Domino is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces called dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile with a line dividing its face into two square ends, each end having a number of spots (also called pips or dots) or blanks. The different combinations of spots on the ends make up a suit. A traditional European domino set has 28 unique tiles. The dominoes are normally twice as long as they are wide, making them easy to stack and re-stack.
When Lily Hevesh started playing with dominoes as a child, she loved arranging them in straight or curved lines and flicking the first domino over to watch the whole chain fall. Her fascination with the physical phenomenon has now led her to create amazing domino arrangements that have been featured in movies, TV shows, and events, including a Katy Perry album launch. Her YouTube channel, Hevesh5, has more than 2 million subscribers.
To create one of Hevesh’s mind-blowing installations, she starts with a theme or idea, and brainstorms images or words that would be incorporated into the design. She then makes test versions of each section of the installation to ensure that it will work. She films the tests in slow motion, allowing her to see exactly how each piece moves and enabling her to correct any problems before they become too big of a problem to fix.
Then, Hevesh layers the pieces together. She builds up the largest 3-D sections first, followed by flat arrangements and lines of dominoes that connect all the different parts of the display. Once she is satisfied with her arrangement, Hevesh flicks the first domino over and waits for the beautiful, hypnotizing result.
As a global brand, Domino’s knows that it needs to connect with consumers on a local level. For example, in 2018, the company launched an innovative campaign that tackled a problem that many drivers and pizza lovers share – potholes. The ‘Paving for Pizza’ campaign encouraged customers to nominate their town for a paving grant, ensuring that their pizzas would be delivered on time and in one piece.
Domino’s also offers online ordering and delivery services to reach customers who may not live close to a store. The company’s use of real-time consumer feedback has helped it to stand out from competitors. In the US, it has a dedicated innovation center, where cross-functional teams work on cutting-edge technology to take the company to the next level. In developing nations, it has embraced a localization approach that allows the company to serve up menu items suited to regional tastes and preferences. This is the type of innovation that has the potential to help Domino’s thrive in an era where takeout and delivery are more popular than ever before.