Brief:

• Pizza chain Domino's unveiled a mobile game on Tuesday that lets loyalty customers win points that can be redeemed for free food, according to a press release from the company.
• The "Piece of the Pie Pursuit" mobile game puts players in the center of Domino's latest TV commercial, which highlights how people can order Domino's via phone, online or in store.
• Each section of the game features pizza-themed challenges, such as guiding a pizza cutter car along a virtual track in a race against the clock and using a sauce spoon as a catapult. Players who beat all six levels in the game will receive 10 Piece of the Pie Rewards bonus points toward their next qualifying order. Customers who reach 60 points can redeem them online for a free medium two-topping pizza. The mobile game is available to download for free on iTunes or Google Play.

Insight:

Quick-service restaurants are working harder to provide experiences through mobile and digital channels to meet customer preferences. As mobile's role in loyalty programs and ordering continues to grow, Domino's is using a game to reinforce with customers that they can earn points from mobile ordering. Domino's launched its Piece of the Pie Rewards program in 2015 and, in the fall of 2017, expanded it to include points for orders placed anywhere the chain offers ordering capabilities, including online, via phone and in stores. 

Domino's is the latest company to try out a gamification strategy to engage mobile customers with its brand while educating them about the company's ordering capabilities. The pizza chain generated more than half of its total global sales last year from digital channels — primarily online ordering and mobile applications. That helped same-store sales rise 4.2% in Q4 2017 in the U.S., compared with Pizza Hut's 2% gain, according to Ad Age.

Brands like Nike, Ally Bank, 20th Century Fox and Mercedes-Benz have used gamification strategies to appeal to mobile users. Gamification typically lets players earn points, badges and leaderboard positions to keep them engaged in a task and entice them to come back for more, with the potential to earn money-saving rewards.

Meanwhile, Domino's competitors are also ramping up their creative marketing efforts to stand out in the crowded pizza space. Pizza Hut this year brought back its "Pie Tops" sneakers to coincide with the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament. Last year, the shoes were available only through a special promotion, but the company this year offered 50 pairs for sale through fashion and lifestyle e-commerce site Hypebeast during the week of March 19. The shoes pair with the owner's smartphone and a Pie Tops app for iPhone or Android. Pressing a button found on the tongue of the shoes can place a pizza order or pause connected TV screens.