MARKETING

The battle for the title of best major pizza chain in the United States is an intense one. There are the Papa John's fans, the Little Caesar's fans, and, perhaps the most passionate, the Domino's fans. According to the latter, there's a lot to love about the pies that come in the box with the signature red and blue game piece logo. Maybe it's the rumored super fast delivery times. Maybe it's the mix and match menu options. Or maybe it's the infamous Pizza Tracker, which lets you know exactly where your pizza is from the moment you click "order" to the moment it's placed on your doorstep. Regardless of what you love or don't love about Domino's, the pizza you ordered last Friday night isn't the same as the pizza Domino's would have delivered 13 years ago. That's because in 2008, the popular chain reinvented its original recipe. Here's the truth about why Domino's changed its pizza to what you know it as today. Despite Domino's popularity among pizza zealots today, it didn't always have the best reputation. In fact, prior to 2008, Domino's was famous for its "cardboard crust" pizza that people complained was flavorless, bland, and chewy, with sauce that tasted "like ketchup" (via CNN). Realizing it had a major pie problem on its hands, Domino's made the decision to completely revamp its 49-year-old pizza recipe, CBS News reports. "We dissected our pizza, then reinvented it from the crust up," then-CEO Dave Brandon told the news outlet. We tried scores of different sauces, cheeses, and doughs, with the idea of improving each of them. By 2010, the national chain had completed what it called "the pizza turnaround," and released its new pie. According to PopSugar, the highlights of the new pizza included a garlic-herb seasoning on the crust, a sweeter tomato sauce with a hint of red pepper, and cheese that was shredded instead of diced and included both provolone and mozzarella. People can get very specific about their Domino's pizza order, and for good reason. By some counts, there are around 34 million different ways to customize your pizza. It's a lot to take in and a lot to consider, especially if you're ordering for a group rather than for a personal piece of enjoyment. That's where the Domino's specialty pizzas come in. These tried-and-true pies satisfy (for the most part) without the added stress of being overwhelmed with options. In the best case scenario, the specialty orders are balanced and well thought out. In the worst case, the pizzas can feel like a jumble of trending food items thrown on top of pizza dough. Who was really asking for a pizza that is reminiscent of a cheeseburger, anyway? Thankfully, you have this ranking to sort the delicious from the duds without having to try every one of their specialty options. 5 Question B1: 8 marks Describe ONLY ONE (1) most obvious type of new products approach undertaken by Dominos Pizza, as evidenced in the article above. Your description needs to be supported by example highlighted in the article Question B2: 6 marks What was the actual problem that you could identified from the article above, that forced the company to relook into its products offerings, hence leading toward new product development? Question B3: 14 marks Domino's made the decision to completely revamp its 49-year-old pizza recipe, CBS News reports. "We dissected our pizza, then reinvented it from the crust up," then-CEO Dave Brandon told the news outlet. We tried scores of different sauces, cheeses, and doughs, with the idea of improving each of them By 2010, the national chain had completed what it called "the pizza turnaround," and released its new pie. According to PopSugar, the highlights of the new pizza included a garlic-herb seasoning on the crust, a sweeter tomato sauce with a hint of red pepper, and cheese that was shredded instead of diced and included both provolone and mozzarella. From the stamen above, obviously Domino Pizza made a lot of trials and errors to improve its pizza pie. As an expert in New Product Development, explain the stages involved when the company engaged in the trial and improvised activities as highlighted by the statement. Question B4: 12 marks In your opinion, based on the information shared in the article, what is the best pattern to describe the concept generation of the pizza turnaround attempted by Dominos Pizza?