Just how many apps are we supposed to download?

After McDonald's, Airtel and Tapzo, now Domino's promotes its mobile app. We spoke to S. Murugan Narayanaswamy, senior vice-president - marketing, Domino's Pizza India, about the overcrowded Indian smartphone screen.

Ever struggled with clearing your phone of the unwanted or not-so-frequently used apps? But with their app-only offers and services, brands have and will continue to make the task difficult for us. Domino's Pizza India's new marketing push would have also added to the trouble, if not for its 'progressive web app' which is essentially the mobile site offering an app like experience.

The brand's new TVC launched to promote the 'progressive web app' brings two iconic symbols associated with Domino's - Paresh Rawal and the signature tune 'Pizza Aaye Free' - together, almost after a decade.

Conceptualised by Contract Advertising, the 30-second ad reiterates the brand's delivery expertise and the 'pizza aaye free' proposition, but this time without the 30-minutes caveat as Domino's is promising free pizzas on all orders made using the mobile site or app.

S. Murugan Narayanaswamy, senior vice-president - marketing, Domino's Pizza India, is hopeful that Rawal's effortless antics will delight consumers, even as the offer ensures trials. But driving trials is not the objective of this campaign. Establishing itself as a quick delivery option is also something, he believes, the brand has already achieved.

The challenge here was to get users who are being added to the mobile fold every day to become brand loyalists. Narayanaswamy acknowledges that as apps fight for 'screen real estate', it will become increasingly difficult for businesses to maintain them in the long run. Hence the need for 'progressive web apps'.

"Indians typically use both, the app and the web; after all, how many apps will anyone download? Usually people have apps for brands which they are very close to. For others, they use the mobile web. So, our newly launched progressive web app gives them the same experience and offers as the app does. In some cases, such as, the ease of navigation, loading speed and transition between screens, it is even better," he says.

However, according to Narayanaswamy, the idea of a hard-sell through offers is not Domino's DNA. Therefore, the campaign builds on the brand's delivery expertise, which is highlighted as Rawal complains about it unfailingly delivering on the '30-minutes nahi toh free' promise for 12 years. But this time, since the order was placed using the mobile app, he gets the free pizza he had been dreaming of all these years.

The campaign recently went on air on TV and radio.

Does it click?

Commenting on the execution, Mark McDonald, head of creative at DigitasLBi, India, says, "I do remember the original Paresh Rawal ads, and this one seems in keeping with them, especially the scheming involved in getting a free Pizza. As a tactical communication, it gets the message across - use the app and get a free pizza. Paresh Rawal brings in a bit of humour and memorability."

But the big question according to him is that in the age of Swiggy, Zomato and Scootsy, will a Domino's app get its place on screen real estate?

"It depends on a number of things that have more to do with app functionality than with the communication. For instance, what level of customisation does it offer, how intuitive is the UI, is payment easy, and what menu options are available. More importantly, for me at least, it is the kind of CRM that will back the app - can it save my favourite menu options, capture my food preferences and use my location to customise offerings. If I still need to pick up the phone, then chances are it's not earning that spot," states McDonald as he raises yet another question; "how come they haven't chosen to highlight any of that, and have focussed instead on a free pizza?"