“Paving for Pizza” Expands The Idea of What Advertising Can Be

Domino’s delivery drivers cover 10 million miles each week in the U.S. alone.

If you worked on the Domino’s account at Crispin Porter & Bogusky, what might you do with this not insignificant fact?

The agency’s answer is Paving for Pizza, a civic-minded promotion that wraps the brand in a warm PR blanket.

According to CityLab, “there’s a certain logic in having Domino’s provide funding to fix potholes. The company, after all, bears some responsibility for the sorry state of the pavement, as well as a business imperative to wanting to see the streets fixed.”

The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that the cost of bad roads to American businesses between now and 2022 will be $240 billion.

There’s an unreal quality to this down-to-earth campaign. Snopes’ readers expressed surprise and skepticism that Domino’s — a company that makes pizza — had begun a project to pave over cracks and potholes on roads in the United States.

Surprise and skepticism are only natural. Road repair is a government function and infrastructure spending is a regular campaign talking point. Meanwhile, our roads, bridges, airports and municipal buildings continue to decay.

Adweek’s David Griner reports that not all city governments welcomed Domino’s with open arms.

Once some towns were selected and contacted for the program, town officials declined the road-repair assistance. CP+B’s team says vocal support from city officials is something they value a great deal when they’re selecting towns for Paving for Pizza.

Customer Focused Advertising Is the Future of Advertising

The not-so-secret ingredient in Domino’s success? The fact that the company cares about its customers.

Ever since Crispin walked into the boardroom, this pizza maker has been on a mission to reinvent itself. They started with a promise to make better pizza and have kept the good times rolling.

I believe the work Crispin is doing on this account is the new high bar for creative. It’s not enough to come up with smart advertising, today. How is the brand impacting culture and communities? How is the brand impacting the economy and the environment?

People are asking big questions of brands today, and brands need to be ready with answers.