In Silicon Valley they say that you can start a business with an idea, an engineer, some beer, and an endless supply of pizza. Seems like the CEO of Dominos has naturally subscribed to that approach. The company's recent commercials poke fun at the recent string of bailouts the government has undertaken.
Interestingly, Domino's CEO Dave Brandon who is prominently featured in the commercials is considered an "avid participant in Republican politics." In fact, he considered running for a US Senate seat in Michigan in 2006 and is now rumored to be considering a run at being the next governor of Michigan in 2010. He has also reportedly donated nearly $200,000 to various GOP candidates.
We're not sure how effective the advertising campaign has been for selling more pizzas, but it's curious to see the CEO so prominently featured in coporate advertising in the context of a potential run at political office. This could all be light banter, but it seems clear that the chief executive of Dominos wants to be perceived as someone who is not a big fan of "fat cat" bailouts and is a real man of the people. In some respects, his bailout for the little guy sentiment may jive well right now with folks in Michigan in the wake of the federal government essentially walking away from the auto makers. Either way, this could be just another CEO centered commerical which have become increasingly popular over the years or a slyly funded pre-campaign exposure effort. It would be nice to get the media figure out which is which.
If the ads sell more pizzas than would have other creative advertising choices, so much the better for shareholders of DPZ (dominos NYSE ticker symbol). If not, then this would be just another example of a CEO taking advantage of some truly unusual corporate perks.
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