Dodo Pizza's "Love Is" Campaign: Fostering Customer Engagement and Brand Recognition
Dodo Pizza is an innovative international pizza delivery company with a strong presence in numerous countries worldwide. With a commitment to providing quality food and exceptional service, they have earned a reputation for leveraging technology and embracing customer-focused marketing strategies.
Dodo Pizza sought to execute a unique marketing campaign, the "Love Is" campaign, aimed at promoting their combo category while simultaneously tapping into the emotions associated with love, both romantic and beyond. The campaign's main goal was to provide customers with an opportunity to treat their loved ones from a distance while giving them a memorable keepsake.
The "Love Is" campaign was inspired by three central ideas: love in its broadest sense, the ability to please a loved one remotely and unique postcards as a keepsake. Dodo Pizza wanted to combine these ideas with something recognizable and nostalgic - the experience of opening a gum wrapper and discovering a surprise insert. In the case of the "Love Is" campaign, customers would receive an order containing a unique card in the style of the iconic "Love is..." inserts, designed to evoke a sense of nostalgia.
The objectives of the "Love Is" promotion was twofold: to promote the combo category among current customers and to involve these customers in interacting with the Dodo Pizza brand, ultimately resulting in the growth of a loyal customer base. This innovative campaign idea required exceptional collaboration, creativity, and marketing expertise to ensure its success, leading Dodo Pizza to partner with InAppStory to bring its vision to life.
The Challenges
The "Love Is" campaign presented a number of challenges that Dodo Pizza and InAppStory had to overcome in order to create a successful and memorable promotion. From the initial ideation phase to the final implementation, both teams faced obstacles related to project constraints, partnership coordination, and the development of an engaging gamification campaign.
Initial Ideation and Partnership
The idea to collaborate with the iconic "Love Is" brand had been discussed among Dodo Pizza's team members for quite some time, but finding the right opportunity to bring this partnership to fruition proved to be challenging. The breakthrough came when an agency approached Dodo Pizza with a license to use the "Love Is" illustrations, prompting renewed interest in the collaboration. After studying the history of the "Love Is" brand and discovering the touching love story behind the comic, both teams became even more determined to create a campaign that would resonate with customers on an emotional level.
Developing the Concept and Overcoming Constraints
The original concept involved producing a limited edition of "Love Is" gum with Dodo Pizza-themed inserts. However, logistical issues such as coordinating with the gum factory in Turkey, making arrangements, and meeting the holiday deadline made this idea unfeasible. Undeterred, both teams continued brainstorming to find an alternative that would still capture the essence of the "Love Is" brand while aligning with Dodo Pizza's objectives.
The idea to create unique postcards featuring "Love Is" illustrations eventually emerged as the preferred solution. Dodo Pizza and InAppStory chose eight of the most compelling responses from customers about what made their love special and commissioned the "Love Is" artist to create postcards based on these stories. The postcards would be available exclusively through the "Love Is" combo, giving customers a tangible keepsake to treasure.
Developing the Gamification Campaign
One of the most significant challenges in developing the gamification campaign was the tight time frame. Lengthy discussions about game mechanics and agreeing on layouts with the copyright holder impacted the development schedule, causing the team to reassess their initial plans. The original idea involved creating a "designer" tool that allowed users to generate their own custom greeting cards using "Love Is'' elements. However, due to time constraints, the team opted for a simpler postcard generator game.
Postcard Generator Game
The final postcard generator game allowed users to choose a recipient, enter their name, and select their relationship to the recipient. Based on these inputs, a personalized greeting card would be generated, which could be downloaded and sent to the intended recipient. Despite the challenges faced during the development process, the end result was a highly engaging and user-friendly game that resonated with customers.
Achieving Success
In the face of numerous obstacles, Dodo Pizza and InAppStory successfully collaborated to launch the "Love Is" campaign. The unique postcards, engaging postcard generator game, and comprehensive marketing efforts across various channels helped to promote the combo category, increase customer interaction with the brand, and grow Dodo Pizza's loyal customer base.
Although the campaign did not meet its initial sales projections, the "Love Is" campaign achieved its brand goals, garnering more than 12 million views on the promotional video and a significant viral effect on social media. The experience also provided valuable insights for both teams, informing future collaborations and special projects.
The "Love Is" campaign's challenges were ultimately met with resilience, creativity, and collaboration, resulting in an innovative and memorable promotion that captured the hearts of customers and strengthened the connection between Dodo Pizza and its loyal customer base.
The Business Results: Analyzing the "Love Is" Campaign Success
The collaboration between InAppStory and Dodo Pizza on the "Love Is" campaign provided valuable insights into customer preferences and interactions with the brand. The campaign's success in terms of brand goals and customer engagement highlights the importance of creating memorable experiences that resonate with the target audience.
The "Love Is" campaign garnered significant engagement, with the promotional video receiving more than 12 million views and a strong viral effect on social media. The campaign, however, fell short of its sales goal, selling 33,146 "Love Is" combos instead of the projected 135,000.
As for the postcard generator game, it achieved impressive results:
- Stories coverage: 2,517,066
- Opened Stories: 400,085
- Conversion rate at the opening: 15.9%
- Number of users who used the greeting card generator: 320,162
- Cards generated: 761,611
In total, more than 760,000 cards were generated during the promotion period. Although the campaign did not meet its sales target, it succeeded in boosting brand recognition and fostering customer engagement.