While Gen Z’s frontal lobes were developing, a digital screen was perma-glued to their faces. So, it goes without saying, the Edward iPhone-hands generation has been continually barraged with branded tweets, imagery, and “swag” ever since they could utter the phrase “engagement bait.”
So, our challenge was to break through the organic brand clutter with our social presence - resonating with Gen Z in a way other brands don’t. Where similar QSR brands are focused on trend-hopping, aesthetic food photography, and meme-style shares, Domino’s aimed to authentically and uniquely engage Gen Zers.
After seeing a continual onslaught of Daylight Saving Time complaints on social from Gen Zers, we clocked an opportunity for Domino’s to save the day. Their recent Emergency Pizza Deal, where consumers could buy one pizza and get a second for free, provided a moment’s reprise from the dreaded darkness of a 5PM sunset. After all, the darkness of Daylight Saving Time felt like an emergency to our target audience.
Since Gen Z gravitates toward “the absurd” as a moment’s reprise from reality, it provided a fun opportunity to lean into a surrealist-style post.
Hence, the Clock Man. Half-clock, half-man, full evil. His only goal in life is to bring chaos and calamity to those who seek the light. The only hero who could defeat him was Domino’s Emergency Pizza, swooping in to save the day(light savings) with a delicious deal too tasty to refuse.
Our platform of choice was TikTok, where Gen Zers spend their time scrolling. To help stop thumbs, our post underwent the “deep-fried” meme treatment, aka, turning what may have been a clear and crisp image into a post that appears as if it’s been screengrabbed, shared, and reposted many times.
The copy added a touch of existentialism, helping project a threatening aura onto those who stumbled across the post. Additionally, the sinister music helped strike even more dread into the hearts of our Gen Z audience.
In addition to beating out Sabrina Carpenter’s “Shake that Ess’” announcement and teaser post with Dunkin by almost doubling the engagement rate, Clock Man garnered 225,361 organic impressions, 17,056 shares, and an overall 22.3% engagement rate, proving that people hate Daylight Saving Time more than they love Sabrina Carpenter.
While other brands spend millions on celebrity endorsements, paid postings, and flashy sets, Clock Man proved unhinged, organic humor can win the day. Also, on a personal level, Clock Man’s Engagement Rate proved 7x higher than Domino’s typical platform postings.
Additionally, this post contributed to Domino’s goal of being one of the most loved pizza brands on social in December 2024.
And of course, the sentiment in the comments section proved that we were right on target with our Gen Z audiences, as there was a mix of confusion, excitement, and some who even played along with our Clock Man narrative.
