Domino's Pizza Hero

Objective

Domino's Pizza faced competition for customer engagement and order acquisition in the growing iOS market of 2011. The brand sought to connect pizza-making education with direct e-commerce ordering through an entertainment vehicle that would attract new customers and drive repeat purchases.

Solution

Pizza Hero was a free iOS game developed by UNIT9 and CP+B for iPad, built with the Unity engine and 3D graphics. Players started at 'Pizza Prep School' to learn fundamentals, then experimented with dough, sauce, cheese, and toppings through gameplay. The experience included mini-games like pizza cutting and bubble-popping to build skills. Players could compete on leaderboards, share scores on social media, and crucially, order their custom pizza creations directly through integrated e-commerce. The game also featured a job training component: top performers earned the opportunity to work at actual Domino's locations.

Results

The app exceeded commercial expectations with over 300,000 downloads and reached #3 on the App Store ahead of Skype. Players created more than 7 million pizzas collectively, and nearly 800 players earned opportunities to work at their local Domino's locations. The app won FWA Mobile of the Day, Davey Awards, and Webby Awards.