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#061 - How Domino's Went From Worst to First! A Multi-Location Turnaround Story

Episode 61 • 10th December 2025 • The Marketing Factory • Marissa Candy

0:00: Imagine this, you're starving.

0:02: It's one of those nights where the fridge contains nothing but a lonely carrot and a half-used jar of pesto.

0:09: So you think pizza.

0:11: So you pick up the phone and you order some Domino's but you stop.

0:15: Because you remember when Domino's pizza tasted like someone's printed a photo of pizza on cardboard, yep, there was a time where Domino's reputation was worse than soggy crust on a Monday morning.

0:27: Customers complained loudly, Domino's pretended not to hear.

0:32: Now fast forward, Domino's becomes a global delivery icon.

0:38: A powerhouse in fact.

0:39: So how did this brand at rock bottom, make it to the top?

0:45: Today, we're breaking down that iconic turnaround, and I'll show you how multi-location businesses can copy this strategy without needing to reinvent the pizza wheel.

0:56: Welcome to the marketing factory, where we don't blend in.

0:59: I'm Marissa Candy, founder and recipient of Gold Stevie International Business Award, among many others, and for over two decades, I've helped businesses think differently about their marketing and achieve powerful results.

1:12: In this podcast, I'll share proven strategies so that you can create profitable marketing campaigns that drive real impact for your business.

1:21: Ready to become impossible to ignore?

1:24: Let's get started.

et's travel back to the early: 2000

1:29: A version of Domino's in the early 2000s, OK, when customers complained about the pizza tasting like, Disappointment.

1:38: Online reviews, brutal, savage, hilarious, if it wasn't your business.

1:45: Recipe inconsistency across stores meant every location was a game of pizza roulette, and marketing, they were out there being clever, while the product was out there being, let's say, not.

2:00: It was trying to sell a luxury car with Flintstone wheels, sure it's iconic, but no-one's gonna wanna drive it.

2:07: Domino's had a trust problem, and here's the lesson, if customers don't trust your product, your marketing must work twice as hard and still it won't even succeed.

2:18: Now, I'm glad you've stuck around because here where his work it's good.

2:23: Most brands deny their flaws, like a toddler denying they even touched the cake with icing all over their face.

2:30: Domino's did the complete opposite.

2:32: They ran a national campaign that basically said, we read your reviews.

2:38: You're right, our pizza wasn't great.

2:40: Customers were stunned everywhere.

2:43: This level of honesty, it's rare, right?

2:45: How many people stand up and say that, you know, our pizza wasn't good.

2:50: Especially from a global brand.

2:52: The result, transparency became a trust accelerant, and people started rooting for Domino's instead of roasting them.

3:00: So how did they fix this issue?

3:02: They didn't just sprinkle some oregano on their problems and hope for the best, they rebuilt the pizza from the dough up.

3:10: You would've seen it, new crust, new sauce, better cheese, standardized recipes, consistent training across every location.

3:19: And for a multi-location business, this is huge.

3:23: Consistency is the silent marketer that keeps customers loyal.

3:29: And now here's analogy time, right, it's like IKEA furniture.

3:33: The magic only works if every screw, bolt, and strangely named components behave the same way everywhere.

3:44: Otherwise, you're crying on the floor holding an Allen key.

3:47: We've all been there.

3:49: And here's where the genius really kicked in.

3:52: On the product was fixed, Domino's told the world loudly, boldly, playfully.

4:00: Campaigns like, oh yes we did, used customer real complaints, real feedback and real solutions.

4:08: They took that negativity and turned it into meme worthy.

4:12: Marketing.

4:13: So picture this, a pizza brand showing a review that said, this crust tastes like cardboard, and responding with, you're right, we fixed it.

4:23: Customers ate it up, literally and figuratively, and listen, people don't expect perfection.

4:30: They expect progress and some personality.

4:33: So let's now talk about their digital innovation, because Domino's didn't just update the pizza, they embraced technology like a Silicon Valley startup that just discovered caffeine.

4:46: They built an intuitive online ordering system, introduced some real-time delivery tracking, we all love that, right?

4:53: Launched loyalty programs, experimented with AI and voice ordering before it was even cool.

5:00: They gamified the pizza experience.

5:03: If your pizza is the hero, your ordering system is the sidekick that makes the hero look oh so good.

5:11: And for a multi-location business, smooth digital experiences equal repeat customers.

5:18: Now a brand turnaround is one thing, but a multi-location turnaround, that is Olympic level coordination.

5:27: And here's what Domino's created.

5:28: Just quickly, if you're a business owner struggling to see results from your marketing or you're overwhelmed by the thought of marketing your business, we can help.

5:37: Book in a call with my team using the link in the show notes and let's get your brand thriving without the struggle.

5:42: Now, back to the episode, and here's what Domino's created.

5:46: First, franchise agreements and alignments, same recipe, same approach, same standards.

5:53: Then centralized marketing, ready to use assets that keep branding consistent through all the stores.

6:01: They added local flexibility, individual stores could tailor their offers while staying deeply on brand.

6:08: And feedback loops, reviews were taken seriously and they acted on them quickly, it wasn't just something that sat on a shelf or on your Google business page.

6:18: So here's what every business can now steal from Domino's.

6:22: Number one, fix your product before you fix the marketing.

6:26: You can't stand out by advertising a poor customer experience alone.

6:32: 2, be brave enough to be honest.

6:36: Transparency makes you humans, and humans build trust.

6:40: Transparency makes you human, and humans build trust.

6:45: Number 3, you gotta deliver consistency.

6:49: No customer wants a location lottery, alright.

6:53: Train your team like your reputation depends on it, because it actually does.

7:00: Number 5, update your digital experience.

7:04: Convenience beats competition every time.

7:07: And 6, add some personality, add humor, add you.

7:13: People connect with realness, not corporate robots.

7:17: Domino's went from being a global meh to a global powerhouse, not because they simply shouted louder, but because they changed smarter.

7:27: They owned their flaws, rebuilt their systems, invested in consistency, embraced tech, and got a whole lot more human.

7:37: And if you are running a multi-location brand and want help to audit your systems, strengthen your customer experience, align your locations, or create marketing that actually earns trust, then take that first step.

7:51: Visit our website and book a strategy call, and remember, marketing gets attention, consistency earns loyalty, honesty earns love, and if dominoes can go from cardboard crust jokes to international growth, you can absolutely transform your brand too.

8:10: See you next episode.

8:11: Thanks for tuning in to the Marketing Factory.

8:13: If today's episode helped bring clarity to your marketing strategy, please leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and don't forget to subscribe on your favorite platform.

8:24: Stay connected with us on the socials at the Marketing Factory or at the Marketing Factory AS and let's keep turning clarity into action.

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61. #061 - How Domino's Went From Worst to First! A Multi-Location Turnaround Story