VCCP and Arena on alert as Domino's audits adspend

The bosses of VCCP and Arena Media are likely to be facing a few nervous weeks – and possible indigestion – following reports that major client Domino’s is to launch an audit of how the brand spends its £50m advertising budget.
According to The Times, Domino’s Franchise Association, which represents about 90% of the 67 operators in the UK and Ireland, has appointed KPMG to study the chain’s ad fund, which is invested on their behalf.
Franchise holders must pay 4% of sales into the fund, which amounted to £50m last year. The company insists the budget goes on advertising and promotion to build the brand but the franchisees are demanding to see exactly how it is spent.
VCCP won the creative and strategic advertising account from Iris in April 2017 following a competitive pitch process against Brooklyn Brothers and St Luke’s. It then added the social media, CRM, content and digital advertising business in November of the same year.
Arena has handled all media for over a decade.
A large chunk of Domino’s ad budget is spent on door-drop activity, although VCCP launched two major campaigns last year.
In November, it unveiled “The official food of WTF” activity, which promoted the restaurant’s cheeseburger pizza using a split screen (pictured), with consumers eating a slice of pizza in the bottom half, while in the top half a world of “WTF-ness” was unleashed. WTF indeed.
Meanwhile, in September it unveiled Domino’s “Party”. Set to the soundtrack The End of the World, the ad depicted the aftermath of a manic children’s birthday party. As the shell-shocked parents surveyed the damage, they stuff down Domino’s pizza to make them feel better.