over the coming months across the U.S. and multiple international markets, with touchpoints including TV and digital advertising, the Domino's website and ordering app, its boxes, print materials, in-store graphics and team member gear.