Domino's Brings Back the Noid, for One Week
The Noid is back.
On Monday, Domino’s Pizza announced the comeback of their former mascot the Noid in a Facebook game called The NOID’s Super Pizza Shootout. Some of you might not remember the infamous character-- the Noid is a red-suited, rabbit-eared villain who appeared in Domino’s commercials during the late 1980s.
Consumer who “like” Domino’s on their Facebook site can play the arcade-styled game and have a chance to win one of 10,080 free pizza gift cards, given each minute to the highest round score.
The company formatted the game so players cannot play-on-demand, which Chris Brandon, PR manager at Domino’s, believes will build the company’s Facebook network.
The actual game consists of moving pizza targets that the player must shoot in a given time limit. Players have to avoid hitting the Noid’s face and the tomatoes he throws.
No purchase is necessary to play the game and every 60 seconds there is a winner. The game is currently available and will last through August 15.
Consumers that lose will be offered a coupon for two free Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes when they purchase two large specialty pizzas. To receive the coupon, consumers must submit their email address opting to receive future Domino’s promotions.
“A lot of people don't even know that we have email offers, so it's good to let them know we have that offering,” Brandon said. Opted-in consumers receive emails “on average once every one or two weeks.”
“The goal of our emails is to get people to go to the [Domino’s] website for the online ordering process,” he said.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first Domino’s commercial featuring the Noid.
In 1986, the character was created by a small ad agency in Ann Arbor, Mich. The mascot represented what happened when consumers ordered a competitor’s pizza. The Noid attracted numerous fans but Domino’s eventually improved its brand recognition and retired the character.
Brandon said that consumers “constantly” ask when Domino’s will resurrect the Noid.
“Many people on Facebook remember him, so it’s cool for people to learn about that part of our heritage,” he said.
However, the company has no intentions to use the character in any future campaigns, added Brandon.