“But that’s okay I’ll just avoid the holes so you sleep fine,
I’m driving here I sit —
cursing my government
for not using my taxes to fill holes with more cement.”
-Twenty-One Pilots
When roads get so bad contemporary musicians have to sing about it in mainstream music, it’s no surprise pizza companies are paying to fix our roads.
Domino’s latest PR stunt garnered respect and admiration for taking on a lingering problem on our roadways: potholes. The pizza chain took it upon themselves to do something about older roads with their “Paving For Pizza” campaign. It’s a well-received example of how all corporations aren’t evil simply because they make lots of money.
“Potholes, cracks, and bumps in the road can cause irreversible damage to your pizza during the drive home from Domino’s. We can’t stand by and let your cheese slide to one side, your toppings get un-topped, or your boxes get flipped. So we’re helping to pave in towns across the country to save your good pizza from these bad roads.”
Locations included:
Got potholes? Put the ‘nom’ in nominate this year and submit your town! Or, do what Oregon residents have resorted to and plant flowers in the road craters instead.
“This unique innovative partnership allowed the town of Bartonville to accomplish more pothole repairs,”
-Bartonville Mayor Bill Scherer.
“We appreciated the extra paving for pizza funds to stretch our street repair budget as we addressed more potholes than usual.”
-Milford City Manager
It’s a savvy PR play sure to earn them plenty of exposure, and also good community relations. Large companies have a responsibility to give back to the communities they do business in. But not everyone is convinced.
As popular mechanics pointed out: “Paving for pizza is a good advertising gimmick, and the sign of a sad state of infrastructural affairs….Unless Domino’s wants to repair all the nation’s roads and bridges, we need to find a better solution than this.”
Indeed, the paltry $5,000 paid to each city for repairs seems low, but it was quickly snatched up by the municipalities who were already starved for roadway funds. Looking at the bigger picture, one could argue it calls attention to an overlooked civil problem, which is far more valuable than the cost paid.
In all, everyone benefits. Roads have (slightly) improved. Domino’s gets their public exposure. People are beginning to ask why their roads have gotten so bad pizza companies have now taken to repairing them.
