I used to have this grand plan that I would feature a useless corporate Web site each week on my site. The first example was going to be Doritos.com, simply because it was nothing but a reproduction of the company's TV ads. Well, Doritos has improved the site a bit. Now it features a few games to play and even some information about potential new flavors, both things a guy like me who eats too many chips can get into.
Even though Frito Lay and the rest of corporate America is getting better, I still think my weekly feature would fly. As I surf the Web I see a lot of examples of how the suits on Madison Avenue do not completely get how people want to or actually do use the Web. After a simple online pizza order, I had to admit that at least one company does. Domino's Pizza's online ordering process is so different, so informative and even so much fun that a jaded Web surfer and burgeoning Internet expert like me has to give the company credit. In technical terms, Domino's site understand that interactivity is about more than flickering graphics or frenetic games. It's about making real connections with an audience.
Online pizza ordering isn't anything new, although I'm surprised it took as long as it did for all the big companies to jump on the bandwagon. In my personal research (I eat too much pizza), Papa John's was probably the first, followed by Pizza Hut. I think Domino's was a little late in the game, but they more than made up for it. The ordering process is adequate. I like that you can designate toppings on only half the pizza. But what made me and my 6-year-old son return customers is what happens after you order, and I wish I made some screenshots. A real-time timer appears on the bottom of your screen highlighting each step of the pizza making and delivery process. It tells you when the pizza is being made, when it's thrown in the over, when it's boxed and in the delivery vehicle. It even gives you the names of the Domino's employees overseeing each stage. I know Kyle made my pizza and passed it off to Kushnaya (I think, sorry guys if I got your names wrong) for delivery.
How do I know this? I was riveted to the screen watching the entire process like a hawk. And if you think I was excited, you should have seen my son jump up and down for joy when the pizza moved from the oven to the box to the car. He reserved the biggest jump for when the doorbell rang, and he greeted the driver with a huge smile on his face. I think Kushnaya even got a bit of an extra tip.
While we were glued to the screen we also got an ample supply of Batman-related news and information. Domino's even made sure I could click on the extra trailers without losing track of my counter.
As media researchers, we urge businesses to more fully utilize the Web and all its features, but sometimes we are at a loss for how to pay for it. Domino's solves both issues with its site, forging connections with customers with counters and employee introductions while also creating an advertising vehicle people will willingly use. The site made me wonder how the Domino's example could be applied to other industries, especially my own. Newspapers have embraced the Web, but too often they populate it with what's already in their printed product or what got left out. Is there a way the evening news could make its audiences as excited about the news as my son and I were about pizza? I guess that's what I'll have to figure out. For now, however, I think I'm going to order a pie, and I'll post the URL here so you know when to get here for a slice.