Dive Brief:

• Domino’s Pizza has extended its partnership with independent agency WorkInProgress (WIP), which will now serve as the chain’s social media agency of record (AOR) in addition to leading strategic and creative duties, per a press release. 
• The brand first enlisted WIP as its lead creative shop in 2021 as it navigated a post-pandemic environment marked by rapid change. The agency has developed a number of noteworthy campaigns for Domino’s, including an Emergency Pizza promotion that became one of the company’s most successful ever.  
• WIP’s new contract runs through 2027, with the expanded remit speaking to a bigger focus on social-first marketing. True AOR appointments have become rarer but Domino’s is betting that WIP can help it weather another period of global uncertainty. 

Dive Insight:

Domino’s is deepening its relationship with WIP following a four-year partnership that has seen the Boulder, Colorado-based indie deliver work that consistently generated consumer buzz and drove loyalty. The scope of the new contract notably gives WIP social AOR duties, an indication that Domino’s is vying to ramp up its work in the creator space and on apps such as TikTok. Another brand that recently named a social AOR is JCPenney, which last month hired VaynerMedia to support its turnaround plan. 

The crown jewel of WIP’s output for Domino’s is Emergency Pizza, a promotion that gives customers a free medium, two-topping pizza to order when in a pinch. The concept has been iterated on several times since its debut in 2023, with recent versions including a tie-in with Netflix’s “Squid Game” and Twitch’s sponsored The Glitch space in the online video game Fortnite. 

The first Emergency Pizza campaign generated 5 billion earned media impressions, the most in Domino’s history, and became a “powerhouse” in standing up what was at the time a recently revamped loyalty program. Other campaigns led by WIP include a “Mind Ordering” effort for hit streaming series “Stranger Things” and several promotions addressing tip fatigue and inflation.

Domino’s doubling down on WIP follows changes in its marketing leadership. The company in October promoted longtime exec Kate Trumbull from chief brand officer to CMO, a move that seeks to bring greater cohesion to global marketing. WIP has played an important role in supporting a Hungry for MORE strategy that Domino’ is looking to implement in more international markets.   

The commitment to WIP is also notable at a time when AOR relationships are generally perceived as on the decline with marketers hiring more agencies on a project-based basis. Independent creatives have picked up some additional notice as large holding companies put a priority on media and data capabilities amid a period of intense consolidation. Domino’s creative was handled by the agency then-known as Crispin Porter + Bogusky before the switch to WIP.  

“We have one of the rarest agency partnerships in the history of our industry,” said Trumbull in a statement around the WIP news. “WorkInProgress’ team, many of whom have worked on the brand for more than 10 years, brings both institutional knowledge and a relentless work-in-progress passion to keep taking bold action and making breakthrough advertising that never stops.”

Domino’s has kept busy building out its loyalty initiatives, broadening its third-party delivery network and developing a new e-commerce platform that will roll out throughout 2025. Same-store sales, an important measure of restaurant health, were up just 0.4% in Q4, a sluggishness that executives attributed to a higher amount of carryout purchases versus delivery transactions. Domino’s will likely continue to contend with price-concious consumers as the global economy enters a slump.