Domino’s Home Invasion… Through Your TiVo

The battle for consumers’ attention is a constant game of cat-and-mouse. Consumers try to filter out the onslaught of messages, and marketers coming up with new ways to get past the barriers.

The war will escalate soon, as Domino’s pizza invades the living room, trojan-horse-style. According to the Wall Street Journal, Domino’s has figured out a way to turn TiVo’s fast-forward feature to its advantage.

In a new promotion with TiVo Inc., Domino’s Pizza Inc. will begin taking orders using only a TV set from customers who have broadband TiVo service. When a customer forwards through a commercial for Domino’s, TiVo will flash a pop-up advertisement that asks the customer if she would like to order a pizza, then direct her to a Domino’s ordering screen.

One of the selling points of TiVo, and other DVR’s, is that viewers can skip the commercials — a huge threat to the “free” TV model. Why, after all, should a company spend money on television advertising if nobody’s going to watch? So on a professional level, I’m fascinated with Domino’s attempt to force its way past the filters.

Results, I suppose, can be measured in two ways: directly (how much money they make from orders via TiVo), and indirectly (same store sales in markets where these messages are delivered).

Will viewers really order pizza through their televisions? Or will they take their TiVo’s and throw them in the river? Stay tuned.

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3 thoughts on “Domino’s Home Invasion… Through Your TiVo”

  2. I think this could backfire on TiVo – they are eliminating one of the huge buying incentives for their customers. Why should I subscribe to TiVo if they are going to bombard me with ad’s when i fast forward? I guess I can go back to the old fashioned taping on a video and eliminate the additional expense of subscribing to TiVo or Cable On-Demand!

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  3. I agree with both of the above comments. Consumers are continually being bombarded by advertisement through an onslaught of new outlets ranging from bathroom stalls to grocery store carts. Generally, one of the benefits of investing in a TiVo is the ability to fast forward through commercials. Basically, dominos is invading the consumers space, possibly creating feelings of ill-will toward the company. However, I applaud Domino’s for finding a way to capitalize on the new era of recorded television. TiVo and other alike devices have threatened the impact of television advertising and yet Domino’s has proved there are still palpable ways to get through the filters and reach large-scale audiences.

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