We Ain't Stupid: Would McDonald Eat the McRib? And Dominos' Use of Truth

When it comes to the fast food industry, competition is fierce. The giants continue to dominate but some of the underdogs are making us look at the whole picture from a completely new angle.
The modus operandi of the fast food industry is new product introduction, or in the case of this entry, product re-introduction.

I bet that 2 out of 3 of you have seen the commercials for the Mc Rib. It's everywhere. The concept is pretty simple - show how yummy the McRib tastes. Everyone from the young guy and girl to the older gentleman dances behind a white background while digging into a McRib. Barbeque sauce (or mystery McRib sauce) is dripping down their hands, shirts, everywhere. It looks like sloppy joe heaven.

View the ad here:
http://youtu.be/VDqqQ3uBEG4

Even the most hardened ad skeptic will be tempted and I was. Finally, after a night of football and beer. Lots of beer, I decided to go get a McRib. I wanted to bite into that juicy heart attack and dance like the guys in the commercial. I rounded into the drive through, paid my $3 and change and waited, anticipating.


Back to this later.

Here in the US, we have a handful of pizza giants: Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, Dominos, Ceasers. And let's be honest, they are all crap.
Dominos Pizza, who's one of the smaller ones, launched a campaign this year that not only turned the brand around, but shined the torch on the rest of the industry. Their concept was very bold and very risky but it worked because it hit consumers right on the head. Their message was:

Dominos pizza is crap, you said we were crap, we listened and will continue listening to you, and revitalize our pizza because we don't want to feed you crap anymore. (Not verbatum)

Here's the first ad that aired in the "Oh Yes We Did" campaign: NOTE: This is the longer version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH5R56jILag

Now back to the McRib.

It was crap. nuff said.

Now why would the world's largest fast food chain promise me yumminess and not deliver?
Are they ignoring consumer feedback? Is consumer feedback and research important or are they using fly swatters to fend off the complaints?

It's instances like these that make me wonder why some corporations are still running. Maybe it's sheer size but wouldn't it be nice if they pulled a Dominoes and respected us a bit more?

Pizza has become a commodity and in that category - the competition is vying for the most recognized (or preferred) commodity. The "Yes We Did' campaign took Dominos right to the top of that food ladder and who knows - maybe they'll create a whole new category for themselves. Well Done Dominos!

Until next time - Think transparency. Your consumers ain't stupid.

KBG~

On a completely different note:
This song rocks!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pib8eYDSFEI