Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 26, 1990 TAG: 9005260043
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TRACY WIMMER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Squinting, smiling, looking straight into a line of traffic across from Bud's Suds on Elm Avenue, Annie Waldrop began her little shuffle. We're not talking lambada, vogueing or even the electric slide. We're talking tap ala aerobics done in black and white saddle shoes and a Domino's Pizza uniform - all while balancing a banner bigger than she is.
And she had no tunes.
Her co-worker with the good stereo hadn't arrived at the shop yet. "Usually he backs his car up against the curb and leaves the radio on," Waldrop said, waving like a prom queen to a woman in a Pinto. "It's great."
The passerby honked. Waldrop waved again, then continued talking about the music that wasn't there.
"David Byrne," she said. "A good David Byrne song will keep me going for hours."
Good thing. Waldrop and her buddy up the street who was stationed in front of Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley still had two hours of banner duty left.
In the pizza business, they are called banner shakers. In the real world, they are called . . . er . . . a little crazy.
At the busiest and often hottest times of the day, banner shakers don Domino's orange and blue, harness themselves into their banners and beat a path to the busiest curb near their store - all to promote pizza.
Long known as the big daddy of delivery, Domino's Pizza is trying to increase its carry-out business, which is 10 percent of total sales. Daily from 11 a.m. to noon and from 4 to 7 p.m., workers shake banners advertising a large pepperoni pizza for $5.99.
John Powell, executive marketing vice-president of Morrow Enterprises Inc., which owns the local Domino's Pizza shops, said the sales totals aren't in yet, but customer response seems good. Speaking by phone from the home office in Charlottesville, Powell said banner shaking originated in North Carolina.
In the Roanoke area, extra employees were hired on a temporary basis to shake. Many of them are teens who were formerly cheerleaders or pep club members, Powell explained.
"Some just have more oomph than others," he said.
Waldrop may not be a teen, but she's got the oomph. At 33, she is a graduate of Parsons School of Design in New York City and a fairly well-known local artist. She took the job because the hours are flexible, health insurance is provided and the money's decent - $4.75 an hour.
"And I don't mind being a ham," Waldrop said. "It feels normal to me."
Other pizza eateries have their own view of the Domino's campaign and their own promo weapons.
"We must really be hurting their carry-out business for them to get out on street corners and wave banners," said Mike Mitzlaff, marketing director of Little Caesars Pizza in Roanoke.
Little Caesars sends out the little guy when it's time to go public. That's right. All it takes is a good cause and a phone request to get a guy in a toga to appear at your party or school.
Pizza Inn has a clown. Starting today, he'll be shaking a promotional banner rather than handing out balloons.
And Pizza Hut? They're a bit indignant about the whole deal.
"Frankly, we think it's a traffic hazard," said Roger Rydell, director of public affairs for the 6,500-store chain. He has vetoed such promotions.
"It's just not the kind of approach Pizza Hut finds to be effective from a marketing or from an image standpoint," Rydell said by phone from his office in Wichita, Kan.
Domino's Pizza plans to continue the promotion for at least a few weeks. Some employees are even tossing out ideas to make banner shaking better.
"Glow in the dark," Waldrop said. "Wouldn't that be excellent if these banners glowed in the dark?"
by CNB